STUDIO EG, INC.
Founded in 1991 by industrial designer Erez Steinberg and graphic designer Gia Giasullo, Studio eg is a research, design and development firm committed to the creative utilization of recycled, reused and non-toxic materials.
The designers at Studio eg don't have to look too far for inspiration. Studio eg is located in West Oakland, the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area's industrial recycling district, and looks out on to enormous bales of industrial, commercial, and post-consumer waste awaiting eventual reprocessing. Working in such a setting endows eg's designers with a heightened awareness of the waste produced by our society, and presses them to ask of each of their designs: "Does this product have a right to exist? Does its existence offer more good than harm?
Studio eg's focus on ecologically smart design has not however, led to the sacrifice of aesthetics or functionality. Studio eg's products and graphics have been hailed not only as "an eco-designer's dream" (Communication Arts Magazine), but as "exceptionally well designed" (The Green Business Letter) and "a pleasure to behold" (Business Week)
In 1995, Studio eg launched Ecowork, a line of free-standing office furniture made from 98% recycled materials-tires, cardboard, newspaper and agricultural waste fiber-utilizing environmentally responsible manufacturing processes. A colorful line of workstations, partitions, tables and shelves, Ecowork provides a visually dynamic and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional office cubicles.
Ecowork's clients have ranged from MTV Networks in Times Square, NYC; to the University of Utah; to Jerry Brown's We the People in Oakland, CA.
Featured in various publications and international exhibitions, and garnering award recognition for both its industrial and graphic design departments, Studio eg's work demonstrates that environmentally sound materials can serve not only as a means of responsible production, but as a source of creative inspiration.
CLIENTS:
* Alameda County Waste Management Authority
* Andromedia
* Bailey Edward Design
* City of Oakland, Public Works Agency Environmental Services
* Communication Arts Magazine
* Cybereps
* Environmental Department of the City of San Francisco
* Fusion DM
* Gensler
* Get Connected.com
* Grassroots.com
* Hayward Lumber
* Imagine Publishing
* Jerry Brown's We The People
* Leagas-Delaney
* MAPA International Trading Company
* MTV Networks
* OFOTO
* Praxis
* Smith and Hawken
* Susan Maxmann & Partners Associates
* Trash Talk Radio
* University of Utah
* Xulu Entertainment
* Wine Shopper
PUBLICATIONS:
* The San Francisco Chronicle 8/2000
* Interior Design, 3/2000
* Oakland Tribune, 9/99
* Conception de Produits et Environnement 8/99
* Mother Jones, 12/99
* Interiors and Sources, 5/99
* Communication Arts Magazine, 4/2000, 5/98
* E Magazine, 3/98
* E Magazine, 3/98
* Interiors Magazine, 1/98
* Graphis Product Design 2, 1997
* Business Week Enterprise, 11/97
* Green Seal's Choose Green Report, 7/97
* WIRED Magazine, 8/96
AWARDS AND EXHIBITIONS:
* 2000 Best of, L.A. Design Week for Ecowork , 2000
* Buildings Magazine Innovations Award, Citation of Excellence in Environmental Sensitivity: for Ecowork , 1999
* ID Magazine Graphic Design Award: for Ecowork brochure, 1998
* International Design Resource Award: for Ecowork, 1996
* San Francisco Examiner Designer of the Year: Erez Steinberg, 1995
* Materials Connection, NYC, 1998
* Materials of the Future, NYC, 1997
* Hello Again, Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, CA, 1997
* Re(f)use, North America 1996-1998
* Re(f)use, Europe 1997-ongoing
* Tools for Building Green, Alameda County, CA, 1995
MATERIALS:
Table and Shelf Surfaces
Core Material: Greenboard™ made from agricultural or certified lumber waste.
Finish: EcoColors™
Edge: Neoprene
Studio eg's Ecowork table and shelf surfaces are made from Greenboard, an industrial-grade particleboard (1 1/8", 2.85 cm, thick) made from either FSC certified wood fiber or agricultural waste fiber. It is bound using a non-toxic, emission-free agent to create a new form of particleboard referred to as Emission-Free Board (EFB).
Greenboard meets or exceeds all manufacturing standards for particleboard and was designed to be used in the same applications.
In choosing Greenboard over other particleboard products, we took into account several advantages. Greenboard is:
* FSC certified wood fiber.
* Utilizes a non-toxic, emission-free bonding agent.
* Made from 100% post-consumer waste.
EcoColors™
Ecowork's Greenboard surfaces are finished using EcoColors, a proprietary coloring process developed specifically for use on Greenboard. The application process utilizes flatline and UV finishing. Flatline finishing is a method of applying stains, sealers and topcoats by means of roller application machines (similar to printing presses). This method makes it possible to coat the Greenboard surfaces accurately and efficiently with no over-spray or fumes.
