Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Four Reasons Office Flowers Are More Than Just Pretty Additions At Work

Decorating the interior of an office is an essential part to developing a pleasant working environment. That decoration can include office flowers sitting in vases around the office for all to enjoy. But the true worth of these bouquets and displays extends far beyond the obvious. The fact is that the aesthetic qualities of flowers are only part of the attraction. As a rule, office plants are green and discreetly positioned, helping to separate office space while also playing a key role in improving the air quality in the work place. These plants can be small potted desk plants, or even larger shrubs and miniature trees placed, in particular to add balance to the office view. Meanwhile, artificial office plants can provide the same visual effect, though do little to improve the air quality. The fact is that the office looks better and has a better atmosphere. Flowers, however, are viewed differently, almost like the china dolls of office greenery. Delicate and typically short living, they are often overlooked as anything more than decorative, but the truth is that they can have a much more meaningful impact than is generally thought. So, we have put together a list of four reasons that explain how flowers in the office can make a real impact.

Brightens Office Atmosphere

The first reason might seem a match to the concept of flowers just sitting pretty, but there is actually more to it than that. While many people might see an impressive floral arrangement on a boardroom table, or in the reception area of the building, the fact is that the positive impact it has visually has an effect on office morale and atmosphere. In studies, flowers have been shown to lift the mood in the workplace by adding color and freshness. As a result, negative office moods, like a feeling of claustrophobia or restriction, are lifted. It is this fact that has fuelled the whole floral office landscaping concept.

Projects Confidence

On the other hand, it is also known that displaying a bold and colourful floral display can be impressive to existing or prospective clients. There is a confidence reflected in how flowers are displayed in the office, especially when they are large and positioned in central places.This then, relates to the idea of office art, where aesthetic qualities convey a sense of sophistication and appreciation for the finer things in life. It is, to an extent, like looking outside the box, a trait that many manufacturers and designers, for example, will hail as important in their line of business.

Gesture of Appreciation

Of course, there can be more purposeful reasons for having a floral bouquet in work. One of them is to give the bouquet as a gift to an employee as a mark of appreciation for their work done. The actual reason can range from securing a valuable new contract to reaching a milestone year, perhaps a 10th anniversary, and a bouquet is issued as a thank you.Clients can also be thanked by sending a bouquet to them. As mentioned above, it could be to simply state an appreciation for a successful partnership, to mark a milestone occasion or to congratulate them on an achievement that may not have any direct link to the work done together, but shows support.

Mark a Celebration

The fourth reason that shows just how valuable flowers can be is their purpose in marking a celebration. There really are few things as effective as a bouquet of flowers to celebrate something, whether that is a retirement of a colleague, a birth to a colleague or even an end of year party. Modern offices tend to use every opportunity to lift morale, and a party can be just that. While a retirement party may be a sad occasion it still marks the beginning of a new life for the person retiring. Births, promotions, calendar celebrations, like Christmas, Easter and Halloween, and other party times, can also be marked memorably through the use of office flowers. The same cannot be achieved by regular office plants, which are generally green and dull, rather than colorful and vibrant. And while clearly effective in improving the environment in terms of air quality, they do not quite pull off the party atmosphere. Of course, artificial office plants can come in all sorts of types, but while their appearance can be as close to perfect as possible, the absence of living plants can have a less effective impact than the real floral deal.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

An Insight Into Architectural Renderings

Have you wondered what the purpose of Architectural Renderings services are?

What is a rendering? A rendering is a visual representation (picture) of an architectural project, a "digital painting" that shows your project before it's built. Renderings are produced by rendering companies that take your floorplans and turn them into beautiful, realistic images that show how your project will look like.

Presenting your project or product in a visually appealing form gives you an edge over other competitors. Of course, your clients mainly rely on the final product, so why not present the product with 3D Renderings, animation or even walkthroughs? Today, there are many 3D rendering companies you can hire online. Using their services allows you to create effective images of interiors and exteriors of a project, with photorealistic 3D rendered quality. The rendering process also allows you to change wall colors, finishes, and more, before your project's floorplans are approved. Furthermore, you can easily beautify the interiors as well as exteriors of the layout.

