by aleida, on April 19th, 2010
Image courtesy of Interstyle web site
“This movement is all about collaboration.” So said Tammy Schwolsky, CEO of Residential Energy Assessment Services, Inc. (REAS), while giving us a sneak peek at her ZENERGY House the day before its grand opening (we covered that event here). Kevin had asked her what single aspect had surprised her the most during the two-year house renovation project, and without hesitation she said that it was how everyone really needed to work together to accomplish truly sustainable results. We encounter that sentiment quite often in our conversations with artists, designers, fabricators, and all the other professions whose practitioners are actively working in the sustainability movement. Yet of everyone we’ve talked to and worked with, few individuals embody that sentiment better than Robyn Palmen, Architectural Sales Manager at Interstyle Ceramic & Glass.
Several years ago, when we started looking for recycled glass tiles, our knowledge of that entire category was rather limited. We were very much still learning what questions to ask manufacturers about their products to determine whether or not they would support our pursuit of sustainable strategies. We found Interstyle right at that time, and from the onset Robyn was welcoming of our inquiries, enthusiastic about keeping us informed about new developments, and mindful to check in with us often to make sure we were well stocked with samples and product details.
I realize that you may be reading this and thinking, “What’s the big deal? That’s her job.” And all that may be trivial, but I often found that, in reaching out to other companies, I usually hit a brick wall: messages were never returned and e-mails went unanswered; or if I did manage to speak with someone, I would either get vague answers or be promised information that later would not be delivered. A few months ago I wrote a little about an experiment that Interstyle did for us (read that post here). It was Robyn who took our design specs and got that sample through their shop, all before we ever specified any of their tiles. Now, this post is not about Robyn specifically, but I find it difficult to speak of Interstyle without mentioning her because, to us, her approachability is a reflection of the company, their values, and their integrity in the sustainability movement. And when we combine that with the incredibly beautiful products that they design and manufacture, we must admit that we are huge fans – we just love what we see.
Insterstyle Ceramic & Glass is a family-owned company based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1977 by Ernesto and Georgia Hauner. The Brazilian husband and wife team had once ran Mobilinea, a modern furniture company. Their emigration to Canada had forced them to leave that company behind. Once in British Columbia, they decided to delve into the world of ceramic tile and, thus, continue their entrepreneurial proclivity in their new home.
Image courtesy of Interstyle web site
The company started off manufacturing, importing, and distributing ceramic tile. A few years into their business, a local scrap glass dealer approached the Hauners, asking them if they could figure out a use for glass damaged during freight shipment. The dealer himself had no way of recycling it and much of it ends up in the landfill. The Hauners agreed to take a look at possible uses, and that is how their glass tile business began.
But it wasn’t an overnight transformation. Their factory was optimized for ceramic tile manufacturing, and experiments demonstrated that their machinery was not adequate for working with glass. Nevertheless, they invested in developing their capabilities in this area because they immediately saw what a unique product they could create. “They discovered the beautiful quality of the glass. There was nothing like that in the marketplace – glass tile was not around as we know it today,” says Robyn. Their gradual experimentation led to the need for different equipment. The Hauners worked with Italian contacts to develop new kilns that fired at the right temperature, and other supporting equipment, such as scoring machines, that would allow them to make a greater array of tile sizes.
While a major endeavor and certainly a difficult learning curve, the result was a factory full of very unique technology that facilitated the first-ever production of what Interstyle calls modern fused glass tile. Inspired by their experience with ceramic tile glazes, the company started applying the glazes to the glass tiles. The result is a collection whose color is integral; no matter what type of environment the tiles are set in, they will never delaminate.
Over the decades, their glass work has come to include the use of virgin material. Of the tile lines that do incorporate recycled glass (currently nine in all), three have been around since those first experiments: Aquarius, River Crystals, and Agates (the rest are: Cobbletones, Opal-Line, Dewdrops, Glassblends, Icestix, and Grit). The first line ever created was River Crystals, manufactured from 100% recycled glass. Today, the line maintains its experimental heritage, boasting the roughest aesthetic. Agates came next. Also made from 100% recycled content, the tile shapes are sleeker, definitely more calibrated, but they teem with tiny bubbles that expose their origin. Both lines are little tiles mesh mounted into larger squares and rectangles. When they were created, small molds were the best route, explains Robyn, as “no one was making a large format glass tile.”
Aquarius, third in line, is ever more sophisticated. These are stand-alone tiles whose sizes dwarf their predecessors. Interstyle’s machinery certainly had become more sophisticated by the time they rolled off the production line. This was also the first line to incorporate a layer of brand new glass applied atop a layer of crushed recycled glass to add depth perception. The recycled content accounts for approximately 80% of the total. The recycled content for the other lines, all of which were developed in later years, hovers at around 70% (except for Grit… you’ll see why).
Image courtesy of Interstyle web site
Lately, Interstyle, now under the leadership of Mike and Kim Hauner, sons of the founders, has continued to experiment with recycled glass going beyond the confines of strict wall tiles. Under their Architectural Glass Surfaces banner, they now offer the Crush line: 100% recycled crushed glass fused into large slabs that can be used as countertops, table tops, even floor pavers. The slabs can also be cut into letters or really any other shape. Every slab is made to order, so customization options are immense and welcomed.
If none of their recycled glass options make you drool, don’t discount their new glass lines. Beyond the fundamental efforts (like reusing all of the packaging material that comes into their space), the factory acquired a white roof “prior to white roofs being the trend,” laughs Robyn. It has also been outfitted with a closed-loop water system that captures water used in glazing production, and draws fresh supply from cisterns that collect the region’s abundant rain. They also have a system in place that captures the heat generated by their kilns and funnels it into rooms to dry the coatings and glazes on other tile batches.
Image courtesy of Interstyle web site
Grit, the line mentioned above, has just recently been introduced. Composed of 50% clay and 50% post consumer recycled glass sourced in Washington state, it can’t be categorized as exclusively glass or ceramic, so Interstyle has created a whole new category: EarthenGlass. Grit is the first ever combination of their original passion for ceramic tile with their home-grown expertise with glass. We’re eager to see what new avenues will open up for Interstyle’s creative team while working with the material.
Thank you, Robyn, for your time during our latest phone call!
Click on the icon below for a text only download version of this post:
