Tinted Windows for Commercial Savings

Tinted windows create a more comfortable, safe, and efficient building environment. Each of these stand-alone benefits, however, can mean commercial savings in ways that will come up annually as well as an insurance against expensive mishaps.

Keep it Cool

One of the most obvious benefits to tinted windows is keeping summertime cooling costs at a minimum. This helps out not only you but the environment, saving energy as well as money, and will be a cost cutting move you will feel annually.

Keep Out UV Rays

An issue that might not be as obvious on an annual basis is the slow creeping damage the UV rays can cause to merchandise.

Increasing Productivity Through Smart Office Design

As businesses everywhere are tightening their belts, optimizing productivity among employees is becoming increasingly important. In addition to obvious factors like efficient management and employee incentives, the design of office space is a significant factor in increasing workplace productivity.

Architects and interior designers take many factors into consideration when designing interior spaces. They are well aware that the physical work environment has a direct psychological impact on people, affecting their behavior, emotions and thoughts. Creating a well-designed environment is just as important as building a functional one, since good design boosts creativity and productivity.

There are numerous factors that come into play when considering good office design: lighting, temperature, color, noise levels, furniture, space layout, among others. Here are a few key considerations.

Style and Home, Furnishing Your Workspace

After determining the space you have to work with in your office, and considering its decor, it is time to think about adding the furniture you will use to get your work done.

Take a look at your needs for your home office.

Do you need...

    A flat work station with large surface area?
    Storage for paperwork or products?
    A place to house a desktop computer?
    Seating for visitors or clients?
    Space for a phone, fax machine, printer, scanner, or other such item?

Easy and Practical Home Modifications

When home modification is being talked about, what comes to mind for most people is that it is hard to do and it would cost a lot to get the design that you want for your property. While there are indeed a lot of home designs which requires a lot of modification to the structure of your home, there are actually a lot of home ideas as well which are easier to accomplish and are more practical. With all the financial crises affecting almost all people from all over the globe, we are almost forced to be practical with everything. But as long as you have the right resources and the right idea, you can still do some things which are commonly thought to be expensive or impractical. Home modifications are no exception as you can still have it done even if you are not willing to spend a lot. You may even be surprised that you can do a big change in your house without causing you to overspend or go over your allotted budget.

Another big misconception regarding house modification is that you need to have a part or several parts of your house destroyed and built again.

Office Storage Ideas For Each Employee's Workstation

When one thinks about office storage, it is often the requirements of the business as a whole that are taken into account, not the needs of each individual employee in their own workstation. Whilst it is one thing to have a few filing cabinets dotted around the workplace, how does that help employees who need access to their files on a regular basis? Instead, you should also be looking at ways that your employees can store the things they need in their own workstations, and here are some helpful ideas:

• Cabinets: Be creative with your office storage ideas - why not use some handy cabinets instead of partitions? This can make accessing files that are shared between employees even easier.

• Desk Trays: Often, the smallest items on our desks are the hardest to find a home for. Desk trays are a great way to increase office storage, as they can be used to keep track of incoming files, as well as to sort stationary.

Style and Home, The Psychology of Color

Once you have considered the space for your home office, determined where your desk and chairs will be and how they will be used, it's time to start incorporating elements of personal style into your office decor. The simplest way to do this is to paint one or more walls. But what color is right for your office?

Red: Red is seen as a power color, but it has been known to impair performance because the color is associated with danger, warnings, and failure. Red is also used in many food advertisements and restaurant signs because it increases appetite. If you have a red office, keep the snacks far away.

Orange: Orange contributes to feelings of enthusiasm and warmth, which may assist if your work involves meetings and you want to give a warm impression to your guests.

Optimizing Layers in CAD Drafting

As an architect in Cincinnati, Ohio, I do a lot of computer-aided-drafting (CAD), and I receive CAD files from other firms as well. I notice a striking difference between the files that I produce and the ones created by others, specifically in the profusion of layers established within the file. This is likely due to a difference in how our respective CAD software functions, but may also simply harken back to limitations imposed in the early days of CAD that have now become engrained work habits.

I use drafting software called Graphite, by Ashlar, which has the feature that line weight, style, and color are independent of layer assignment. In older versions of AutoCad, which most others use, line weight, style, and color were determined by layer. In part, this was tied to how the CAD drawings were printed, using a plotter that selected among several actual pens stored in its carousel to render a particular item; this selection was laxer-based.

Modern Office Design and Office Fit Out Costs

According to a leading specialist office fit out & office refurbishment project management and cost consultancy firm in London, typical 2012 fit-out costs for a modern office design can range from £45.00 psf for an office refurbishment in a logistics warehouse to £75.00 psf for a project that includes a significant upgrade to the building ventilation systems.

A recently completed, high specification project for a leading FTSE 100 company - at £62.50 psf - would have been at a much higher cost, above £100 psf, but the project re-used a considerable amount of fixtures and fittings from existing premises to achieve significant savings.

Certain modern office interior design projects involve a fit-out cost per square foot far higher than the typical range; for example, with fit out costs sometimes in the region of £180 - £200 per square foot.

Commercial Office Space - Office Design Ideas

Commercial Office Space - Office Design Ideas (And why you should always use a specialist Project Manager)

What constitutes Commercial Office Space?

Normally any kind of premises from which you could run a business and where a part is set aside for administration purposes. From small shops, warehouses, supermarkets, factories and office blocks, to leisure facilities such as pubs, restaurants, gyms, etc.

Whereas moving to a new business premises, coming up with innovative and creative office design ideas and fitting out the commercial office space to your company's exact requirements - or even refurbishing existing to make better use of the space - may not be quite as complex as building an Olympic stadium, each task does nevertheless require a similar level of specialised project management expertise to manage it correctly.

Design Your Office With A Commercial Architect

When designing a commerci`l workspace, a lot of people don't put in the same care and thought that they would for the home or other personal space. Considering the average worker puts in 8 hours a day, it doesn't make sense to invest any less into the design of an office when you're bound to end up spending so much time there. If you're working on the design and build of a new office, don't settle for ready-made plans; research and work with experienced commercial architects to create a better place of work for you and your employees.

Why work with an architect?

Plenty of building companies will offer "quick-fix" solutions and standard office plans that can be easily implemented. While this might fit the bill for some, you have to remember that every building is different - making the most of the space you have and creating a better flow is the key to enjoying a more efficient, friendly and effective place of work.