In trying to determine what makes a Drapery Sustainable, I came up with five areas of focus: Function, Energy Efficiency, Recyclable Materials, Fabrics and Treatment Design.
Function comes before all other decisions because in non-residential design, function trumps form. In the AIA definition on Sustainable Design the statement in order to design in ways that remove rather than contribute stress from systems also implies that reliable function should come first in the process.
Energy Efficiency is obviously critical in any consideration of Sustainable Draperies. What is covered in this guide is which type of drapery design is also the most energy efficient.
There has been tremendous growth in Recyclable Materials, especially polyester from plastic bottles. There is a good explanation in this section.
Of course, fabrics is important in any drapery design. Besides utilizing sustainable and energy efficient design, the utilization of sustainable fabrics plays a huge role. I explain many of these options.
Lastly comes the Treatment Design. Once all of the above decisions are made, then the treatment itself can be designed. The last section of this guide covers the Drapery Design itself.