About Visiting Pods

Visiting Pods or meeting pods have recently become very popular. Particularly useful within care home environment these Covid secure facilities are making the difference during a difficult time. These cabins where families can meet safely allow loved ones to reunite and are proving to be additionally useful during the winter months.

Care Home Pods Making the Difference

The pandemic has been difficult for many business owners and employees in all sectors; cafes, music venues, stores, factories and many more. Pandemic has also been particularly tough on families. The loved ones not being able to see each other are missing their families. Those living in care home environment or those who have loved ones living there can feel it.

Having a designated space for loved ones to meet each other has proved to be difficult to manage for care home owners. Trying to reunite outdoors is an equally difficult task. With weather conditions worsening and the danger of spreading the virus, it is a struggle. The idea of care home pods has been born to answer this problem. Allowing loved ones to see one another in a safe environment has already proven successful in many care homes.  There are three main goals to strive towards via use of the visiting pods.

Reaching Goals

Mobile visiting pod

While designing, three main goals come to mind, in order to resolve previously discussed problems. These goals are:

  1.  To reunite families in a safe environment
  2.  To help reduce the spread of the virus
  3.  To reduce impact of weather conditions on the meeting families

The construction of each visiting pod is designed to reach the above goals. Meeting pods construction enables families to meet safely and to bring back smiles on their faces.

Pod’s Construction Methods

The meeting pod construction was though through to tackle the main problems. This led to the use of the following construction solutions:

  1. Family members enter through the two separate doorways; this helps to reduce the spread of the virus
  2. A wall construction dividing the two sections of the room (or two rooms) incorporates glass which enables people to see each other and speak with each other via intercom; this enables people to interact freely while still reducing the spread of the virus
  3. The rooms are easy to clean and sanitize thanks to the materials used; glass, steel. Reducing the spread of the virus once more.
  4. The problem of weather conditions is tackled via structure of the pod itself. It is an insulated building structure and bespoke design. The heating systems and any other requests such as air conditioning is discussed with the client.

Visitor’s Pods Bespoke Design Options

Bespoke design, visitor’s pod

Bespoke design of visitor’s pods means that the size of these buildings as well as a number of windows and the whole visual look can be arranged as requested by the client. The glass dividing the rooms can also be discussed and designed to fit client’s needs. There can be a small opening at the top, instead of an intercom, which could be preferred by some families, meaning they would hear each other more naturally.

After acquiring the building, the client can add any interior details such as peaceful colours of the furniture or wall décor in order to make the room more welcoming to families.

Even with the vaccine here we still cannot predict how long it will take before we can fully come back to normality. No matter how short or long it will take, a long-term reason for this type of building being useful is the diversity of the design as well as a possibility of quick changes to repurpose. In the future this type of building can be adapted or kept as a meeting space, with the dividing wall staying in its place or being taken out. It could have many purposes. One of many being a conservatory, a reading space or even a café and relaxation area.

In order to get more inspiration for repurposing a building like this in the future, have a look at our realizations map.

In order to find out more about visitors’ pods designed by us or ask for a quote and advise please contact us.

Finding Inspiration

Logic and imagination, the two creative strengths which are important to use interchangeably when working with building design. Using these two strengths will feed the vision and help to stay inspired.

This process is fluid. Imagination is one of the most exciting creative skills to have, a skill which will take us towards any direction we want to move towards. When it comes to undertaking decisions regarding building design imagination must be interchangeably used with logic. This is in order to challenge our ideas.

Logic will conduct a reality check before decisions are made final. Checking for practicality and feasibility of the project is what shapes the imaginative ideas. Logical decisions can then be improved once more with the use of imagination.

When we think of a new vision for the building, here at KC Cabins, we put all our efforts into listening to the client’s needs, ideas, and requirements. We then look at the reality of portable building design we can offer and consider how to spice it up further with imagination. A process that helps us to achieve a successful design.

Everything we do is centered around striving for beauty, safety, and long-term solutions in architectural design. Affordable price and swift design processes are valued by our clients. We want the experience of acquiring a contemporary, personalized modular building to be the best it can be for every client using our services. As a reward for us, this successful process feeds our vision and inspiration for years to come.

