Globus Cork has announced the winner of its 1st Annual Globus Cork Floor Design Competition. Ms. Carlotta Valsecchi, a student at the NY School of Interior Design (NYSID) is this year’s winner. Ms. Valsecchi is in her final year of the BFA Interior Design program at NYSID.
Globus Cork Vice President Jennifer Biscoe said, “We’re happy to congratulate Ms. Valsecchi on winning the competition. We are thrilled with Ms. Valsecchi’s design as an excellent display of the style possibilities with 100% cork tile flooring.”
“The Globus Cork Floor Design Competition is a new annual competition and the goal is to inspire designers and architects to think creatively about cork tiles which are one of the most sustainable flooring in the world.”
Cork flooring is made from cork bark, which is harvested from the cork oak tree. The trees are protected and never cut down to make cork items including flooring. By harvesting the bark, the cork oak tree can absorb 5-10 times more carbon dioxide than an un-harvested cork oak. Cork oak forests absorb up to 14 million tons of CO2.
The cork trees provide renewed bark every 9 years for nearly 250 years. A cork oak tree planted in around 1776 might still be providing cork wine stoppers and 100% cork tiles today. Since the trees are not cut down, they also protect the natural plant and animal biodiversity of the Mediterranean region and protect against soil and water erosion. Cork flooring is made from the post industrial waste of the cork wine stopper industry.
The creative possibilities of the sustainable 100% cork tiles are very wide ranging. Globus Cork manufactures more than 2800 variations of cork tiles, and is the only US-based manufacturer of colored cork floor and wall tiles.
Source: PR Newswire
Photos courtesy of: Globus Cork and Rachel Titiriga through a Creative Commons License
