Austin-San Marcos, TX (1888PressRelease)
December 15, 2008 - Austin-based architectural products firm, MINIMIS, announced that it has launched a line of outdoor and sidewalk planters, called ARKIVOS, that are repurposed from salvaged filing cabinets.
Costing far less than comparable, modern planters of similar size, the elegant ARKIVOS planter boasts a clean, solid design that MINIMIS claims lends itself well as sidewalk planters, “green” dividers for outdoor cafés, backyard raised herb gardens, or simply an attractive planter for a patio or sunroom.
MINIMIS principal, design, Luciana Misi asserts, “With the onward march of technology and human development, the traditional lifecycle for office equipment meets its final stage in overflowing landfills. But one example is the antiquated filing cabinet - relegated to dusty warehouses of obscure state bureaus, or consuming precious space at landfills. With the confluence of challenging factors that our generation faces, such as dwindling natural resources, overflowing landfills, the financial crisis, and an increased awareness of one's effect on the environment, a positive outcome is that this has necessitated a new approach to recycling and re-use.”
Misi adds, “Traditional cradle-to-grave product lifecycles are giving way to a creatively inspired 'cradle-to-cradle' paradigm, repurposing obsolete, neglected, humble office equipment, for attractive, versatile, and noble new roles. Now, among consumers, there is no longer just an openness to eco-friendly products; we’re now seeing an outright demand for it.”
ARKIVOS are available in a host of colors, plus clear gloss and natural rust. MINIMIS principal, business development, Alex Lorenz adds that they “chose powder coating over traditional solvent-borne or thin film liquid coats due to the fact that it is more durable, and is arguably the most environmentally friendly coating available; powder coat overspray is fully recyclable, does not off-gas, the spray booths are cleaned with air, rather than with harmful solvents, and the final product is inert.”
Lorenz concedes that powder coating adds a significant cost and as a result, MINIMIS doesn’t profit much from the sale of the planters, but he insists, “the overall environmental benefits of offering ARKIVOS far outweigh the costs.”
In addition to the ARKIVOS planters, MINIMIS designs and fabricates modern, minimalist architectural products, including solid steel countertops, doors, LED-illuminated modular walkways, integrated touch-screen solutions, modular outdoor living spaces, solid steel furniture, and more.
Lorenz mentions that MINIMIS is an acronym of Modern Natural Modular Sustainable. “These four tenets serve as our internal scorecard, when determining what products make it into our offering, and how our products are made. All of our products must possess all of those tenets, period.”
ARKIVOS is also available with finishes by local graffiti artists, including acclaimed artists, Federico Archuleta, AKA: FE DE RICO of “Graffiti Western” and Nathan Nordstrom AKA: Sloke.
A standard-color ARKIVOS starts at $500.
All company and product names, images, and logos may be trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.
ABOUT MINIMIS
MINIMIS designs and fabricates modern, minimalist architectural products including counters, planters, LED-illuminated walkways, doors, integrated touch-screen media servers, outdoor living spaces, and more.
MINIMIS is derived from the Latin word of the same spelling, meaning MINIMAL, and ascribes to the adage ‘MINIMIS AMPLIS EST’, or ‘LESS IS MORE’
MINIMIS is an acronym: Modern + Natural + Modular + Sustainable.
MINIMIS is a minority + woman-owned enterprise.
MINIMIS on the web: www.MINIM.IS
MEDIA CONTACTS
MINIMIS
Alex Lorenz
512.212.1294
www.MINIM.IS
EMAIL: www.MINIM.IS/form/contact.php
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