SMI – Southern Metal Industries

SMI offers products that allow for a highly customized look with incredible flexibility.  The products include the Open Tile Panel System.  According to SMI:

“The name “OPEN” was selected to reflect the freedom of design and configuration flexibility which these products offer.”

Panel tile choices include acoustic tackable tile, fabric covered steel, wood grain, glass, marker board, airflow tiles and raceway tiles for data and power outlet ports.  Additional to this is that each panel has two sides.  The panel walls can be shared by adjoining workstations with different surfaces on each side.

Southern Metal Industries is a third generation family owned business.  The products are totally manufactured in the USA, assuring the consistency of the quality that they are known for.  The steel used in manufacturing all comes from recycling sources. The products come with a lifetime warranty and include:

• Open Tile Panel System for cubicle paneling configuration
• Synerflex Systems Furniture with quality rugged construction which includes panel systems and free standing furniture.
• File Storage Systems including traditional file cabinets and shelving as well as high density mobile storage systems to maximize storage capacity of storage areas while maintaining complete accessibility.

For more information in CT and Western MA, please contact Gary Kazanjian

E-mail: kaz.smi@snet.net

Restaurant’s Atmosphere Killed by Remodeling

There was a restaurant (a.k.a. diner) that was a personal favorite of mine.  It had a mix of booths and table and chair seating.  There were glass partitions on the booth seats as well as a few structural partitions at the entry of the table seating area.  The tables and chairs were the traditional, somewhat colonial style, wooden furniture. The entire dining area was carpeted.  It had a nice atmosphere because you could easily carry on a conversation without being mindful of how many other customers were there.

I can only guess that the carpeting was the original incentive for the remodeling.  It had become darkened over time and, if you really looked at it, was a bit of an eyesore.  How the owner came to his decisions on the remodeling I don’t know, but there has been a critical functional deterioration.  The major problem results from replacing all the carpeting with hard tile flooring.  A second factor is that the newer updated booths have no apparent partition panels.  The dining tables and chairs were replaced with more contemporary, less dense materials that do not have the elegance or sound absorption quality of their predecessors.  The entire interior was repainted and this makes the appearance cleaner, crisper and more spacious looking. The dining areas are now essentially one large area with full visibility of sight and sound from the front door all the way to the last seats in the back.

The result of the remodeling has yielded a diner that has a contemporary crisp look with all the dining charm of a major airport or train terminal.  It is no longer possible to have a quiet personal conversation.  It is wearisome to have to repeat everything (including your order) several times to be heard above the collective roar of the entire dining room.

The point of all this is simply that aesthetics should NEVER be given priority over the functional considerations of the facility.

Submitted by Raquel Creamer

Revolutionary Commercial Sheet Vinyl Flooring

We are pleased to offer flooring with significant benefits:

• Scuff proof
• No waxing, sealing or buffing required
• Anti-microbial and anti-fungal built in
• No harsh or costly chemicals involved in sanitizing and cleaning
• Slip resistant
• Anti-static
• Exceeds HUD/FHA standards for wear layer thickness

These benefits all amount to major savings in cleaning and maintenance costs while providing a more sanitary environment.

For more information on this product please contact us by phone or e-mail.

Available in a variety of colors and textures for many market applications.

Stylish, Sturdy and Green

ERG classroom tables and seating

Raw materials used are recyclable

• Processing using water based and water soluble finishes and adhesives
• Wood from sustainably managed and certifiable forests
• Use of recyclable and biodegradable packaging
• Production wastes from paint powder, wood, steel and foam are recycled.

Multipurpose tables and chairs

To see the ERG International Green Statement click here

ERG Task Chairs, Modular Lounge Seating, Outdoor Furniture

ERG International is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and has maintained consistent outstanding rating with OSHA.

ERG dining and cafeteria furniture

For more information please call 860-529-6900 and ask for our ERG rep, Gary Kazanjian or e-mail us.

Beam Seating Products

CT State Furniture Contract Classroom / School

We are pleased to offer school and classroom furniture under CT State Furniture Contract 06PSX0066.

See our Product Selection Guide Here

Indicates Manufacturer with Environment Policies and Programs.

CT State Contract School Classroom furniture

Workstations, Learning Systems, Computer Tables:

Clarin Infiniti

Virco Computer Furniture

Portable, Multi-purpose & Fixed Seating:

Clarin Meridian

Clarin Multipurpose

Clarin Fixed Seating

Early Learning:

Virco Early Childhood

Classroom & Office:

Virco Office

Virco Educational

For additional information visit our website, call or e-mail us.

