Living Gallery - Miami Design District Magazine

Green Design
Bamboo: The Greener Grass
Teragren Bamboo Sets the Standard for Environmentally Friendly Businesses
Story by Debra Kronowitz I Photos courtesy of Teragren Bamboo
B
amboo is all the rage today because it’s durable, cost-effective and
eco-friendly. Botanically, bamboo is not a wood, but rather a grass.
And with green home design becoming increasingly popular, people
are paying more attention to the environment and are seeking ways to
minimize the impact everyday living creates in the home. Teragren, a manufacturer
of bamboo flooring, countertops, panels and veneer, is finding ways
to be greener and more socially responsible in every aspect of its operation.
Established in 1994, the company pioneered the bamboo flooring, panel
and veneer industry in the United States. In 2006, the company was named
by Inc. Magazine as one of “The Green 50” companies that are setting the
standard for environmentally friendly business, and one of the “Top Ten
Greentrepreneurs” by Seattle Metropolitan Magazine.
The company’s Portfolio strand bamboo floating floor collection is the
newest addition to the company’s line of bamboo flooring. Available in 10
designer colors — featuring a variety of distinctive textures and patterns,
including hand-scraped options — the wide-plank Portfolio collection demonstrates
the unlimited design potential of bamboo.
Teragren controls production from harvest to distribution. It specifies materials
and processes that meet stringent European, Japanese and U.S. environmental
standards. The company’s stringent manufacturing specifications call
for Optimum 5.5® Moso bamboo that is harvested sustainably only at maturity
between five-and-a-half to six years, when fibers are most dense.
Created through a proprietary manufacturing process that fuses together
bamboo strands with an environmentally safe adhesive, the Portfolio
collection is extremely durable and perfect for high-traffic installations.
According to the company, Portfolio is 154 percent harder than red oak and
125 percent harder than North American maple.
All Teragren bamboo products contribute to certification under the U.S.
Green Building Council’s LEED® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design) rating system in one or more categories. Select Teragren flooring
also qualify for FSC-Pure certification through the Forest Stewardship
Council. Teragren’s FloorScore®-certified bamboo flooring is the world’s
first bamboo flooring recognized by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS).
SCS measures more than 78 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted
from building materials and guarantees that certified products contribute to
a healthier and safer indoor environment. The collection is also eligible for
two credits through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The credits include LEED MR
Credit 6 for rapidly renewable materials and LEED IEQ Credit 4.3 for lowemitting
materials for flooring systems.
The Portfolio collection features the modified Välinge-patented, 2G folddown
locking system for quick and easy installation. Engineered with
Teragren’s proprietary Xcora technology, it features micro-bevel edges
and ends, along with a durable 7-coat aluminum oxide/polyurethane finish
with a 25-year residential and 10-year commercial finish warranty.
Teragren’s Portfolio is available in Paris Black, Brown Sugar, High Tea, Rich
Cognac, Midnight Black, Hewn Port (hand-scraped), Hewn Tawny (handscraped),
Darby Brown, New Country and Honey Ridge. ◆
30 Design District