Green Surfaces is a brand new section within the 2009 Surface Design Show (Business Design Centre, Islington, London, 10-12 February 2009) and will showcase an extensive selection of the most visually inspiring, sustainable, recyclable and renewable materials available for contemporary building design. Devised in response to calls from the architectural and design industries, Green Surfaces is just one of the new features at the Surface Design Show which has established itself as a must-see event where architects, designers and specifiers are able to network and get business done while being able to touch and feel some of the most vibrant products from around the world.

Sustainability and Innovation will also be the main theme for a series of seminar presentations to be run by BRE, providing a background to the Green Guide to Specification and focusing on particular surfaces, examining in detail their environmental performance.

Simon Guy, Marketing Director for BRE, commented: “BRE is delighted to have partnered with the Surface Design Show for the first time this year as part of the show’s focus on Green Surfaces. This event fits perfectly in to our wider campaign to deliver on our mission to 'Build a better world' and to that end BRE is hosting a comprehensive educational programme at The BRE Green Guide Theatre. This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved in sustainable development to come together under one roof and explore all that is new.”

One of the world’s leading flooring groups, the Forbo Flooring business puts its focus on environmentally friendly and design orientated linoleum as well as high quality vinyls and cushioned vinyls.

Forbo is launching its new Furniture Linoleum Collection that offers a unique and sustainable new surface finishing material to the furniture industry.

Manufactured from natural and sustainable raw materials such as linseed oil, rosin and wood flour, Furniture Linoleum’s natural attributes offer a unique proposition for off-the-floor and surface finishing applications. Comprising of two distinct product ranges – Desktop® and Walton Crocodiles, the new Furniture Linoleum collection adds a distinctive finishing touch that will change the way discerning furniture designers and manufacturers think about surfacing materials.

The innovative 3form can be specified for ceilings, partitions separation walls, ceilings, sliding doors, table tops and bar counters or as a design statement on walls and railings. “High design, Low impact” is the approach to material development that supports 3form’s corporate commitment to environmental stewardship.

Nest is a Design Story of new materials that embrace nature and suggest natural and nurturing environments. Intertwined patterns in nest like constructions with organic and abstract shapes, diffuse light and add visual depth with shapes that soften and create comfort in interior spaces. Sophisticated colours and tangled patterns have a mesmerizing appeal and energizing impact.

The Alchemy Design Story makes an elemental transformation for polished and chic environments. As its name suggests, Alchemy introduces luxury and glamour with its softly glowing precious metals – gold, copper and silver. Organic forms and finishes with precious metals in strands and intimate details that reflect and glisten transporting plain interiors into alluring spaces.

Muraspec has been designing and making wallcoverings in the UK for professionals in the interiors industry for over 30 years and is synonymous with high quality and service. Its products can be found in many of the finest hotels, offices, stores and hospitals around the world.

At this year’s Surface Design Show visitors will see the latest environmental products on show from Muraspec including Ruben. Ruben is a new wallcovering design incorporating a minimum of 30% recycled, previously unusable industrial waste, which would have otherwise ended up in landfill.

A ground breaking new process means recycled material is seamlessly integrated within the product. There is no need to ‘hide’ the recycled content within a sandwich layer, which often gives additional weight to the finished product. Available in 10 colour options, the recycled content does not compromise the design of the wallcovering aesthetically or performance wise in anyway. There is also no price premium for the new recycled content design.

Surface Design Show Event Manager Anita Gorny says: “During the 2008 Surface Design Show, we asked visitors what they most wanted to see more of and the number one request, by a large majority, was ‘a greater number of eco-friendly products’. So this year we have set up a dedicated section of the event that focuses exclusively on sustainable surfaces for the built environment. As a result, a number of new and returning exhibitors have already announced that they will use the Green Surfaces platform to launch their most innovative and sustainable designs. All of us at the Surface Design Show are extremely excited to see the inspiring creations and designs that our innovative exhibitors will be displaying and we’re telling everyone they must come and see for themselves”

The Surface Design Show 2009 features thousands of the latest and most imaginative products by more than a hundred of the world’s leading surface designers and manufacturers, helping to guarantee that the show remains a unique and must-see event for all architects, designers and specifiers.

Email: anita.gorny@eme-uk.com