The American National Institute of Architects 2010 Convention was held in Miami June 10-12 and was well attended by the architectural community as well as being well represented by a diversity of building products and services on display. The prominent message throughout the convention continued to be LEED compliant products, whether produced from rapidly sustainable or renewable materials. A large majority of the products and services offered incorporated LEED initiatives in one way or another, which was a welcome surprise.
I have to admit that when the LEED program was in its infancy, I didn’t think it would get the success we see today let alone the momentum in the industry that has really gotten some traction. There were so many hurdles like cost and regional limitations at the beginning that seemed to limit competition and seemed too prohibitive when it comes to a budget driven world like ours (architect and building materials companies). I am quite happy to admit that in recent years my original perception was incorrect. Thanks to the determination of the architectural community and the innovative nature of our partnership, many of the products I looked at had become “greener” with little or no increase in cost. This simply means that the cost barriers have been lowered or are being lowered and that is a very good thing for all of us.
It was also encouraging to see new domestic competition in established markets. Companies like Formica have decided to jump into the high pressure laminate market and offer a quality competitor to Trespa. Formica’s product called Vivix made its “soft launch” at the 2010 convention and they are introducing patent-pending exposed and concealed fastener systems for each. Testing will end at the end of June and the color palette is deep and engaging. All indications are that they will hit the market at full speed in the late summer or early fall of 2010. This is just one example of many showing the initiative of American companies in the market.