Shaw Contract Group hosted a Healthy Building Material workshop in conjunction with global design firm HOK. The event took place in Chicago, followed by a keynote event featuring Bill McDonough, an American designer, advisor, author and thought leader.

 

Twenty-three A&D firms participated in the workshop, and 250 individuals from the Chicago design community attended McDonough's presentation. The workshop focused on various material certification standards (Cradle to Cradle, Health Product Declaration, Environmental Product Declaration, Declare, etc.) and included in-depth presentations and round-table discussions where participants shared best practices and candid feedback. 

 

The session concluded with the group challenging themselves to identify and develop a local strategy for using material health tools in delivering healthy building specifications to clients. Their goal is to implement a simplified rating system to quickly assess a product's health, with intent to launch the tool at Chicago's NeoCon in June. 

 

Following the work session, the floor was opened for the greater Chicago design community to hear McDonough speak about material health.

 

John Stephens, vice president of marketing for Shaw Contract Group, noted, “By focusing on continuous product improvement and engaging in local conversations around material health with our clients, we further demonstrate our leadership in sustainability—making a greater impact within the industry." 

 

For more information, visit shawcontractgroup.com.