Ngā mihi nui NZ Retail Interior Association for the wondering evening to kōrero about the future of sustainable materials and to Project Floors NZ for hosting us at your beautiful whare.
Here's a summary of what I heard from the other speakers in the evening in 3 points:
1. As Millennials and Gen Z form the majority of the design workforce, our values sit at the centre of our decision making; i.e. which materials we choose to get specified. Sustainable materials while a decade ago still felt like a niche, it is now the mainstream.
2. Upcoming policy changes will further propel the green building materials agenda towards the stratosphere. Ecolabels from the likes of Eco Choice Aotearoa, Declare lables from the Living Future Institute of Australia and networks like the NZGBC is and will continue to hold new builds and existing renovations towards a higher and necessary level of accountability.
3. Designers are explorers and will always want a playground of material options to satisfy their creativity. Every project is unique and an opportunity to break new ground. Successful green building materials now and into the future needs to put this product need at the centre of it's development.
If you find insights like these helpful, I run a green building materials company called Critical. (criticaldesign.nz) and we help designers and brands make beautiful and sustainable spaces using Cleanstone, that make our mokopuna proud. If you have a fit out your working on, send me a DM!
Also follow me on instagram! (https://www.instagram.com/critical.things/)