FILTER CAFE REOPENS AS LEED GOLD Wicker Park coffee house reopens as a "green" cafe.

Feb. 1, 2010 - PRLog -- Chicago, IL, --- After being forced from their previous location by a commercial bank installation, Filter Cafe, an independently owned coffeehouse, along with its loyal patrons had to look elsewhere for a neighborhood coffee lounge.  Three years later, Filter is back in business and better than ever.  Filter opened January 29, 2010 at 1373-75 North Milwaukee Avenue.

With the assistance of moss, a Chicago-based ecological and sustainable architectural studio owned by Matt Nardella, AIA LEED principal architect, and Laura Cripe, business development director (http://www.moss-design.com), Filter is reopening as a LEED Gold certified café, which is the second highest LEED rating.  

“Jeff Linnane, the owner, wanted to make a difference in the community and the environment.  As architects, and sustainable, local food advocates we were able to educate and guide Jeff in how to lessen his overall environmental impact and food carbon footprint”, said Nardella, describing the impetus to go for the LEED certification with the project.

The interior of Filter features reused and reclaimed materials for environmental impact and aesthetics.  A few of the features are the building’s original, exposed brick interior, reclaimed hardwood flooring, slate roof tiles reused as wall covering, and glass block windows and barn wood used for the checkout counter.  Doors reclaimed from another project site have been arranged to create an artistic “wall of doors” located in one of the seating areas.  The existing door handles will be used as coat hangers. The front and rear facades have been opened completely with operable windows; this gives the cafe an open-air feel and promotes natural ventilation, something seldom seen in today’s restaurant design. 

“Similar to a sustainable food system the concept behind the interior design is to have as few manufactured inputs as possible”, said Cripe.  “Beyond recycling, is a process we refer to as ‘upcyling’ whereas materials have a second life which is more valuable than its first and there is no energy used to create it”.

Filters’ new design facilitates the conservation of water and energy, ultimately offering financial savings for Filter as it relates to operational costs.  The plumbing fixtures, specified by moss, will save 36.5% in water usage, and the lighting and Energy Star rated HVAC equipment will save 34% in energy consumption as compared to a typical, non-LEED constructed building.

“moss had  the ability to take my vision and design a green café that still has the original bohemian feel of the original Filter, which was very important to me”, said Linnane.  “They created a cafe that embodies ecological responsibility in a laid-back bohemian atmosphere”.

Along with a sustainable interior, Filter is offering Fair Trade coffee from beans that are roasted in-house using a reclaimed coffee roaster, and some local food items.  To decrease waste,  plastic utensils and disposable napkins have been replaced with silverware and reusable linens.

More information about moss and the Filter Café project is available at http://www.moss-design.com

Contact:
Laura Cripe, business development director
moss
773.857.5533
lcripe@moss-design.com

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moss design, located in Chicago, IL, is a LEED accredited architectural studio committed to client participation and satisfaction through communication and design excellence. Our project experience ranges from commercial, institutional, single and multifamily residential, and permaculture design. Our mission is to create quality designs that take environmental surroundings into consideration to create energy efficient, site specific, and sustainable, ecological architecture. Our belief is that successful design provides a solid connectivity with nature while responding to client needs and their vision of a comfortable, livable, and functional environment.
http://www.moss-design.com/
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