Architectural Renderings add a touch of class to your building project. When you plan to build a house, office or any other building, it involves considerable investments. You would certainly want to know how it appears before the construction process begins. Needless to say, the ability to preview and visualize the space helps you in achieving the best modifications of designs. This is why hiring a renderings company will benefit you greatly. Not only can you visualize and make changes to a project, but the final renderings can help you sell your project to your clients in a very visually appealing way.

As a matter of fact, 3D rendering services have tremendously developed in the last few years. The rapid advancement of the computer hardware, as well as software, has actually cut down the costs of the rendering services to an affordable range.

Producing 3D architectural renderings brings benefits to both the clients, architects and construction companies. Today, there are many rendering studios equipped with the latest in technology. Their services consist of taking your floor plans and turning them into the most stunning architectural renderings and virtual walkthroughs, utilizing the latest technologies at their disposal. This is how they can give you a clear idea of the finished design. There are numerous benefits of architectural renderings. They add life and depth to a presentation. They boost your sales prospects, especially if you are a builder or a real estate developer. Furthermore, renderings can show your prospective clients how the building will look inside and out, helping to close on sales. Renderings can create a killer sales presentation.

Architectural renderings provide various services. This includes 3D modeling, 3D interior, 3D exterior, photomontage renderings, 3D architectural, 3D house plans, animations and walkthrough among many others. Besides, the concept visualization or rendering services focuses in realistic color renderings, exterior renderings, interior renderings and site plan walk-through. This could be colored, textured rendering or black and white conceptual sketches. The architectural 3D rendering services on the web offers benefits such as superior quality, accurate interior 3D models, error free architectural design and clear visualization. Today you can hire a renderings company online and get great results.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Building With Fabric

Building with fabric enables the creation of structures with stunning architectural profiles. In addition to providing "freedom through form," architectural membranes boast unique light transmitting properties that enable an open airy feeling of outdoor ambiance indoors, filling commercial developments, large sporting complexes and industrial facilities with diffused natural daylight. When lit at night, architectural membranes form distinctive and dramatic illuminated structures that enhance the interior and exterior aesthetics.

Fabric Options

PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) Membrane is the most cost effective and common material choice for both temporary and permanent tension structures. PVC is available in a variety of colours and types to meet a wide range of applications and structural requirements. PVC membranes are coated and treated with specific formulas to protect against UV, staining and fire resistance. Warranties for PVC fabrics range from 5 to 12 years.

PTFE (Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene) is a Teflon coating over woven fiberglass fibers, a high quality material suitable for only permanent applications. It is UV resistant, noncombustible, and boasts a high reflective capability. Due to the smooth Teflon surface, the membrane is washed clean every time it rains and therefore normally does not require additional cleaning. With a life expectancy in excess of 30 years, a PTFE membrane structure will stand the test of time, with warranties for PTFE ranging from 10 to 15 years.

ETFE (copolymer of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene) have specific advantages such as a translucency of 90%, high absorption of radiation, low absorption of UV and visible light that give associated advantages for use where covered landscape areas are required. ETFE is an increasingly popular film material that is typically used for pneumatic Cushion Structures.

Tensile fabric has become a popular building membrane for the following reasons:

* Long-life/Durable: Architectural textiles can be highly durable, with a long life comparable with traditional roofing materials: 15 - 30+ years. The composition of the basecloth used in tensile fabric architecture gives it strength, stability, elongation, and tear resistance. The coating and varnishes applied to the basecloth provide superior fire resistance, UV resistance, self-cleaning properties, and colour fastness. Tensile structures maintain their original shape even after years of withstanding high wind and exposure to climatic variations.

* Sustainable Designs: Minimal materials are required to enclose large spaces and the fabrics are recyclable, making tensile fabric structures sustainable designs

* Lower Construction Cost: Using tensile fabric for the creation of large, free span roofs reduces the amount of supporting steelwork required, making construction easier, more affordable and quicker to install than traditional building designs.

* Reduced on-site costs and installation time: A primary advantage is in building with prefabricated components which requires no on onsite engineering or fabrication. Therefore, build times are faster and the simplicity of installation reduces time on site. Installation methodologies, programs and safety procedures are all determined prior to mobilization therefore reducing any interruptions once installation begins.

