Cradle to Cradle

a.《Cradle to Cradle》:
Remaking the Way We Make Things is a 2002 non-fiction book by German chemist Michael Braungart and U.S. architect William McDonough. It is a manifesto detailing how to achieve their Cradle to Cradle Design model. It calls for a radical change in industry: a switch from a cradle-to-grave pattern to a cradle-to-cradle pattern. It suggests that the "reduce reuse recycle" methods perpetuate this cradle-to-grave strategy, and that more changes need to be made.


Today, with our growing knowledge of the living earth, design can reflect a new spirit. In fact, the authors write, when designers employ the intelligence of natural systems—the effectiveness of nutrient cycling, the abundance of the sun's energy—they can create products, industrial systems, buildings, even regional plans that allow nature and commerce to fruitfully co-exist.

 McDonough + Partners thinking to a city often known first for its fashion: Milan, Italy. Their Isola Office building will be aiming for LEED Gold with a variety of sustainable building strategies including solar and geothermal energy, advanced insulation panels, solar shading, and a high-efficiency climate control system. The structure will be part of the Porta Nuova redevelopment, which will introduce 340,000 square meters of housing, community, commercial and government buildings within Milan’s center – it’s practically a city within a city!
As an office building situated in a residential zone, the 10-story 8,600 square meter Isola building had to accommodate a variety of site constraints, including being re-adaptable as housing units. Working within these tight parameters McDonough + Partners were still able to incorporate a variety of sustainable features.
The Isola office building takes advantage of renewable energy via photovoltaics in addition to ground-source thermal capture. It also features insulation panels composed of of glass, metal, and terracotta that not only provide for a high-performance building envelope, but also allow for operable windows in every office.
Mcdonough’s new office will be sharing the spotlight with buildings by 24 other architecture firms including Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects and Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. Continuously leading the sustainable movement, McDonough + Partners contribution to the Isola section of Porta Nuova will break ground as a pilot project for LEED certification of large urban redevelopment projects.


b."Cradle to Cradle" Furniture


The brainchild of designer Min Kang, the YiAhn is a functional bassinet for children that serves different roles to meet the growing needs, from infancy to pre-puberty years, of your kid. Measuring 31″ H x 39″ W x 17″ D, the YiAhn works as basket-like bed for infants, becomes a toy bin or bookshelf for 1-4 year-old kids and finally turns into study furniture (chair and table) for the kids up to 8 years. Finished with sustainable material, including Plyboo bamboo plywood, stainless steel and chrome metal, the fire and moisture resistant furniture also boasts high-density foam (2″ thick), which keeps your kids safe and comfortable inside the unit.