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Though the second day of the 2008 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, FL was Valentine’s Day, the most prominent color at this year’s show was green. Indeed, the second day was called Green Day and dedicated to environmentally friendly education and programs for kitchen and bath designers, builders, remodelers and other allied professionals.

Around every corner of the show’s more than one million net sq. ft. of exhibit space, there were green products such as low-flow showerhead technology from companies such as Delta and Alsons that are designed maintain the integrity of the shower experience, and energy-efficient and water-saving appliances from Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau, and displays such as Whirlpool’s sustainable kitchen.

Outside in the Show Village there was a green model home along with a high-tech home and a “comfortably affordable home.” There was also the NextGen Home, whose theme was “Ultimate Value” and included features and amenities that made the home very high-tech, very green and still very affordable, three keys to the ailing building market right now. Off site there was the Vision 2008 all-green home along with The New American Home (now in its 25th year) and The New Southern Home, which were built with plenty of eco-friendly building/design options.

In addition, the NAHB not only emphasized green building as the right thing to do, but also as a way to survive and thrive in an economy that’s been affected by the subprime mortgage market across the boards.

In fact, during the press conferences to launch its Green Building Program and unveil its Green Building Standard, it was asserted that while it may cost more upfront to build and remodel green, buying and building eco-friendly, energy-efficient homes will yield consumers a great deal of savings on utility bills later and during the course of homeownership.

Thus, encouraging consumers to make more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly choices for their homes can be portrayed by building and design professionals looking to sell the homes they have on the block, and those they will design and build, as a value proposition: invest in green building/remodeling options now, and reap the savings.

This value proposition was driven home by the fact that the NAHB’s Green Building Program was defined as one that is flexible (builders can choose from a host of green building options that fit the consumer’s budget, taste, location and house style) and affordable.

“Our belief is that these programs have to retain affordability to [appeal] to consumers,” explained Bob Jones, NAHB v.p./secretary. “The program allows all builders to build green in a cost-effective way. Builders, or their clients, can choose from a menu of green options so they can select those features that make the most sense for… the consumer, their budget and a location or a style or a home they want to live in. The most visible new feature of our green building program is a green scoring and certification technology that will be administered by the NAHB Research Center [and found at www.nahbgreen.org].”

Jones added: “As an association we believe that voluntary programs [like this one] and incentives are the best way to encourage the growth of dynamic new business practices.” (To hear more of what Jones said, click here.)

For more 2008 IBS news, and upcoming K/BIS Chicago news, go to www.KitchenBathDesign.com. Be sure to sign up for the site’s annual trio of K/BIS eNewsletters.

For more breaking news also visit the Top Headlines and Live Events sections.

Bob Jones, NAHB v.p./secretary, called the association’s new Green Building Program voluntary, flexible and affordable.

In support of the building industry’s, as well as the kitchen and bath design industry’s, drive toward green design, Whirlpool Corp. created this Sustainable Kitchen. It’s made with all eco-friendly products, noted Mark Johnson, FAIA, CKD, architect and senior manager of architecture and design marketing for Whirlpool.

This year The New American Home was not only set apart by the celebration of its 25th anniversary, but also by the fact that it was the first show home to be certified by the NAHB’s new Green Building Program, which was launched on Green Day during the 2008 IBS. In addition, the cabinetry was provided by Timberlake Cabinetry, which has also received certification by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association Environmental Stewardship Program on its entire line of products.

The New Southern Home was built with plenty of eco-friendly building and design techniques and products. In addition, the cabinetry was also provided by Timberlake Cabinetry.

Palm Harbor Homes’ Green Home was on display at the Show Village at the 2008 IBS. Measuring only 30 ft. wide and less than 68 ft. deep, it was designed for a family using all green building techniques and products.

Palm Harbor Homes’ ‘Comfortably Affordable’ Home was on display at the Show Village at the 2008 IBS. Just 15-1/2-ft.-wide, the two-story home features three bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths and porches on both levels. It was built with the first-time homebuyer in mind using green technologies and products.

Palm Harbor Homes’ High-Tech Home was on display at the Show Village at the 2008 IBS. Featuring three levels, the home offers such high-tech amenities as a high-end sound system in the bath and shower areas, a touchpad-controlled lighting system, a tankless water heater and a home theater with a projection screen.