Green Wall

Modular buildings could be defined as custom-made, contemporary architectural structures. A client may influence the design process in a number of ways, depending on his/her needs. The final design then forms a unique custom-made structure. An appearance of a finished building will depend on its purpose and can be individualized further with the use of decorative panels to make it more unique, as requested by the client. Alternatively, the type of design can be chosen from one of our standard options meaning that a building shell will have less customization and when compared to our other structures will look more similar. The building in standard design can still be prominent in comparison to other structures. There is also a number of ways in which you can individualize your building further, one of our favourite subjects explored here on this blog.

Our attention for today goes to introducing green wall into a building interior, and particularly a visual effect of such change. The benefits are many, with some of the most impressive ones being health benefits. We have discussed the general subject of indoor plant-scaping on our blog previously. We then spoke of Bill Wolverton’s research into the air quality of building interiors. Air quality is positively affected by the use of plants to the point of clearing the air and improving its quality by getting rid of negative compounds. Additionally, plants also have a positive, calming effect on our emotions. If you would like to know more about Wolverton’s research, you can view this blog post here

Going back to the visual impact of a green wall in a building interior; a wall such as this could be introduced on a smaller section of a larger existing wall or could cover a full-sized wall. The final effect can be controlled by you in terms of its richness. It could be subtle and discreet, a small amount of greenery on a white wall expanded in time, highlighting the beauty of greenery and the pureness of white colour of the wall. It could also be a full-sized green wall, rich and comforting, bringing nature closer to you, right where you work.

There are more benefits to having a green wall. Modifying an existing wall into green space is one of the least expensive and most exciting changes you can introduce in your building interior design. A wall such as this could work as a space divider, dividing the larger area into smaller sections. All divided sections would then benefit from the use of plants.  A full-size green wall would be the main feature of the interior. Imagine a wall like this in your office. The positive impact will be felt by everyone working in the space as well as by the visiting clients. Introducing a green wall into a building interior could therefore be seen as a long-term solution worth investing in.

Water Features

An exciting addition to interior design could be a water feature. Water has a calming effect which not only creates the feeling of peace but can also be seen as a sophisticated part of the building’s interior design. There are endless types of water features you can choose from and, depending on the type you require, such a feature can work very effectively as part of the interior design of any building.  

A particularly elegant as well as recently popular is water wall feature. In an office such a feature could be added in an entrance as a statement piece, providing an inviting and elegant entry to the building. It could also enhance clients’ waiting area by making it more welcoming and sophisticated. It could also be an exciting outdoor sculpture.

Water features in general are commonly used in relaxation areas and business types focusing on relaxation such as SPA’s, beauty salons, hotels, etc. and yet these can also be and are successfully used in other business types as well. Over-stimulation of our senses so common in our busy lives is taken away almost instantly when we hear and see water. Water’s natural calming effects are forming our senses into the sea of tranquillity. When we look at water and when we hear water, we are met with less information to process, a lot less in comparison to what we are used to. This sends us off into a meditative state and has an instant soothing effect on our senses.

No matter how large or how small your office is and no matter the business type you’re in, you may benefit from the effects of having a water wall feature in your building for the simple reasons discussed above. Elegance and sophistication such feature bring is a bonus. Something to consider.

Harmony

It is difficult to describe in one sentence what harmony means and how harmony is created. When thinking of harmony in design, harmony is often associated with symmetry, and yet not only symmetry creates harmony. According to a number of dictionaries, ‘harmony’ could be described as a state of peaceful existence while ‘harmony synonyms’ include ‘peace’, ‘balance’ and ‘compatibility’. In fact, those three words are some of the best to describe harmony creation. In design, through balance and through compatibility we can create peace and we can create harmony.

How do we decide on balance and compatibility though? Balance can be achieved in a number of ways; this includes the use of both symmetry and asymmetry as well as the use of light and colour. For the purpose of this article, we are looking at images focusing on composition and general shapes within.

We could distinguish shapes which are balancing each other by looking at each photograph at a time. We can analyse shapes in the images by reading the photos looking at them from left to right as if we are reading a page of a book. Comparing both sides of the photograph reveal information about the composition. It reveals which shapes are being used to balance each other and to balance the composition.

Images we see display harmonious shapes and composition. Those images evidence both symmetrical and asymmetrical elements being used in order to create harmony. What balances asymmetrical composition? What makes the elements of those compositions compatible enough to produce the feeling of peace?

