Here, we explore carbon neutrality as it relates to sustainable building, detailing Crossville?s approach to long-term carbon reduction and the distinguished eye behind their neutral designs.
Understanding Neutrality
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The environmental impact of construction has quickly become a top priority for architects, designers, investors, and tenants alike. The urgency comes from a growing concern for the climate change crisis, the associated depletion of natural resources, and the profound upside of reducing?environmental harm enacted by construction.
Industry-wide progress has been made through a demand for green building certificates, energy-efficient designs, better solutions for waste, sustainable materials, and carbon footprint reduction strategies. Carbon footprint reduction is worth understanding in full. In construction, carbon offsetting compensates for the emissions generated in the building process by investing in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere. Manufacturers calculate the carbon emissions produced in the making of their products?called embodied carbon?and offset the emissions by investing in wind and solar farms or reforestation initiatives. This helps companies take responsibility for the carbon footprint that can?t be otherwise reduced.
But the math can be harder to get right in practice. Often, companies budget their carbon offset expenditures based on the footprint of the product as it's being made?material procurement, transportation to the supplier, and manufacturing. The rest of the product's life?transportation to the buyer, construction, building duration, and demolition phase?is unaccounted for. This is where Crossville takes a different approach.?
One Small Step for Crossville
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Crossville - Civilization
Crossville?s new line exceeds the typical carbon reduction strategy and considers the entire product lifecycle, from the first moment of material procurement to the end of demolition day. Accounting for embodied carbon across the full span of the product?s existence, they?re making it easy for architects and designers to put the environment first and look good doing it.
Introducing Civilization: Inspired by Early Beginnings
Crossville - Civilization
Thousands of years ago, deep-ocean volcanic activity created big islands made of basalt stone. It was on these islands that the earliest civilizations flourished. Offering six natural incarnations of basalt in light to dark colorways, the Civilization collection captures that strength and beauty with crystalline inflections and the organic visual movement found in the original rock formations.
The collection provides a range of tile options for residential and commercial applications. From field tiles in various sizes to mosaic options, designers can customize their projects to suit their preferences. The trim package includes bullnose and cove base selections, ensuring a seamless application. See more in our?showroom, and ask one of our design specialists to help.
Native Metal: Luxury that Lasts
Crossville - Native Metal
The Native Metal Collection captures the eternal luxury of patined minerals and ores with unique metallic visuals and textures. Six distinct tones, including Noble Platinum and Copper Deposit, exude opulence in porcelain and resin, with striking visuals achieved through multiple glazing techniques.
The Native Metal Collection provides a full selection of tiles, including field tiles, mosaic options, and decorative art rectilinear wall trim. The Champagne Gold, Rubbed Bronze, and White Iron decorative art options add an additional touch of luxe. Versatile and durable, the Native Metal Collection is a great choice for commercial and residential projects?browse the look in our showroom with our?design team?to see how they could fit your next design.
One Big Leap for Architects and Designers
Like Armstrong?s famous moon-landing adage, the industry's progress toward environmental progress will happen slowly and then all at once. Products with committed sustainability practices, like the?Native Metal?and?Civilization?by Crossville, make it easier for designers and architects to choose sustainability at scale. The results of those small changes add up quickly across a home, an office, a city, and a world.
We?re honored to join Crossville in pursuing that compounding result. Crossville?s targets include a 10% reduction by 2024 and a 30% reduction from their 2014 baseline by 2030. Their goals match their devotion to finding a better way to build. We?re proud to host these lines in our showroom and help designers and architects achieve their sustainability targets. One small step for architects quickly becomes one giant leap for the industry?for the people we serve and the Earth we share.
