ImpactA New Home For Our Growing Green Materials Library
Part of Two Twelve's longstanding environmental mission has been to encourage our designers to incorporate "green" materials and production methods in the design process. Our EGD (environmental graphic design) teams typically specify materials and fabrication methods for the signs they design, and physical building product samples allow us to best understand the various aesthetic and physical properties of the many choices on the market. When we first started our Green Library in 2005, there were only a few "eco-friendly" products on the market that were appropriate for signage. We originally created a labeling system for each material to describe its basic "green" qualities. Over the years, we have acquired a larger collection of materials with the ever-increasing number of products available on the market. Simultaneously, the vocabulary to describe qualities and facets with regard to sustainability has also grown.
The building of the gallery-like display illustrates some of the ways we are embracing concepts of sustainable design. The custom-designed zig-zag shaped shelving is made from bamboo, a rapidly renewable resource, and the pieces are joined together with wooden studs rather than adhesives. Each shelf is mounted to the wall with mechanical fasteners that provide flexibility and allow for easy maintenance and removal. A supergraphic made from polyester-based film wraps around the corner, visually complementing the zig-zag display.
In terms of the library's information content, we dedicated the main wall surface to the display of materials, while the side wall is for publications about related topics. We migrated the storage of information for each "green" material into an electronic database, giving each material in the library an alphanumeric index number; the letter corresponds to one of six color-coded material categories based on physical properties. We put a label on each sample that provides product information including the index number, material type, content composition, location of manufacture, and any third-party certification(s). The index numbers correspond to information we have compiled and filed in a dedicated binder, including extensive specifications for each material, vendors' cut sheets and marketing literature. These tools make it easy for us to compare properties of various materials and to keep the library tidy and organized.
Through an appealing display, logical organization and accessible information design, our next generation Green Library encourages interaction and learning at the same time.