The NextGen Home, whose theme was ‘Ultimate Value,’ included features and amenities that made the home very high-tech, very green and still very affordable, three keys to ailing building market right now.

With the second day of the 2008 International Builders’ Show here in Orlando, FL dedicated to all things eco-friendly, the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association took the opportunity to unveil www.greencabinetsource.org, the new companion microsite to its successful Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP).

I sat down with Dick Titus, executive v.p. of the Reston, VA-based association on that day, dubbed “Green Day,” to talk about the new microsite, the ESP and its future direction in light of the emphasis on all things green at the show, in the media and across the country.

Click here to listen.

For more 2008 IBS news, and upcoming K/BIS Chicago news, go to www.KitchenBathDesign.com. Be sure to sign up for the site’s annual trio of K/BIS eNewsletters.

For more breaking news also visit the Top Headlines and Live Events sections.

Dick Titus, the executive v.p. of the Reston, VA-based Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, stands in the association’s booth next to the Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP) logo.

The U.S. Department of Energy is challenging home builders across the country to build 220,000 homes that use 30% less energy than typical homes by 2012. U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman issued this challenge to U.S. home builders and other design professionals on Green Day, the second day of the 2008 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, FL. He urged them to build these “new high-performance homes” by 2012 as part of the Builders’ Challenge, a new national energy savings program from the DOE.

Under the new program’s terms a high-performance home is one using at least 30% less energy overall than a typical new home meeting the criteria of the latest model building codes, Bodman explained to the crowd gathered just outside in the Show Village at the 2008 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, FL. Thirty-eight home builders already accepted the challenge. Twenty-two were honored following his announcement.

“We expect these partners will build at least 6,000 homes across the country this year. As the challenge expands and more builders sign on, we hope to spur the construction of 1.3 million high-energy performance homes by 2030. If we reach that level, [then] we will have helped Americans achieve cumulative savings of $1.7 million in energy costs and have taken the carbon equivalent of 600,000 cars off the road,” said Bodman.

“These new energy-efficient homes will have to meet DOE’s Building America Program performance criteria for comfort, health and quality. And they will all be rated according to the DOE’s new Energy Smart Home Scale, or E Scale. The E Scale will help consumers make better informed, more energy-efficient choices when buying a new home.”

Homes today typically average 100 on this scale. Builders in this challenge will build homes rating 70 or lower, making them approximately 30% more efficient, Bodman added. (To hear more of what Bodman said, click here.)

For more 2008 IBS news, and upcoming K/BIS Chicago news, go to www.KitchenBathDesign.com. Be sure to sign up for the site’s annual trio of K/BIS eNewsletters.

For more breaking news also visit the Top Headlines and Live Events sections.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman issues the Builders’ Challenge at the 2008 IBS in Orlando, FL.

Despite lower attendance numbers than the previous year’s show, the 2008 International Builders’ Show marked another successful year in Orlando, FL with its highly attended education sessions and extensive product showcase attracting more than 92,000 attendees, according to IBS sponsor, The National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB).

This dip in attendance in its final year in sunny Orlando was felt by an industry that has been rallying against the effects of the meltdown in the subprime mortgage market since the market unraveled late last summer.

However, many of the more than 1,900 exhibitors reported having quality traffic. And speakers such as Chief Economists David Seiders (NAHB), Frank Nothaft (Freddie Mac) and David Berson (PMI Group) were predicting cautious optimism about recovery and the economy. The trio forecast more vigorous economic growth following tax rebates by mid-year that will set up a recovery beginning in 2009. “The vast bulk of the housing contraction is behind us,” Seiders asserted.

The trio also presented housing and economic forecasts that project no recession at all, despite numerous reports of one. However, Seiders did say one could be likely, and things could spiral downward from this point, but the stabilization process is the key to recovery in the housing sector.

“We’re happy that the economic stimulus package is being signed into law, happy with what the Federal Reserve is doing, but we may need even more strenuous legislation to help the housing situation,” Seiders added.

To that end, following President Bush’s signing of H.R. 5140, the Economic Stimulus Package of 2008 during a press conference on February 13, the NAHB continues to work around the clock on Capitol Hill to encourage Congress to enact housing incentives, broad GSE reform and FHA modernization. The association has even taken out ads in support of these steps in all DC and Capitol Hill newspapers.

Even President Bush called on Congress during the press conference to do the same: “Congress can also help by passing legislation to reform the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to modernize the Federal Housing Administration, and to allow state housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to help homeowners refinance their mortgages. I hope that Congress can act on these matters quickly.”