In one of the image examples at the top, we can see a heavy, bold and energic shape of a bridge balanced by a vague, continuous, horizontal line of this same bridge disappearing in the distance. In other images, we see mainly one bold symmetrical shape combined with asymmetrical elements such as clouds or building reflections. Light reflections enhance the softness of the image and therefore add to the harmonious composition. Soft light and soft colours are used to create a feeling of peace.

Overall, we see images balanced with shapes, colours and light within.

Balance and compatibility are crucial in order to create peaceful images. With the right use of composition elements enhanced by the right colours and light, we will achieve harmony in the design. In order to find out how to do it, we look around and learn from what we see.

Story of a garage

Portable buildings are commonly used as offices and houses and are therefore associated with those type of buildings, although there are many other potential uses to portable structures. Our buildings have been used as a laboratory, dog grooming, barbers, vape shops, beauty studio, car renting, ice cream café, dry cleaning and more. Our buildings have also been used as a garage. And let’s face it, not everyone will see a garage as an exciting investment.

Still, a simple standard garage has its allure, maybe more practical than exciting to some, but hey, practicality is awesome. Imagine, finally having a designated space for your car and add to that some storage for tools, spare tires, etc. Give it a nice, contemporary design. How exciting upgrade to your house would that be?

Another example of an exciting garage could be a car repairs service, which is a lot more complicated story in comparison to a standard garage. Designed to accommodate sales office, workshop, and equipment which includes car storage, space designated for car repairs and potentially more. We work by adapting to accommodate your needs. A car repairs service garage would be larger and more complicated building. Definitely an exciting story.

Coming back to a general idea of a standard size garage. There are some important factors to remember when considering its dimensions. In order for you to be happy with the daily use of such structure, we cannot stress enough when we say, consider how much space you need. A garage does not only have to be large enough to fit your car in. Space to comfortably get in and out of your car needs to be considered. If you want to, add storage space for potential cabinets with tools, some space for spare tires, lawnmower, bikes and anything else you may think of. You could also consider adding a small window for some natural light.

Taking into account all the above, you will be a lot happier in the long run. A garage may turn out to be the most exciting practical space you have ever decided to invest in. Therefore, we believe, a garage is an exciting story.

Arches, Spheres and Waves

In one of our recent articles, we have been discussing George Nelson as part of our ongoing series on the subject of Prefabrication History. George Nelson was an American architect, writer and designer who wrote extensively on the subject of design. In his book titled How to See (1977) Nelson would advocate the subject of looking at images to be separate to learn discipline. We would like to take this idea of learning to look as a starting point of a new series to introduce to this blog. This series will be focused on physically looking at buildings/images in order to learn more about architecture and related subjects.

Today we would like to discuss images of arches, spherical shapes and waves in relation to the field of construction, as part of our own pursuit of deepening our ability to look.

Arches have been in use in architecture for more than two thousand years. Used in many forms throughout history and today, construction of arches presses the weight outwards hence they are durable and strong. The use of arches is not only advantageous because of their durability and strength, arches are also aesthetically beautiful. The use of arches has become widespread with the Roman Empire and extensively used in order to build aqueducts and bridges. But arches were used earlier than that. Greeks and Romans adapted the use of arches from Etruscans. We could go back even further into the history but instead, we are going to stop here as we will be focusing our attention on arches as part of a group of shapes and objects. However beautiful, today, we are not only thinking of arches but also of spheres, curves, and general shape of a wave in architecture. Let us take a break from art history and focus on the images and structure.

Looking at curves gives our eyes a rest, a non-broken fluidity of information. When looking at an arch or a curve, in an architectural form, our sight is reaching a pause from busy surroundings. We are taken on a route through physical space which is soft and delicate. For our eyes, it is an equilibrium.

A spherical shape in architecture is a symmetrically perfect never-ending curve. Do we look at it as a whole? How do we respond to a spherical shape? We could think of a sphere’s resemblance to the sun and the stars or its use in Hellenistic temples. We could also look at its use in contemporary architecture for its simplicity and its geometrical form. And we would be closer in finding the answer to the question of a connection between an arch, a wave and a spherical shape. We want to look at the images and find this connection. The connection between those aesthetical forms. Equilibrium and softness of those shapes could be part of the answer.

