November 2, 2007 - Milliken Contract’s showroom is the first space in the Chicago Merchandise Mart, the world’s largest commercial building, to achieve Gold Certification under U. S. Green Building Council’s LEED® for Commercial Interiors Rating System version 2.0.

"Our LEED design team created a welcoming space that is both attractive and sustainable. This showroom works on many levels—color, function, and, of course, a showcase for fabulous carpet," said Milliken Contract Creative Director Kaye Gosline.

Project team members included LEED administrators Catalyst Partners (www.catalyst-partners.com); designers Q studio (www.qexperience.com); commissioning firm dbHMS (www.dbhms.com); contractor Bear Construction (www.bearcc.com); and engineers Environmental Group, Inc. and WCW Engineers, Inc. (www.wcwengineers.com).

Power hungry incandescent lights were long thought to be the most flattering to showcase products. However, the designers found better solutions. Showroom designer John Seegers of Chicago-based Q studio agreed lighting was the biggest creative challenge under LEED with the need to highlight the product, while reducing the watts per square foot 25% below the allowable criteria. “We made sure that the product looked it best without sacrificing color and brightness under the new metal halide lights,” Seegers explained.

LEED for Commercial Interiors 2.0 was developed specifically to give power for making sustainable choices to tenants and designers, who do not always have control over whole building operations. In addition to low-emitting paint, all the MDF is low-emitting and contains no added urea formaldehyde. Milliken carpet with TractionBack® contributed to the certification and Millicare® Textile Carpet Care continuously refreshes IAQ. Success for this project owes a debt to Haworth for blazing the trail during the pilot phase and to the Merchandise Mart, which has been supportive regarding the LEED learning process.

Commenting on his first LEED design experience, Seegers noted, “The design for the showroom wasn’t compromised in any way.  The added benefit moving forward is that there is now also a larger network of contractors in the building industry with the conscience to pursue and make decisions that are mindful of their impact on the environment.” 

Milliken & Company’s commitment to e-countability continues policies and practices that began more than a century ago. As the textile industry’s standard-bearer for sustainability, manufacturing around the world is guided by a philosophy of Respect to the Earth, using fewer resources to produce more. Milliken carpets are PVC-free, chlorine free, third party certified and 100% recyclable. www.sustainablecarpet.com