In addition, others with a stake in the housing market also stepped up to put pressure on the federal government to aid the industry while thousands of building and design professionals were at the IBS.

For example, keynote speaker Mary Matalin announced to the crowd at the grand opening ceremony of the 2008 IBS in Orlando, FL that in support of the housing industry Camp Hill, PA-based PA Partners’ “leadership has declined to give any further contributions to any politicians at the Federal level until they do something on behalf of your industry… This is a first because the way to a politician’s heart had been to up the ante, but to pull it back should have some interesting effects.” (To listen to Mary Matalin and James Carville’s comments at the IBS 2008 Grand Opening Ceremony, click here. Editor’s Note: This audio file is no longer available for listening.)

Also read KBDN’s 2008 Forecast. In addition, read Eliot Sefrin’s 1/08 editorial, The Sky is Far from Falling in ’08.

For more 2008 IBS news, and upcoming K/BIS Chicago news, go to www.KitchenBathDesign.com. Be sure to sign up for the site’s annual trio of K/BIS eNewsletters.

For more breaking news also visit the Top Headlines and Live Events sections.

More than 92,000 building professionals gathered at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL to visit more than 1,900 exhibitors at the 2008 International Builder’s Show.

Political analysts Mary Matalin (left) and James Carville (right) spoke to the crowd during the 2008 IBS Grand Opening Ceremony.

Chief Economists David Seiders (NAHB), Frank Nothaft (Freddie Mac) and David Berson (PMI Group) were predicting cautious optimism about recovery and the economy during the 2008 IBS.

The Kitchen & Bath Confidential blog will feature live reports from the 2008 International Builders’ Show (IBS) Feb. 13-16 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

Starting the week of Feb. 13 and throughout the show and educational conference, we’ll be posting audio, pictures and text, live from the show floor. Check back here each day for show sights and sounds and analysis of the latest IBS product and design trends. And don’t forget to check out our Live Events and Top Headlines sections for up-to-the-minute news and event details, all live from the show floor.

For instance, the blog, along with the Live Events and Top Headlines sections, will contain details about the show’s emphasis on green design and building this year, which will culminate in the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) recognition of the phenomenal growth of green building as it celebrates Green Day on Thursday, Feb. 14. On that day the association, which hosts the show, will officially launch the NAHB National Green Building Program, and will unveil the new Certified Green Professional educational designation for home builders, remodelers, kitchen and bath designers and other industry professionals.

The day will also include a full slate of green educational seminars on topics ranging from market trends and consumer research to innovative design and new products. Information about the 10th annual NAHB National Green Building Conference will also be available. Noted green architect and educator William McDonough is the featured speaker Thursday morning, and will also conduct an in-depth session on “Cradle to Grave” environmentally and ecologically efficient building practices.

Four press conferences will highlight the new NAHB National Green Building Program, the National Green Building Standard and green trends, and will also offer a detailed look at The New American Home, NAHB’s official showcase home, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It’s also the first show home certified by the NAHB National Green Building Program.

With all of that going on and more at this year’s IBS, we hope you’ll join us online – it’s the next best thing to being there!

Kitchen and bath remodeling remains strong, exhibiting residual strength, and even some modest growth. In fact, the National Kitchen & Bath Association offers a “cautiously optimistic” remodeling forecast of 7.55 million kitchen jobs this year, up 1.5% over 2006, with bath jobs rising 1.6%, to 10.48 million units.

In addition, at the recent Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association in Lake Tahoe, CA, Wayne Wilbanks, managing principal of Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC, told attendees that manufacturers on the high end of the residential market have been virtually unscathed by the housing slowdown. (For more Industry Barometers click here. For more business articles click here. And don’t forget to sign up for eNewsletters, including the Market Update, that cover the state of the kitchen and bath industry).

This is especially true in the ultra high end of the kitchen and bath market, where price seems to be no object to wealthy consumers, and the wealthiest of consumers in the U.S. and abroad, who have posh residences and vacation homes around the world, continue to “buy, buy, buy” despite what happens in the housing market, or any other global or domestic economic market.

That’s why, according to panelists at The Luxury Home Alliance’s “Building Luxury Brands for Home” presentation last month, it’s imperative for kitchen and bath dealers and designers to be able to effectively tap into the luxury market, grab the attention of the most affluent consumers, market to their desires and educate them about the fact they are the ones who can turn their dream design into reality.