Visually both a sphere and an arch are elegant and harmonious shapes. Spheres, waves and curves can also appear futuristic depending on the context of use, materials used and other shapes accompanying the overall form. Sizes and quantities of those shapes play a big role in how we perceive the overall object.  

On the photographs, these forms can be appreciated not only for the architecture but also for the composition. The circles and lines and their positioning are in the essence of forming the elegance in composition. The symmetry or asymmetry of their positioning is crucial. If we look attentively at those lines and curves, we are starting to notice more – we notice the complexity and depth of the form. We notice the elegance. The softness of arches, spheres and waves, when positioned well, next to a perfectly strict line, is the start of a good architectural design. We will continue this subject in another article.

Colour Palettes

In the past, we have discussed examples of colour palettes for office. We have also discussed examples of colour schemes used within interior design. One office may vary greatly from another in its purpose though. An office may be a reception area for a holiday park, it could be a car dealer’s office, a developer company and many more.

An office is in fact quite a broad term and the subject of interior design is as broad as customers’ needs. Today we would like to discuss a subject of early decision making when choosing a colour palette. We will be focusing on consideration of potential colour palettes for a beauty salon or spa design during this early decision-making process.

First of all, let’s not get overwhelmed with the amount of options. It is important to start with some visual references for your design while at the same time consider the purpose of the building. This enables you to imagine the real outcome a lot clearer.

Because the palette we are considering is for beauty salon or spa we will perform a small experiment in relation to these. As an experiment, let us start by thinking of potential words in response to the word BEAUTY.

Words that may come to mind are; air, delicate, cosmetics, fragrance, white, natural, clean, clear, blue, pink, soft. Your responses may vary.

When you do have your words written down, look at the visual representation of those words. Ideas will spark instantly through looking at the images. That in itself may be enough to sharpen your idea of what you want the colour palette to be. When you will select your final choices, it will become your visual reference guide, it will become your colour palette. It is worth remembering about colour schemes at this point. This is in order to not get carried away by choosing too many colours. Keep it simple.

You can perform the same exercise by choosing to respond to the word SPA. This will generate other visual references.

We can look closer at generated words in order to figure out what your colour palette can be. From the list above, let us take, for instance, the word cosmetics. You can look at the examples of cosmetics packaging, for instance. This is in order to analyse what colours are used there and why. First of all, you may notice that majority of packaging is made mainly in white colour, with addition of smaller amounts of one or two other colours, usually soft and light hues. Quite often text and logo of the brand is printed in black/silver or gold. Those colour palettes are not too complicated and kept in fresh bright hues. It means that these colours will portray feelings of cleanliness, freshness and youth. These could as well be good colours to go for as a base for beauty salon.

The above analysis would generally exclude fragrance packaging. Fragrance packaging is often designed in darker colours.

Having this as an example, you can go back to your other words on the list and consider colour scheme for your chosen one or two colours in order to expand on the idea.

If, for instance, you will take the word air as an example, you will most likely think of clear images of a blue sky, light clouds or air swirls in white or semi-transparent colour. The decision is to put these colour findings next to each other and decide which colour palette works best as a beauty salon or spa design.

More general advice would be to remember the building purpose when choosing your colour palette. Consider if your visual responses match the purpose of the space and adjust your idea if needed. Because both spa and beauty salon are places to relax, remember soothing colours. This means cool colours such as blue, green, white and/or pastel colours. Many people will appreciate addition of warm colours as well, as an element of cosiness and warmth in the space. Feeling of cosiness could also be created by the use of natural decorations such as sand, plants or wood. Other option could also be the use of warm, atmospheric lighting.

Initial idea can be adapted to match different styles. Once the step of choosing colour palette is undertaken and decided, the rest is easier. The rest is to stick with the plan. When final decorations overwhelm you with the amount of possible choices, have your colour palette with you and remember what is the feeling you would like to portray. Ask yourself if a particular object will do that for you and reflect accordingly.  

Enjoy the fun of designing.

Artificial Light, part 2

There are certain types of lighting you may want to have in mind when deciding on interior design of your modular building. Continuing the subject of artificial light, we would like to talk about general use of light within interior design. Some basic lighting types are as follows; ambient light, task light, accent light and decorative light.

