Surface Design

    hotel lobby design - OCCA explores sustainable surface materials

    Part 94: an (unconventional) guide to genuinely sustainable surface materials

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    A GUIDE TO HOTEL DESIGN PT 94:

    In an era where the term ‘sustainable’ has been diluted by overuse and greenwashing, OCCA’s approach to sourcing materials stands out as a pillar of integrity. Studio Founder and Principal Kate Mooney, along with Purchasing and Procurement Director, Karen Moon, share their thoughts on genuinely sustainable surface materials…

    Guide to Hotel Design

    OCCA has built a reputation for creating narrative-led hospitality spaces that marry cutting-edge design with meaningful environmental practices. Founder and Principal Kate Mooney, alongside Purchasing and Procurement Director, Karen Moon, has spotlighted a selection of unconventional eco materials the studio believes will redefine sustainability in design.

    Mooney explained the philosophy underpinning their selections: “The challenge today is identifying materials and solutions that genuinely live up to the promise. At OCCA, we rigorously evaluate new materials to ensure they meet the demands of our design vision and our clients’ operational needs while delivering real environmental benefits. These materials are solutions we feel confident integrating into projects without compromise.”

    hotel lobby designed by OCCA with different layers and surface treatments

    Image credit: OCCA

    Repurposing food waste in design

    To support a hospitality concept for a global brand, OCCA researched the possibility of products made from food waste – a new use of surplus resources that would otherwise contribute to global waste problems. More specifically, reusable food containers made from repurposed food waste. “These containers represent a closed-loop approach to sustainability,” Moon explains. “Not only are they made from discarded materials, but they’re also durable and endlessly reusable, which is key to reducing single-use plastics in the hospitality industry.”

    Beyond containers, furniture is also being reimagined through the lens of food waste. For example, feature tables and chairs manufactured from repurposed agricultural by-products. “The craftsmanship and durability of these pieces prove that waste can be transformed into something beautiful,” Mooney adds. “It’s this kind of material innovation that challenges perceptions and elevates the conversation around sustainability.”

    Fabrics from unexpected origins

    Eco-conscious textiles have become a focal point for OCCA, with materials derived from milk and fruit waste leading the charge. Uniforms made from milk waste are one example. They use biotechnology to turn milk into sustainable fibre that can be used to make clothing, medical supplies and packaging. “This isn’t just a gimmick,” Moon clarifies. “The fibres are soft, breathable and durable, making them ideal for high-traffic hospitality environments. Plus, they offer an alternative to synthetic fabrics that rely on fossil fuels.”

    Similarly, textiles made from pineapple leaves – an agricultural by-product often discarded – are bringing new life to soft furnishings and accessories. “What excites us about pineapple textiles is their versatility,” Mooney notes. “They can be used in everything from wall panels to upholstery, creating opportunities to incorporate eco-conscious materials in striking, tactile ways.”

    render of interior design scheme in naturals and neutrals

    Image credit: OCCA

    Nature-inspired leather alternatives

    The search for sustainable alternatives to traditional leather has unearthed a truly groundbreaking option: leathers made from mushrooms. “Mushroom leather is a gamechanger,” says Mooney. “It offers the luxurious look and feel of traditional leather, but with a fraction of the environmental impact. It’s biodegradable, cruelty-free, and incredibly durable.”

    OCCA sees this material as a perfect fit for high-end interiors, particularly in furniture, headboards, and decorative finishes. “It allows us to deliver the level of sophistication our clients expect while staying true to our commitment to sustainability,” Moon adds.

    render of deck with table and chairs and outdoor furniture

    Image credit: OCCA

    Outdoor furniture with a purpose

    For outdoor spaces, OCCA is turning to furniture crafted from single-use milk cartons, an innovative material that addresses one of the hospitality sector’s biggest waste challenges. “The transformation of disposable packaging into weather-resistant, stylish furniture is a fantastic example of circular design,” says Moon. “It’s a reminder that waste doesn’t have to end up in a landfill – it can be reimagined as something valuable and enduring.”

    Authenticity over aesthetics alone

    At the heart of OCCA’s material selection process is a deep commitment to authenticity. “We’re not just ticking boxes or chasing trends,” Mooney emphasises. “Every material we propose has been thoroughly vetted – for its environmental credentials as well as its ability to perform in real-world hospitality settings. These are materials we trust. That trust, formed from rigorous research and development, allows us to integrate them into our designs without compromise.”

    Moon echoes this sentiment: “Our role in procurement goes beyond sourcing. It’s our responsibility to ensure that every material we specify lives up to the OCCA standard. We believe our clients deserve nothing less.”

    A sustainable future for hospitality

    As the hospitality industry continues to grapple with its environmental footprint, OCCA’s thoughtful approach to materials sets an inspiring example. By cutting through greenwashing and championing genuinely innovative solutions that spark a deeper conversation, the studio is proving that sustainability and design excellence can go hand in hand. For Mooney, the goal is clear: “We want to create spaces that leave a positive impact on the world. These materials help us achieve that vision, and we’re excited to see how they shape the future of hospitality design.”

    OCCA Design is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.

