Circularity in Interior Design: Mindset and Mechanism
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NeoCon Presentation Description: We will first discuss why the topic of embodied carbon and circularity in interior design is coming into focus at this point in time, why it has until now taken a back seat to sustainability in architecture, and why it is a critical part of making the design and construction industry more sustainable. We will then dive into how we go about addressing this by incorporating circularity into interior design. We see this as having two overall components. One is a new industry mindset: viewing our constructed spaces as temporary assemblies of materials borrowed from the planet. We need to overcome the stigma of 'used' and design with cycled and compostable materials and products along with designing to anticipate their continued cycles (DfD). The other is creating resources and connecting the dots between supply and demand in order to enable the circularity loop that involves designers, materials resellers and refurbishers, facilities managers, deconstructors, and others.
David Bergman, LEED AP, LFA, CPHD, Assoc. AIA
Founder/Director, CCID; Prog. Dir., NYSID MPS in Sustainable Interior Environments
Center for Circularity In Interior Design; New York School of Interior Design; Parsons School of Design
David Bergman, RA, LEED AP, LFA, CPHD, Assoc AIA, is an architect, writer and professor. He is the founder and director of the Center for Circularity in Interior Design, Program Director for the New York School of Interior Design’s Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments and an adjunct assistant professor at Parsons School of Design as well as heading a design practice. He is the author of Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide and the blog EcoOptimism.
Jenn Chen, NCIDQ, WELL AP
Circular Economy Consultant
Our Found Future
Jenn is an interior designer passionate about sustainable practice, with a focus on activating circularity in the built environment. After many years with LMN in Seattle, she is now her own developing strategies and partnerships that make circularity more actionable and scalable across the industry. She is a founding board member and officer for the new Center for Circularity in Interior Design.
Michael Orbank
Sustainability Manager, Northeast Region
STO Building Group
Michael Orbank works in construction as the sustainability manager for the Northeast U Sat the STO Building Group. A passionate advocate for circularity and zero waste, Michael has worked throughout the northeast and beyond to understand, categorize, and reduce the immense carbon and environmental justice impacts of traditional C&D waste disposal. A founding member of Carbon Leadership Forum of Boston, he chairs the Reuse/Deconstruction group and has contributed significantly to the promotion of circular construction and deconstruction advocacy and pilot efforts around C&D waste diversion, recycling and reuse.
Seeing the built environment as one of the most important sectors to combat the climate crisis, Michael hopes to push commercial construction to a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Doug Pilgrim, LEED AP ID&C, WELL AP
National Business Development & Sustainability Manager
Davies Office
Doug Pilgrim is a recognizedleader in the circular economy and sustainable workplace design, currentlyserving as the National Business Development and Sustainability Manager forDavies Office. With a career rooted in environmental stewardship and resourceefficiency, Doug specializes in remanufactured furniture solutions thatsignificantly reduce carbon footprints without compromising on aesthetics orperformance.
A credentialed expert in thefield, Doug is a LEED Accredited Professional (ID&C), a WELL AccreditedProfessional, and a BIFMA level Faculty Member. His deep understanding ofsustainability metrics—including BIFMA standards and LEED v5—allows him to helpmajor organizations bridge the gap between corporate real estate needs andaggressive ESG goals.
Beyond his work at DaviesOffice, Doug is a vocal advocate for circularity as the host of the podcast"Closing the Loop on Office Furniture." He holds a Bachelor of Artsin Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and brings a uniqueperspective to the industry that balances financial viability withenvironmental impact.