Ambient Light

The main light used in the space is called ambient light. Ambient light function is raising lighting levels in the room to enable seeing clearly while performing tasks/activities the room was designed for. As an example, in an average interior, the main ceiling lamp will be the source of ambient light. Its functional role is the most important in the room. Depending on the space use, living room, hotel, hospital, office, store etc, ambient light levels will vary. For commercially used spaces light level requirements are calculated per square meter/feet. Sometimes, natural light can also be referred to as ambient light.

Task Light

Second functional light is called task light. Task light, as the name hints, helps with performing tasks. This is particularly used in spaces where the light already present is insufficient. Reading lamp is the most common example of a task light. Task light may also be required to be used by various types of workstations or while performing art/craft/design jobs and more.

Accent Light

Once needs for ambient and task lights are met, there are two additional categories which are exciting to focus on. Those two categories are accent light and decorative/or aesthetic light. Accent light is usually used to highlight the presence of an artwork or an object. It can also be used in order to highlight particular area of an interior.

Spotlights are frequent choice option for accent lighting. There are many different types of LED accent spotlights you can choose from. This type of light can transform the room into captivating space where your potential clients will be more likely to spend more time in. With accent lighting you can produce a cosy atmosphere within the room. It will work very well in relaxation areas as well. 

Decorative Light

Just like the use of statement piece in your wardrobe, decorative light could be the highlight of the room. Decorative light could be a floor lamp, a wall lamp or a chandelier. If used in the right way, decorative light will finish off interior design of the room flawlessly. At the same time, it can also provide a practical function by lighting up certain area of the room. Potentially, decorative light could be used as/or instead of an accent light and vice versa. Decorative light can even be part of an ambient lighting.

For an office, you may not necessarily want to use too much of both accent and decorative lighting. Adding small highlights into the space will add character and will not only attract clients but will also help your employees feel comfortable and welcome in the space.

Accent light you may want to use in order to accentuate graphics or company name/logo, etc. For office and commercial spaces, a good place for accent light is also outside of the building. Outside, light can be used to accentuate building’s architecture, entrance or pathway, as well as company name and logo.

Lighting design is one of the most pleasant adventures of interior design, mainly because most people are very sensitive to different types of light. Simply testing a light unit by lighting it up will instantly trigger certain emotions in your response. This is particularly the case with accent and decorative light. This response can be seen as your personal guide into what type of light you want to choose.

The choice of ambient light will need to be more pragmatic because as explained above, ambient light’s strength is usually calculated. Regarding ambient light, there will still be plenty of options when it comes to the lamp designs.

There is room for testing ideas and range of options to choose from when it comes to lighting design. Enjoy the adventure.

Artificial Light, part 1

Building designs combine both natural and artificial light. There are different ways to maximize the amount of both of those types of light. We focus on large windows in order to maximize natural light in our modular buildings. When it comes to artificial light, we provide LED lamps. In one of our past articles we have discussed the importance of natural light. We then spoke of factors to consider when planning window placement and planning your furniture layout. Today, we would like to discuss artificial light.

When undertaking decisions regarding lighting design for your modular building, Watts, Lumens and Kelvins are units important for you to be familiar with. Watts measure power consumption. Traditional incandescent lamps have generally been remembered for high Watt usage. Incandescent light power usage would also equal brighter bulb. The higher the number of Watts, the brighter the bulb.

This is not the case with LED’s. Typically, comparing an old fashioned incandescent 100-watt light bulb with the LED; LED equivalent will have around 1700 Lumens while the Watt usage will remain very low, around 15 Watts. When it comes to light output, the brightness of the light, it is best to focus on Lumens. Especially when it comes to LED’s. The number of Lumens will inform you of the brightness.

Depending on the weather conditions and building location, the demand for artificial light use will vary throughout the year. For commercial buildings, the light requirement is calculated per square meter/feet for each structure. The lighting is then installed making sure that the correct number of Lumens are there. In order to meet recommended light levels, the number of Lumens per square meter/feet can be raised either through the use of more powerful lamps or by the higher number of lamps.

Another important factor to consider is the colour temperature of lamp units in use. Typically, in order to achieve the best results, for office type spaces, it is best to use lamps with colour temperature closer to white. It means that the light colour will resemble natural sunlight. Thanks to crisp light like this, enabling to see details with no strain to the eyes, you will achieve a working space bright enough to comfortably work in.

