-By Linda Burnett, Photography by Eric Laignel

project: International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Headquarters
client: IIDA
location: Chicago
designer: Envision Design

Washington, D.C.-based Envision Design had the ultimate test when tackling the headquarters of IIDA—there's nothing harder than facing the judgment of your peers. "Our members really see this as their office," says Cheryl Durst, executive director, CEO of IIDA. "There are many stakeholders here." Talk about satisfying everybody. Located in Chicago's Merchandise Mart, the IIDA headquarters needed to be inclusive and represent the various practice areas of the interior design profession. For example, the reception area offers a residential feel, while the learning center represents the educational sector, and the boardroom takes on a corporate look. And with a democratic design process, more than 30 different manufacturers contributed to the interiors.

From the onset, the top goal here was achieving maximum sustainability. "We couldn't imagine creating a space that didn't represent the best of interior design and the sustainability part of that," says Durst. Designer and client aimed for LEED certification, which they achieved with a gold rating through (but not limited to) material selection, efficient water and energy use, and clever indoor environmental quality solutions, such as placing a low-pressure air delivery system under the floor so occupants can have individual temperature control.

Every aspect of the 10,000 sq.-ft. design was touched by the hand of sustainability. In the lounge area, which is accented by a textured Braille-like wall of paper tiles made from bamboo pulp, classic modern furniture pieces are like art. "It's a sustainable strategy in that no one will throw away this furniture," notes Ken Wilson, founding principal of Washington, D.C.,-based Envision and Contract's 2005 Designer of the Year. "The classics have continued value. They will never end up in a landfill." Even the 15-year lease is a nod to permanency and duration.

With 20 people working at IIDA's headquarters, the secondary goal was to demonstrate interior design's impact on how people work. This is not a showroom, after all. Wilson took advantage of the challenging dog-bone shaped space, placing the shared library around the windows and creating a learning and conference center for the Association's educational activities in the windowless middle area, while using transparency "to diminish the feeling that you are in the interior of the building," says Wilson. In addition, "this is the only LEED-certified conference space in Chicago," he adds. Since this is a highly trafficked office, there will be no shortage of visitors or design lessons learned by good example.

jury comment:

"A designer's own office should be a laboratory for sustainable design. This achieves that without any of the explicitly 'natural and organic' cues that seem to be necessary to denote green design. The project is a collection of spaces with playful sophistication."


who
Project: International Interior Design Association Headquarters and Learning Center. Client: International Interior Design Association. Architect, interior designer: Envision Design. Mechanical/electrical engineer: KJWW Consulting Engineers. General contractor: Turner Special Projects. Furniture dealer: Office (R)evolution, Interior Investments. Photographer: Eric Laignel.

what
Carpet tile: Shaw Contract Group, Lees Carpet. Cork: Expanko. Sealed concrete slab: Rustoleum. Rubber base: Johnsonite.Raised Floor System: Haworth.Gypsum board: USG. Accent wall: Inhabit. Carpet adhesive: Taylor Adhesives, Chicago Adhesive Products. Translucent window film: CPFilms. Paint: Sherwin-Williams, Pittsburgh Paints, Benjamin Moore, Pratt and Lambert. Paint: Fuhr International. Textiles:
FABRICS/DRAPERIES/TACK SURFACES: HBF, HBF Textiles, Haworth, Teknion, Carnegie, Maharam, Luna Textiles. Ceiling systems: Armstrong World Industries. Lighting: Focal Point, Gotham Lighting,Kurt Versen, Winona Lighting, Alkco, LumenArt, Color Kinetics, Artemide. Appliances: Sub Zero, Bosch, General Electric. Millwork: Marshfield Door Systems, Doogie Veneers, Environ Biocomposites, Sierra Pine. Task seating: Allsteel. Guest seating: Knoll. Lounge seating: Knoll, Herman Miller, Carl Hansen. Occasional tables: Herman Miller, Urban Hardwoods. Conference seating: Herman Miller. Training tables: Allsteel. Other tables: Knoll. Area rug: Merida Meridain. Systems furniture: Haworth. Casegoods, demountable walls: Teknion.

where
Location: Chicago, IL. Total floor area: 10,000 sq. ft. No. of floors: One. Total staff size: Up to 35.