* Relocatable: Structures can be designed to be used at one site temporarily and relocated to another site; thus further increasing the lifespan of the structure.

* Low transportation cost: All components are prefabricated and lightweight, which reduces the cost of transportation of materials, steelwork and time on site providing direct upfront cost benefits.

* Natural Light transmission: Architectural membranes boast unique light transmitting properties that enable an open airy feeling of outdoor ambiance indoors, filling large areas with diffused natural daylight. The translucent nature of the fabrics available reduces daytime running costs.

Monday, September 19, 2011

LED Stairway Lighting Is a Remarkable and Functional Design Element

One of the most sophisticated ways to add extra visibility and pizzazz to a home or business is with LED stairway lighting. Whether you are looking to make a dark stairwell safe with unobtrusive lights or add a truly spectacular design feature to a garden or business, LED lights are the way to go. LEDs are energy efficient, they produce very little heat, and the light they provide is brilliant and rich. There are few other design elements that can add the huge "wow" factor that a lighted staircase can, and with efficient LED bulbs, this can be done affordably and safely.

LED stairway lighting comes on flexible narrow strips that can be fixed under the edges of stairs or along the sides to produce a magnificent effect. They are available in several colors to go with any design scheme you had in mind, and are a truly marvelous addition to any stairway. A dark and dangerous set of stairs can be instantly and easily made safe by the increased visibility provided by LED lights so chances of trips and accidents are greatly reduced. The flexible strips can be made to fit any stair design and are easily hidden away so that only the light itself is reflected off of the stairs.

Besides adding an exciting and magical element to a garden veranda or business entry, LED stairway lighting is energy efficient and safe. LED bulbs are known for producing brilliant light at a very low wattage. They also produce very little heat so are exceptionally safe compared to traditional bulbs which can be a fire hazard in small and confined spaces. If you are environmentally conscious you definitely want to choose LED bulbs over traditional lighting, because not only do they add elegance, but they will greatly reduce your carbon footprint by consuming far less energy than comparable light sources.

The quality of the light produced by LED stairway lighting is second to none. Traditional and halogen bulbs will tint and wash away the colors of a space, but an LED bulb will allow for the truest expression of color in the area that it illuminates. The light itself is so remarkable and appealing because it so closely resembles the light cast by our own sun, something that until now has been extremely difficult for traditional lights to accomplish.

Adding lighted accents to your stairs with LED stairway lighting is both subtle and unforgettable. The lights are subtle because the fixtures can be hidden away and made practically unnoticeable. They are unforgettable because the effect of staircases lit with LED bulbs is powerful and truly lovely. Using the right colors, you can add a romantic touch to a terrace or private garden, or modern elegance to the entrance to your building. They can be used as a safety feature for apartments and other inside stairwells as well, helping to make them as functional as they are aesthetically pleasing to look at.

Visit LED strips to find out the latest LED linear flexible lighting solutions. Kim Zheng is a top author of LED strip lighting articles, an expertize Led strip designer, engineer for 5 years in LED-Mate. He conducted broad research and study about how super bright SMD based LED lighting can bring you not only superior high brightness and top quality environmentally friendly illuminations, but also provide you cost effective lighting solutions compared to traditional incandescent and fluorescent lamps. LED is the next generation lighting, act now to replace your conventional linear lighting with LED ribbon for numerous benefits for residential and commercial applications.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

The Benefits of Using LED Architectural Lighting

The use of LED architectural lighting in your home or office has numerous benefits. Whether you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, exquisitely display certain features of your space or building, or are just looking to save on energy costs, a switch to LED lamps is the best way to go. LED lights are safe, stylish, and eco-friendly and do not produce heat the way that traditional bulbs do. If you are looking for an elegant, warm, and inviting atmosphere in your home or office, a very subtle way to achieve this is to simply switch your regular or fluorescent bulbs to LED.