This trio of luxury experts – Beverly Hills, CA-based designer Barclay Butera, ASID; Houston, TX-based designer William W. Stubbs, IIDA; and Liz Conover, executive director of merchandising and marketing for specialty retailer Takashimaya New York – offered some tips about how kitchen and bath designers and other allied professionals can best reach wealthy clients, based on their experience with the ultra luxury market:

• Form a lasting relationship with their high-end clients by respecting their privacy, offering unique merchandise and unobtrusive, yet helpful customer service, suggested Conover.
• Figure out what clients need, and what their tastes are, urged Butera, adding that these clients should feel that the level of luxury they want is attainable, and that it can be interpreted to suit their own unique tastes.
• Recognize that luxury is about a lifestyle, not about products anymore, advised Stubbs, adding that, as a result, one should remember that he/she is selling a lifestyle. And, remember that people are willing to pay for luxury.

Look for more information about this in the upcoming 7/07 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events, as well.

(Be sure to log onto KitchenBathDesign.com for Kitchen & Bath Design News’ coverage of other industry events and show. Log onto the home page to visit the Live Events, Top Headlines, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, and Product Gallery. And don’t forget to sign up for our eNewsletters that will cover other upcoming industry shows.)

As the American population gets older, and more households become multi-generational, the idea of having a home in which family and friends can access without limitations – no matter what level of ability a person has, or age and physical type a person is – is becoming a topic that kitchen bath dealers and designers can pitch to their prospective clients, regardless of their age.

However, to “convert” clients to the thought that having a Universally Designed kitchen, bath and home can prove delicate, especially when most consumers don’t particularly like to admit they are getting older, but still may need products designed specifically geared toward making their lives easier.

Enter Drue Lawlor, FASID, NCIDQ of Dallas, TX-based education-works, inc. She offered seven Universal Design principles, developed by a working group of architects, product designers, engineers and environmental researchers from the North Carolina State University Center for Universal Design, that will not only improve layouts, but may also change consumer views of Universal Design. She outlined them during the Kitchens and Baths for All Ages seminar she led at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas.

According to Lawlor, the seven principles that kitchen and bath designers should consider when selecting products and design layouts for clients are:

1. Equitable Use: Refers to the same usage ability for all users. Examples of these types of products would be side-open oven doors, which are safer and more accessible; or power doors with sensors.
2. Flexibility in Use: Means that the user has a choice of methods to use, basically accommodating a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. These products would include hand-held showers, especially by the seating area in a shower.
3. Simple and Intuitive Use: Refers to the fact that the use of the design is easy to understand.
4. Perceptible Information: Using tactile, verbal and pictorial guides to communicate information effectively to the consumer. Examples of this would be audible or flashing fire alarms, or tactile, visual or audible cues on thermostats.
5. Tolerance for Error: Ensures that the design minimizes hazards and adverse consequences.
6. Low Physical Effort: Allows users to exert the least amount of effort to accomplish a task. These designs can be used efficiently and comfortably with a minimum amount of fatigue. Lawlor cites levers or loop handles on doors and faucets as effective products.
7. Size and Space for Approach and Use: Required to create a clear line of sight to important elements for seated or standing users in the kitchen or bath. This principle allows for approach, reach and manipulation of products or work areas.

According to Lawlor, these design principles are equally suitable for the kitchen and bath. In fact, once a product has been selected and evaluated, kitchen and bath designers should determine how the product rates according to the design principles.

For example, in kitchens, solid surface material for countertops can provide easier cleaning, so there is less chance for bacteria to build up, she says.

She also suggested rounding off corners on all countertops, especially for visually impaired persons.

Furthermore, Lawlor suggested suspending a mirror above the cooking area to allow vision into pots for a seated person, if the cooktop cannot be lowered. Portable induction cooktops are good for accessibility, as is pull-out shelving or accessible counter space near ovens and microwaves to allow for transfer of hot items.

In the bath Lawlor said that storage considerations are very important, as is the need for clearance space in front and to one side of the toilet. And a curbless shower can eliminate the chance of tripping and falling at the same time it makes it easier for those using wheelchairs or walkers.

The bottom line, Lawlor said, is that when “working with products and clients, no matter their age or ability, design with universal access in mind. Ask many questions, observe and listen.”

