with guest speaker Ritva Puotila
CREDITS: 2 AIA/CES (HSW)
Renowned Finnish textile artist and Woodnotes founder Ritva Puotila will review the history of spun paper yarn textiles and offer her perspective on what the future holds.

Ritva began designing as a child and went on to win numerous awards and create pieces for exhibitions and museum collections worldwide. She spent her early career internationally in Scandinavia, the United States, and the Far East. Through her work with Tampella, which manufactured both linen interior textiles and engineering products, Ritva first came across spun paper yarn. In 1987, she founded Woodnotes with Mikko Puotila to revitalize spun paper yarn textiles, combining artistic intention with industrial design and production.

Ritva's vision for Woodnotes has expanded to encompass complete interior concepts that counterpoint the speed and flow of everyday life with the harmonious simplicity of design derived from the inherent material memory in nature. In addition to using sustainably- sourced raw materials, Woodnotes continues to develop ecologically- sensitive manufacturing processes. Recent additions to the collections combine paper yarn with other materials like wool, cotton, and metal for different effects.

with Aronson's in-house expert Mark Weidner
CREDITS: 2 AIA/CES (HSW)
Natural fibers such as wool, goat hair, silk, cotton, linen, jute, seagrass, paper, and coir offer timeless, elegant, and enduring solutions for interior design. Derived from renewable resources, they are environmentally-friendly in their production and better for indoor air quality than many alternatives. This seminar will cover these materials from harvest through maintenance, including origins, distinguishing qualities, appropriate uses, installation methods and concerns, and proper care.

Mark Weidner has spent his career working with natural fibers, with experience at Ruckstuhl and Larsen Carpet before coming to Aronson's Floor Covering in 2004. Aronson’s is a niche leader in the floor covering arena with a history and presence in New York City for more than 140 years. Having transformed over the last decade into an architecture-and-design-focused enterprise, Aronson’s works closely with architects and interior designers as well as with manufacturers and artisan fabricators to provide custom design solutions for retail, commercial and residential projects. Aronson’s floor covering collections feature natural fibers and rapidly renewable materials, reflecting a commitment to sustainable and environmentally-friendly products.

with reading and book signing by Margaret Hathaway at 7pm
All things goat will be on hand for the Goatstravaganza NYC, celebrating The Year of the Goat by Margaret Hathaway with photos by Karl Schatz. A sampling of artisanal goat cheeses selected by Anne Saxelby of Saxelby Cheesemongers, goat meat tasting prepared by Chef Frank Lania of Focolare Bar & Bistro, Goats du Roam wines, goat fiber demonstrations, a multimedia goat presentation, and even a few live Pygora goats from Rainbow Spring Acres in Lysander, NY!

Many people dream of leaving the workday world for a life of simplicity and freedom, and Margaret Hathaway and Karl Schatz did just that. In August of 2003, they embarked on a year-long exploration of the goat industry and culture in America, in preparation for becoming goat farmers. Hathaway, a writer, and Schatz, a photographer, left jobs in New York City and drove over 40,000 miles, visiting 43 states, in order to document in words, photographs and sound, the farmers, ranchers, cheese makers, chefs, vets, butchers, circus trainers, and enthusiasts who make up this unusual slice of America. The Year of the Goat: 40,000 Miles and the Quest for the Perfect Cheese chronicles their many adventures and experiences on the road in search of goat knowledge.

with guest speaker Katrin Trautwein, PhD
CREDITS: 2 AIA/CES (HSW)
Our most compelling color experiences are found in nature. Traditionally, natural mineral pigments were valued because they could be used to recreate those intangible colors in daily life. Today, natural mineral pigments are still the best choice for stunning color and can be suspended in modern, environmentally- friendly binders to ensure indoor air quality. Certain natural mineral pigments have been phased out due to toxicity or rarity; for those, synthetic mineral pigments closely approximate the color range of the originals. Katrin Trautwein, founder of kt.COLOR, will show how beautiful color can be achieved without compromising the natural world from which they were inspired.

Katrin Trautwein holds a PhD in chemistry and has 20 years of experience formulating high-quality paints. kt.COLOR, located in the foothills of the Swiss Alps near Zürich, is a highly specialized manufacturer of fine paints for interior use. The company uses pure artists’ pigments in combination with environmentally-safe binders to create a handmade range of 106 beautiful colors. Katrin started the company by re-creating sixty-three shades selected by Le Corbusier for the LC 32 and LC 43 collections for Salubra. kt.COLOR has since added other historically important colors, such as Yves Klein’s Ultramarine Blue, and developed new colors, including a stunning array of subtle variations on white.

with guest speaker Murray Levi, AIA LEED AP CREDITS: 2 AIA/CES (HSW)
Last year, the City of New York calculated its carbon budget, revealing some interesting statistics about New Yorkers' contribution to climate change – it's all about the buildings! How do the City of New York and its inhabitants fit into the global context of carbon emissions? And what can we do about it? After establishing that the interactions among people, buildings and systems, and the environment has resulted in the current situation, Murray Levi will delve into some of the ways to address them. He will outline carbon reduction initiatives set forth by the City, including PLANYC2030, Local law 86, and the Mayor's Office for Long Range Planning, and will discuss options available to architects and designers, both personally and professionally, through gaining a working knowledge of energy systems and evaluating how programs like NYSERDA and LEED EB can apply to projects.

Murray Levi is an award-winning architect with more than twenty-five years experience in sustainable design and construction. In addition to his role as Vice President and General Manager of LiRo Architects + Planners, Murray serves on the Board of Directors of the USGBC New York Chapter and is Chairman of its Program and Education Committee, the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment, the NYC Department of Buildings Model Code Program Advisory Committee on Sustainability, and is Chairman of the EBA-NYS High Performance Building Task Force.