The use of LED architectural lighting is extremely safe and environmentally friendly. The simple fact that they do not produce heat makes them safe for numerous applications in the home where a traditional heat producing bulb would be a fire hazard. The bulbs are extremely durable and consume significantly less power than a traditional bulb or fluorescent lamp. These bulbs also integrate a unique heat sink to dissipate any residual heat production from the lamps themselves, making them a far safer option for the home or office then a traditional or halogen bulb.

One of the very best reasons to use LED architectural lighting is simply for the aesthetic appeal that they provide. The light cast by LEDs is pure and bright, and is closer to mimicking real sunlight than any other lighting available. The bulbs are available in a variety of colors to suit any interior design element in your home or office. The lights are even created for every function that a normal bulb would provide. Whether you are looking for flood lights, accent lights, recessed or mounted slim bulbs to replace a fluorescent, there are LED lamps available that will fit right into most standard lighting hardware.

If you are looking to save money on electricity, the use of LED architectural lighting is another big win. These lamps produce better and brighter light than the traditional bulbs while using far less energy to do so. The LED counterpart to a 60 watt bulb uses only 13 watts of electricity, while the 90 watt counterpart uses just 22 watts. Since the lamps themselves are highly durable and don't burn out, the lifespan of a single bulb is greatly increased, saving you yet more money in replacement bulbs. Where a standard bulb might last for 6 months to a year, an LED bulb could last anywhere from 10 to 20 years.

LED architectural lighting is truly radiant and welcoming and will showcase your interior with the elegance and sophistication that only LEDs can provide. These lamps don't alter colors and allow the full, rich, and true colors of a room or building to stand out for itself. These lights are an effortless way to reduce your personal or corporate carbon footprint and will greatly reduce your electric overhead when used to replace traditional bulbs for day to day use in the home or office.

LED lighting is great for residential, commercial cove and architectural lighting applications. LED-Mate brings you cost effective custom lighting solutions. Kim Zheng is the company's main author of energy efficient LED architectural lighting articles, an experienced expert of super bright SMD based LED linear tube for cove lighting and architectural lighting. He reveals technology aiming to improve LED cove lighting by using high brightness LED fixtures. Find out more about LED architectural lighting from other articles written by Kim Zheng, where he offers valuable advises and tips for environmentally friendly, energy efficient LED tube lighting for excellent lighting effects.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Sustainable Building With Fabric

Environmental Sustainability in Design

The essence of sustainable design is to produce products and supply services in a way that reduces the use of non-renewable resources, minimizes environmental impact, and lowers carbon footprint.

Architectural fabric structures have been in use since first introduced in the early 1960's for temporary expositions. The major benefits were their ability to enclose large spaces with little material and with minimal impact on the environment. Essentially, these early structures were fine examples of sustainable design. With a lifespan of over 30 years, these fabric structures have proven themselves as permanent having been used in retail malls, airports, sports facilities and schools.

Fabric structures are an idea option with their open, airy designs that allow an abundance of natural light, a high degree of translucency and reduced operating costs. With growing concerns for global warming and climate change there is an ever present need for structures with energy efficiency over the entire life cycle of a building. Architects are using many different techniques to reduce the energy needs of buildings and increase their ability to capture or generate their own energy.

Building with fabric enables the creation of structures with stunning architectural profiles. In addition to providing 'freedom through form', architectural membranes boast unique light transmitting properties that enable an open airy feeling of outdoor ambiance indoors, filling commercial developments, large sporting complexes and industrial facilities with diffused natural daylight. When lit at night, architectural membranes form distinctive and dramatic illuminated structures that enhance the interior and exterior aesthetics.

There are many benefits of choosing fabric structures over conventional 'brick and mortar' structures, some of these benefits include; natural ventilation, breezeways, and application of natural convection, solar heating, electricity co-generation, water storage, water treatment and gray water use. Fabric structures can be orientated to capture views and natural ventilation while providing optimum solar exposure to maintain comfort levels in summer and winter. By selection a building option that is relocatable and recyclable there is less impact on the environment, reduced building costs and allowing for retention of existing landforms and vegetation.