    Main image credit: OCCA

    Spa Pool – Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square – Architect Joseph Caspari with Mio Shibuya

    Part 76: how to measure sustainability in surface design

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    Part 76: how to measure sustainability in surface design

    As Hotel Designs rolls into its largest feature around sustainability in the publication’s history, we asked Stone Federation to share its insight on sustainable surfaces. In part one of this three-part series, we learn how to measure conscious sourcing when it comes to surface design…

    Spa Pool – Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square – Architect Joseph Caspari with Mio Shibuya

    In this ‘material world‘, there is no avoiding it. Sustainability has never been as high on the agenda as it is now – and the delivery of sustainable interior projects is a must.

    The hotel sector, perhaps more than others, has an even greater drive to deliver as customers are looking to the items they consume and companies with whom they spend their money to be proving their own sustainability credentials. In an industry where everyone is looking for the factor of difference, their unique selling point, providing customers with truly sustainable spaces isn’t just good for the planet, but can also make a lot of business sense.

    Statuario Book-Matched Bathroom marble

    Image credit: Stone Federation

    It is no longer just enough to use carbon offsetting or sponsoring the planting of trees as a low-commitment route to demonstrating a sustainable approach to business. Companies must prove they understand the concepts of true sustainability and design their hotel in accordance with these.

    Before answering any question about sustainability, defining the term is important as there has been an unfortunate amount of greenwashing within the design sector.

    From Stone Federation’s viewpoint, when we talk about sustainability, we’re assessing the whole-life cycle of a project, which includes the raw material extraction, production, distribution, use and end of life. From our perspective, the fewer processes required to get from raw material to finished product the better for the environment and the more sustainable the material.

    Dramatic entrance into the lobby at Adare Manor

    Image caption: Dramatic entrance into the lobby at Adare Manor. | Image credit: Adare Manor

    For natural stone, the process is relatively simple: stone is quarried or mined from the ground, cut into slabs or tiles, transported to site and will often last for decades, and in many cases, centuries. Thanks to its durability, there is also the potential for the creative reuse of many stones delivering a truly circular project.

    What’s more, the quarries and mines themselves have a fantastic track record of reuse or repurposing. You only need to look at Honister Slate Mine in Cumbria which has been turned into a zip wire experience or the Tout Quarry on the island of Portland which has been restored as a sculpture park and nature reserve to see just how circular and sustainable the natural stone extraction process is.

    Albion Stone Quarry

    Image caption: Albion Stone Quarry. | Image credit: Stone Federation

    While some ‘stone alternative’ or ‘stone effect’ products require intense heat and pressure to bond the resins, pigments and other ingredients, natural stone comes out of the ground ready to be cut, finished and fixed.  While many of these alternative products are marketed as a ‘stone-effect’ option, they cannot emulate the natural beauty or sustainability credentials of natural stone. Natural stone is, by definition, a natural product, formed in the Earth over many millions of years, extracted, cut to size and transported to site without excessive human intervention and invention.

    So, in the first instance, measuring sustainability in surface design starts with assessing the number of processes that have gone into the creation of the materials being used.

    It’s not just the extraction process that makes natural stone such a sustainable choice for hotel designers, the durability of stone is also part of what gives it such impressive sustainability credentials.

    This dynamic of durability is another metric for assessing sustainability in surface design – how long will this material last?

    Close-up of stone on wall

    Image credit: Stone Federation

    So many of our nation’s historic hotels, churches and public buildings have natural stone floors that are hundreds of years old and still performing well. It is very rare to find the same with some of stone’s competitor materials. Much of this strength is thanks to the millions of years of compressive geological processes that go into the natural formation of stone. For a material that takes millions of years to form, providing a 100-year project lifespan is unsurprisingly commonplace for many stones.

    Another way to assess sustainability in surface design is to look at a material’s ability to be reused or recycled should there be renovations or change of use. Natural stone, thanks to its durability, can be reclaimed, reused or even repurposed as furniture or pieces of art.

    It’s not just these general principles of assessing extraction processes, material life span and reuse that help in measuring sustainability in surface design, there are also a number of detailed studies that have provided hotel designers with the facts to inform their material choices.

    A marble fireplace

    Image credit: Stone Federation

    When comparing natural stone with large-format ceramics, terrazzo, and other flooring products, stone’s global warming potential was found to be significantly lower. The GWP figures showed that, for example, large-format ceramic tiles have a 74 per cent higher Global Warming Potential than natural stone and terrazzo are 27 per cent higher.

    There are many other examples of studies that have demonstrated the sustainability credentials of natural stone. Moving slightly away from interiors, but still on the topic of sustainability there was also a project in London, 15 Clerkenwell Close, where the use of load-bearing natural stone instead of a concrete and steel structure reduced the whole-life carbon footprint of the building by 95 per cent and the cost by 75 per cent.

    Finally, the Green Guide to Specification, which is part of BREEAM, sets out an A+ to E ranking system for the environmental performance of materials. In a case study project by the BRE, almost half of the natural stone-related components achieved either A+ or A and the majority of the remainder scored a C or above.

    In summary, measuring sustainability in surface design boils down to first defining what makes a product sustainable and then comparing all materials against those same criteria. A low-impact material extraction or creation process, longevity of the material and ability to reuse, reclaim or recycle are all good first indicators, but when placed alongside the facts of comparative studies, it’s hard to ignore the fact that natural stone might just be the hotel designer’s ideal sustainable material.

    > Since you’re here, why not read about Stone Federation’s collaboration with Squire & Partners, Stone Tapestry?

    Main image caption: The pool in the spa at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square, designed by architect Joseph Caspari with Mio Shibuya. | Image credit: Four Seasons