Valcucine, the award winning Italian kitchen cabinetry company, has been commended as leading the world’s standards in environmental production. They became, therefore, a “natural” choice, in many ways, for Thom Mayne, and the house he is designing for the Make It Right Foundation’s building project in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. Brad Pitt’s Foundation chose thirteen outstanding architects and designers to create new homes using sustainable and environmentally sound materials and production techniques. Mr. Mayne’s firm, Morphosis Architects, will produce the prototype for what will be one hundred and fifty (150) homes to be constructed in the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Valcucine’s remarkable commitment to environmentally sound practices, as commended by the EU, has brought the Italian firm to the attention of the world’s most discerning and eco-concerned architects. Their products are tested against independent standards, they control toxic emissions; use natural finishes and have drastically decreased their use of energy and materials. Emphasizing what they call “dematerialization,” the determined reduction of unsustainable resources in favor of recycled or recyclable materials: aluminum, wood, glass, recovered stone, carbon fiber and rubber, and FSC woods with low VOC finishes. In addition to their manufacturing practices, at the end of each year Valcucine plant trees to mitigate their carefully factored carbon footprint. These kitchens combine technological innovation with impeccable aesthetics and are as environmentally responsible as they are visually striking, but also provide unparalleled durability to the impacts of weight, water, humidity and heat. The kitchen, named Demode by Valcucine, was designed specifically for the Morphosis house, is fabricated in a ribbed white laminate with a graphite laminate countertop. It incorporates the newest in kitchen design with integrated appliances; a Liebherr Energy Star refrigerator and Gaggenau dishwasher have door panels that integrate access with seamless style. The Morphosis designed house will be installed this summer. The Valcucine kitchen and it’s integrated appliances, are donated by Dom Showrooms, the exclusive importer for Valcucine and Demode by Valcucine in North America. Dom showrooms exhibited a Valcucine kitchen at the Dwell on Design Show in Los Angeles, June 26- 28th at the LA Convention Center, downtown.
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