Sustainable Materials Used

Translucent membranes can diffuse up to 92% of daylight by allowing natural light into the structure, reducing the need for electricity and eliminating glare from the sun. The larger the structure, the more benefit to the environment and the greater the savings on building operating costs. The coating options on these structures make them self-cleaning and resistant to stains, dirt and pollutants. There are many membrane alternatives, some with life spans of 30+ years and many fully recyclable with the benefit of durability, reduced heating, cooling and lighting costs as well as the elimination of chemicals due to the fabrics being self cleaning.

Environmental Construction - 'Form Finding'

Most tensioned fabric structures are designed, engineered and fabricated by 'form finding'. This means they are designed to be not only structurally efficient but manufactured and installed with little to no wasted resources and minimal energy use.

Architectural fabric is one of the lightest building materials and can create the largest building envelope. Due to the lighter weight of the membrane and the structural steel, the entire structural system can be shipped to site with fewer trucks and erected with less equipment. Properly designed fabric structures may have little impact on the ground with smaller concrete foundations for compression loads and the use of utility cable anchor technology for tension loads. These efforts can have significant saving when the site is being used for temporary structures or deployable structures where reuse is inevitable.

Fabritecture

Fabritecture believe passionately in the design and construction of environmentally responsible tensile architecture and aim to constantly maximize opportunities for achieving technologies to meet existing environmental needs. We are more than aware of the growing concerns for our current global environment and we aim to emanate responsibility and sustainability in all of our projects. We encourage new and alternative technologies and more efficient methods of environmental sustainability.

Fabritecture endeavor to 'touch the earth lightly' and in achieving this we are focused on using construction processes that reduce energy consumption. Fabritecture are committed to utilising lightweight, fully recyclable materials with minimal environmental impact. All our structures are fully recyclable and can therefore be re-used and relocated. The end result of our environmental approach is the construction of efficient, effective and environmentally responsible structures that are beautiful with a low carbon footprint.

Friday, September 9, 2011

CAD - Another Cost Effective Mode of Automization

CAD Services is the latest buzz word that has taken our Architectural and Engineering Industry by a storm. It has given a new perspective to this industry altogether. Our Construction Industry has gained a lot of momentum with Computer Aided Designing Services being introduced in the field of Construction Design. It has brought a 360 degree change in the execution method of Architectural and Engineering Design field and is rapidly penetrating into this field by all means. This Services are now being categorized as the most touted and primary tool to create 2D Drawings, Construction Documentation, and Building Information Model etc. CAD Services have brought about an innovation in the Construction Industry as well as design innovation. Software used to execute CAD Outsourcing Projects is also available with latest techniques and innovations, which CAD Professionals can choose from.

Creating Designs or Models using these techniques is not a child's play. One needs to be very cautious and smart while choosing a CAD Software. The software you choose should be the best for executing your project. Construction companies and Contractors can benefit from CAD Services only when all 3 factors Accuracy, Quality and Correct Architectural standards is combined in one package. The first step towards providing Computer Aided Design Services is to choose the right kind of software and manpower to execute the project. Basic conceptual designing should be very precise when it comes to following designing standards and parameters. Entire process of execution depends on the conceptual CAD designing. Later on after completion of design stage Construction drawings of the particular project is created. 2D Drafting basically is the stage next to Construction Drawings.

Engineers and Drafters providing CAD Services requires exceptionally high level design standards. 2D Drafting typically is a process which helps in creating drawings 3d modeling and detailing minute elements for construction purposes.

Core aspect as in why this have gained popularity today is cost effectiveness involved in the project. This Services have made automation possible in the construction industry. This has increased speed the process of construction and changed the entire outlook of this industry. 2D Drafting, Steel Detailing, Building Information Modeling, Mechanical Detailing etc. CAD Services include all the above mentioned services and can be accomplished using advanced design software like Revit, AutoCAD, Tekla, ArchiCAD etc. These kind of software saves time.

Drafting and Designing stage is very important and requires a lot of synchronization to produce high quality results. CAD Services and a lot of potentially time consuming, picky, detailed work. CAD Services drastically eases the generation of drawings, designs, plans etc as compared to manual work. CAD Services allows and supports excellent Quality Checks, Integration of various components and construction phases, Co-ordination amongst various phases of the projects.