The curing of the finish is done with ultraviolet light. UV finishes emit virtually no solvents into the atmosphere and produce almost no wasted materials. UV finishing is one of the most durable finishing methods available today. This is the same process utilized in the manufacturing of pre-finished hardwood flooring. The EcoColors palate contains a broad range of beautiful colors, from warm neutrals to vivid primaries.
In choosing EcoColors, we took into account several advantages. EcoColors are:
* Environmentally sound-using low-impact finishing processes.
* Extremely attractive.
* Highly durable.
Veneer Table and Shelf Surfaces
Core Material: Greenboard™ made from agricultural or certified lumber waste.
Finish: Sustainable veneer
Edge: Neoprene
Ecowork's Greenboard surfaces are available, for a 15% upcharge, in veneers produced from certified well managed and selectively harvested forests and wood lots. The use of such veneers promotes the sustainable management of domestic hardwood forests.
Our standard veneer offering of plain sliced white maple comes from forests which have been 'Certified Well Managed' by either Scientific Certification Systems or the Smart Wood Program of the Rain Forest Alliance. These sources also provide us with cherry and bird's eye maple veneers which we can offer as a special finish.
Our veneers are laminated onto 1 1/8" (2.85 cm) thick Greenboard using a water-based PVA glue. Though the liquid glue contains trace amounts of naturally occurring formaldehyde, tests in an outgassing chamber have shown that a piece of raw untreated lumber by itself outgasses more formaldehyde than the same piece of wood with veneer laminated to it using PVA glue.
In short our veneers:
* Support well managed and selectively harvested forests.
* Are laminated with glue that minimizes formaldehyde outgassing.
* Are elegant and environmentally friendly.
Legs and Shelf Supports
Core Material: Recycled cardboard
Finish: Water based Dyes
Protective Boot: Recycled tires
Ecowork's legs and shelf supports are manufactured using a heavy-duty recycled craft paper composed of 100% post-consumer cardboard. This material is spun into hollow tubes with a 3/8" (0.95 cm) thickness and a 4" diameter. All glue used in this process is water-based. The combination of the thickness of the material and the diameter of the tubes allow these legs and shelf supports to bear a significant weight load.
The legs and shelf supports are colored with a water-based dye and are available in red, black, yellow and natural. Because cardboard is a porous material the dye is absorbed, minimizing the visibility of superficial scratches. The legs and shelf supports are finished with a water-based sealer that creates a moisture barrier.
Table legs are protected at floor level from scuffs and moisture with a 4" (10.16 cm) high boot made from recycled tires.
Ecowork's table and shelf supports are:
* Completely recycled and recyclable.
* Bound with non-hazardous, water-based glue.
* Moisture and flame resistant.
* Extremely durable.
* Attractively colored.
Acoustic Partitions
Core Material: Homasote™ made from 100% recycled newsprint.
Finish: Water-based paint.
Edge: Recycled rubber (optional) or neoprene (standard).
Ecowork's partitions are made from Homasote™, an acoustic material composed entirely of post-consumer newsprint. The newsprint is compressed into rigid, moisture resistant boards without the use of formaldehyde or asbestos. Partitions are 1" (2.54 cm) thick with a noise reduction coefficient of .40.
Acoustic partitions are coated with a non-flammable and water-based paint available in a broad spectrum of colors. This odorless paint consists of small gel particles that do not interfere with the sound absorbency of the partition's core material.
Acoustic partitions are available with a choice of a recycled rubber or a smoother neoprene edge. (Note that neoprene ships standard.)
Ecowork's acoustic partitions:
* Effectively reduce noise in the office environment.
* Promote the creative reuse of recycled newsprint.
* Are manufactured without formaldehyde, asbestos or spray emissions.
* Are moisture resistant and washable.
* Are available in a broad range of colors.
Edges
Material: Recycled rubber (optional) or neoprene (standard).
Ecowork's surfaces and acoustic partitions are edged with neoprene for a smooth finish as a standard. For the designer or end user who wants a 'greener' work environment, we offer an edge on our acoustic partitions made from recycled tires. Manufactured from the shredded material of used tires, the difference between these two edges is shown on the Ecowork finish card.
Ecowork's edges:
* Have a standard smooth neoprene finish.
* Are also available in a material made from recycled tires.
POWER AND DATA:
To bring power to the Ecowork station is simple with the use of StationLink. There are three parts to the system. The Building Connection Plug (BCP), the Power Feed (PF) and the power and data box (PDB). The Stati0nLink is a ten wire, four circuit system. This provides two clean circuits (and outlets), each with it's own neutral and ground, and two utility circuits sharing a neutral and ground. Data and Communications cables are simply run parallel to the electrical system with the Power and Data Box providing access to the ports and allowing the user a consolidated positioning of all cabling.