House and Home Ebooks

The 1999 Model reMODEL project provided an opportunity for the NAHB Research Center, Inc., along with HUD and Professional Remodeler Magazine, to demonstrate, observe and evaluate the installation of seven innovative technologies in the PATH inventory. The Research Center, along with Mark Wade, the project owner, selected technologies that were compatible with the project. Research Center staff monitored the installation of the technologies and compiled installation and costing information supplied by manufacturers and contractors. Labor and material cost comparisons included in this report are based on this project alone and do not define the labor and material costs for these products in the building and manufacturing industry in general.

Three technologies that actually cut installation times when compared to conventional methods were the plastic plumbing manifold and piping system, flexible gas piping and pre-finished drywall corners. Plastic plumbing pipe and flexible gas piping can be easily run from the service to each fixture or appliance. This is especially helpful in a remodeling project where existing conditions may limit the route that conventional copper or steel pipe would take.

The ancient wisdom of Feng Shui applied to your workspace can make you feel more comfortable during working hours. It can help you get along with that difficult and challenging co-worker, make you more productive and efficient at your work-related tasks, and can even help you play well with others. Not a bad day’s work for what’s basically a design philosophy!

Feng Shui literally means wind and water, referring to the two universal forces necessary for life. These universal elements are connected to chi, which is life energy or life force. Wind and water carry this life energy throughout the world. Feng Shui shows you how to harness this life energy to enrich your environment and
create balance in your life. See the section, “Flowing Like Chi” later in the chapter for more information on chi. Chapter 2 talks about chi at length.

This modular system provides a secure means of displaying student boards, artwork, and 3D models in the hallway of the Interior Design department at Marymount University. Each module consists of a maple-trimmed cork panel, upright floor-to-ceiling copper-clad posts, copper connection splines, a nonreflective glass panel, and a serpentine spot light. The splines connect the panels to the supporting uprights or to neighboring modules. Ends are secured by either a fixed glass panel or a locking glass door. The cork panels can be installed without the glass surround if security is not desired.
The plan, elevations, axon, and section show a single module. The perspectives and the model show five connected modules.
The system also includes a cork-faced trolley that can be rolled into the enclosed display area to support 3D models. The trolley has a removable lid with storage space beneath.
The materials chosen for the three pieces - the chair, the tables, and the display- are all sustainable. Maple is readily available from certified sustainable forests in many localities. Copper is one of the most recycled metals. Cork is a rapidly renewable resource.

The ”Material and Design Studio” at Chalmers University of Technology was established with the aim of developing an approach allowing experts in material science, structural mechanics, aesthetics and manufacturing to combine their efforts, with use of IT support, in the designing of new furniture.

The long-range goal of this endeavor is to increase the competitiveness
of the Swedish furniture industry in various ways: by improving the effectiveness of the designing process, optimizing the use of materials, determining the effects of new combinations of materials, reducing customer complaints and responding more quickly to the needs of the market.