For more about this project, log onto to the Live Events, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, as well as the Kitchen & Bath Confidential Blog.

To read more visit the Consumer Resources and Live Events sections , and look for it in the upcoming 6/07 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. In addition, for more about Universal Design, click here. And read Ten Design Trends to Follow for Aging in Place.

(Be sure to log onto KitchenBathDesign.com for Kitchen & Bath Design News’ coverage of the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas. Log onto the home page to visit the Live Events, Top Headlines, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, and Product Gallery. And don’t forget to sign up for our eNewsletters that will cover other upcoming industry shows.

Universal Design elements, such as the hand-held showers, grab bars and shower seats shown in this shower created by Jason Smith of Prestige Renovations in Elk Grove Village, IL, are functional and stylish for those who want to age in place.

Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center May 7-10, the 26th annual Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) hit the jackpot with the wares of its 1,100-plus exhibitors and a full slate of educational seminars, special events, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities attracting 44,154 kitchen and bath designers and dealers and other allied professionals from here and abroad.

The latest K/BIS was filled with a bustle of activity throughout its three halls and more than 610,000 sq. ft. of designated exhibit space, with the New Product Pavilion, the NKBA Industry Trends Marketplace and the NKBA Center Stage offering interested design professionals the latest in product innovations and trends. (To see Kitchen & Bath Design News’ K/BIS show product coverage, click here.)

One could see the show’s great emphasis - and the industry’s increasing awareness - of green design, energy efficiency and water conservation. Manufacturers and designers in the industry were clearly recognizing that there’s a growing movement among consumers who want to help the environment, but don’t want to sacrifice great design. (To read more about green design, click here.)

This recognition and awareness could be seen in the wide range of products in response to the green movement, including appliances such as induction cooktops and water-saving dishwashers; low-VOC cabinetry; flooring offered in sustainable materials such as bamboo and cork; countertops and surfacing that are made from recycled and sustainable materials; plumbing fixtures such as low-flow toilets and water-saving showerheads, lighting products that use LED technology and color-corrected and longer-lasting fluorescent bulbs; related eco-friendly building products, and much more.

In addition, health and wellness were also prominent at the show. (To read more about Healthy Kitchens, click here.)

As many companies introduced new indoor air filters, tweaked their existing ventilation systems and unveiled a slate of products that promoted healthy living, such as air purification systems; water filtration and purification systems; steam ovens that are meant to inspire better eating habits; hands-free faucets that create a more hygienic environment; built-in refrigerators that feature pure water and air; hygienic stainless steel appliances, sinks and faucets; countertops with eco-friendly and hygienic sealants and Microban technology; showerheads and systems that feature aromatherapy and chromatherapy, and walk-in whirlpool baths that feature therapeutic hydrotherapy.

Many products are also making design more accessible than ever before as the industry notices that Baby Boomers are getting older and demanding products that don’t remind them of that fact. (For more on accessible design, click here, and read Ten Design Trends to Follow for Aging in Place and Adaptive Marketing.)

There was also a slew of high-tech appliances that turned the kitchen into the digital control center of the home, such as those found in the Digital Entertainment Kitchen presented in the NKBA Industry Trends Marketplace. (To read more about this and other K/BIS 2007 news, click here.)

Some of the other noteworthy product trends include:

• The continuing expansion of the appliance suite to include many more specialty products such as built-in coffeemakers and wine/beverage centers.
• The increase in the sophistication level of and attention to outdoor living.
• The demand for more transitional product designs than ever before that skew toward the contemporary and the Asian-inspired.
• The increasing amount of nature-inspired colors in both saturated and muted tones that are creeping into everything from faucet finishes to glass-paneled appliances. (For more products, visit the Product Gallery.)

The same topics also punctuated the variety of educational seminars covering design, technology and leadership issues. For example, this year’s conference tracks feature Green Remodeling: Changing the World One Room at a Time and Sweet Dreams & Rude Awakenings: Lighting Details for Kitchens and Baths.

Look for more information about this in the upcoming 6/07 and 7/07  issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events, as well.(Be sure to log onto KitchenBathDesign.com for Kitchen & Bath Design News’ coverage of the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas. Log onto the home page to visit the Live Events, Top Headlines, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, and Product Gallery. And don’t forget to sign up for our eNewsletters that will cover other upcoming industry shows.)