Star Garment Group’s Innovation Center Wins 2020 AIA New York Merit Award for Sustainability

Star Garment Group (‘Star’), a leading global manufacturing company, announced that the company’s Innovation Center has received the 2020 Merit Award Winner in the category of Sustainability from the AIA New York (AIANY). AIANY’s annual Design Awards program recognizes outstanding architectural design by AIANY members, New York City-based architects in any location, and work in New York City by architects around the globe.

Star’s commitment to sustainability guided the decision to convert an older, 70,000-square foot factory to Passive House Standard, leveraging a rigorous set of design principles focused on energy efficiency, quality and comfort. Completed in 2017, the state-of-the-art Innovation Center was the first Passive House design in Southeast Asia.
Designed by Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture, the Innovation Center features a print resource library, sample room, pattern making facilities and world-class design capabilities. Pioneering Passive House technology to combat the Sri Lankan climate, the design includes energy recovery ventilation, wrap-around heat pipes for enhanced dehumidification capacity, a highly efficient VRF system, thermally broken windows with external shading screens, and a rooftop photovoltaic system. Meticulous engineering of the building systems and enclosure allows employees to enjoy a comfortable work environment with abundant natural light, low humidity, filtered fresh air and temperatures near a constant 24-degree Celsius.

The Innovation Center, along with a recently awarded CarbonNeutral® certification across all its 14 facilities, makes Star both the largest carbon neutral company in Sri Lanka, and the only one in the apparel sector to be internationally certified as carbon neutral.

Founded in 1978, Star Garment Group is a world-class apparel sourcing, design and manufacturing company based in Sri Lanka. The company provides expert, seamless execution in product development, technical innovation, on-time delivery and personalized customer service to ensure the best quality and value for each of their customers. 

Established in 1908, Komar is a global apparel products company, specializing in the design, marketing, sourcing and distribution of sleepwear, loungewear, intimates, and layering products.  The company is an industry leader across a diverse range of competitive retail categories.  Komar is proud to represent more than 100 lifestyle brands and licenses through their retail partners, which sell worldwide at every price point.