Buildings Designed For Versatility

The traditional approach to the construction of buildings for public use has been to construct both the exterior and interior lay out with a fixed view of the uses each space would serve. In school design, for example, the classrooms were constructed with fixed walls to create spaces for seating the projected number of students.

Buildings can be viewed as long term investments. A building depreciates in about 30 years. What this means in round figures is that if a school is built for $6,000,000 the expense is written off at $200,000 annually for 30 years. When spaces need to be modified the expenses of knocking out and reconstructing interior walls are written off on the same basis. This construction modification entails the need to contract costly skilled laborers and is both a messy and disruptive process.

The drawback to this form of planning is that the utility of interior building spaces, more often than not, changes with much greater frequency. As trends in education or business environment keep evolving, the fixed structures are often an obstruction to trying new arrangements or implementing potential improvements in method of operation.

Today, in part as a result of the focus on energy efficiency and sustainability, the approach to designing public buildings has changed significantly. This has been made possible by the introduction of new construction materials. Now the building itself is viewed as a sort of fixed shell but the interiors are being designed with a variety of adaptive partitions. One of the major changes is the new demand for use of “moveable walls”. These walls are hung on tracks and serve the same function as fixed walls.

When an interior space needs to be modified the walls are readily reconfigured without any mess and without the need for skilled labor. These walls will depreciate in a short term of about 7 years. They contribute significantly to the ability of the building to continue to accommodate changing uses and they are reusable. The walls come in a variety of styles; with or without glass paneling, varying levels of soundproofing and can have different surfaces one each side.

For short term adaptations of spaces there are a variety of partition products. These include such items as accordion folding panels, and screen partitions. When these products are combined with the use of furniture that is foldable, stackable and moves on casters: the transition from one type of function to another is accomplished very quickly. This maximizes the functionality of the entire interior area.

When a building is designed with attention to energy efficiency and multifunctional structuring the increase in cost at the outset can easily pay for itself in reduced operating cost after just a few years in operation. The same is true of major renovations. Bringing an old building up to code is a very costly process if it entails modifying interior walls. If it must be done, it makes sound economical sense to invest in incorporating the new materials at the same time.

Trends In College Bound Student Culture

Attractive and functional dorm rooms

The young adults arriving on college campuses today are very different from those of ten and twenty years ago. With colleges in fierce competition to draw these students, they have had to consider these differences in the renovating and design of their
facilities.

Students today have fully integrated the laptop computer into their academic and personal life. It is a research tool, writing implement and social life organizer all in one. One of the major renovations taking place in most educational facilities, at all levels, is the provision for computer technology in everything from the required wiring to the size of the desktops. There is often a need to move desks and chairs and rearrange furniture to accommodate new uses. Increasingly colleges are seeking out furniture that is equipped with casters for ready mobility and is comfortable and sturdy.

The students have also come from an educational program that often encouraged them to participate in collaborative projects and form study groups. There is still a need for the quiet library atmosphere for times of personal study and research, but there is a growing need for areas with comfortable lounge type furniture that allows students a place to hold discussions and study together.

Another noticeable difference entails the personal life style of these students. They are generally coming from much smaller families where they have not had to share a bedroom with anyone. In the design of dorms, colleges are trying to make the
communal living experience less intrusive by selecting dorm furniture that provides a visually personal space. The loft beds with desk and wardrobe underneath are a good selection for this purpose, when actual individual rooms are not possible.

In these typical families both parents have been working full time to help make the college opportunity possible. The old fashioned family meals was long ago replaced with a quick fix, on the run, eating pattern. For the average college freshman food is eaten purely to prevent starvation and the less effort it takes to prepare the better. The other element shaping their eating preferences has to do with the subconscious effect of “comfort foods”. When people are placed in high stress situations they will often seek out foods that they associate with their earlier carefree years. Such choices include cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pizza. Many colleges are starting to provide dining areas that are well adapted to this culture. Such areas include a sandwich/pizza eatery with Internet capability and comfortable seating that serve as a study / social area and popular food fare. Buffet style specialty areas are also gaining in popularity. Consider a cereal bar with an assortment of fresh fruit toppings and dairy products. This provides a nutritionally responsible choice that also feels very comfortable to most young adults.

The key design factor behind the growing trends on today’s college campuses is to try to make the environment better suited to needs of the students while creating a sense
of the comforts of home.

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