Light colour temperature is provided in Kelvins scale. The lower the number the warmer the light colour temperature, the higher the number, the cooler the light colour temperature.  Daylight is categorized as 5000K colour temperature on the Kelvin scale and is considered a cool light. Office spaces typically use light colour temperature of 3500K to 4500K but you can use light which is cooler than that. Usually hospitals use coolest light on the scale. Cooler light gives focus and lets you see clearly. We use 4000K colour temperature lamps in our modular buildings. Warm light is classed as 3000K and less on the Kelvin scale and is best to use for home, guest rooms, hotels and restaurants, where you may want to relax.

Of course, the light calculation and installation is an experienced professionals job. We believe, that the knowledge into the subject enables undertaking informed decisions regarding lighting in your modular building even when an experienced advice is at hand though. A bit of knowledge means less money and time spent for trials and errors and/or shorter hours of advisory conversations with your electrician or lighting store technical department. Undertaking informed decision on the lighting subject in your modular building will influence the overall interior and exterior design and will increase customer satisfaction. Customers will simply like to spend more time in a cosy well-lighted room.

Plants

While planning the interior design of your new portable office, you may want to include some plants within the design. When, in the past, we discussed the subject of plants in the building interiors, we promised to discuss the subject of outdoor plants as well.

There are four beneficial elements that make up the idea of outdoor plants irresistible;

  • Environment
  • Health
  • Design
  • Branding

Environment

While discussing plants within the interior design of a portable office we talked about Bill Wolverton, a scientist who previously worked for NASA. His research for improving the quality of water and air with the use of plants concluded with publishing two books on both of those subjects. Wolverton not only succeeded with his research proving that plants have positive effects on reducing volatile compounds from the air but he also published a list of plants which are best for that. Via Wolverton’s research, we are aware of the additional quality of plants also improving water quality.

As numerous discussions among scientists regarding the subject of global warming and its consequences are heating up around the globe we are all aware of the plants’ ability to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) levels as well as reducing other negative compounds present in the air. We may then want to consider investing our time into the subject of the importance of plants.

Other than the improvement of air quality while introducing plants to your local environment, encouraging wildlife growth could be seen as an additional benefit of the presence of plants. Larger amounts of plants will naturally encourage wildlife growth. In fact, if your portable office is based in an area with no greenery present at all, your landscape architect may suggest particular plants, in order to encourage certain species. You could for instance plant the type of greenery encouraging the presence of bees. Additionally, if your portable office is based along a busy road, you could benefit from plants’ noise reducing qualities. This again will encourage wildlife to flourish.

If you would like to gain more insight and have a wider-reaching positive impact on local environment, you can research particular plants and their effects on wildlife or get more insightful advice from specialized garden designers, landscape architect or a wildlife trust.

In consequence, introducing more plants outside of your portable office will benefit the environment.

Health

Following from the above section on the environment, the next three sections could be seen as additional benefits or positive effects of the above. As already discussed, Wolverton researched not only the general idea of plants improving the air and water quality but also produced a list of plants which work best for it. A copy of his report can be found here https://archive.org/details/nasa_techdoc_19930072988/page/n0 More insightful information can also be found through many books and other sources, such as for example “Plant Biology Research and Training for the 21st Century” book which explains the importance of plants and also suggests certain solutions.

One of the most important conclusions when it comes to the general benefits of plants is their positive effect on our physical health. Other than the discussed benefit of plants as air cleaning device which in consequence is good for our physical health, there is the importance of the impact of our physical health into our emotional health as well. Presence of plants has positive effects on reducing stress levels. Plants are believed to have a positive impact on hospital patients and could, therefore, be used as part of illness recovery. Wolverton’s research, discussed above, lead to inquiry of effects of plants onto patient’s recovery. This lead to Wolverton’s starting cooperation with another company on the design of ecology gardens for hospitals.

As an employer, you could also look at an additional bonus of plants because when our physical and emotional health improves it leads to raised productivity at work.

The benefits of plants seem to be never-ending.

Design

Plants on the outside of your portable office may also improve and compliment the overall design of the building, boosting the general image of the company at the same time. When planning the design of the building surroundings with the use of greenery, it is worth considering neighbouring areas. If surrounding areas are mainly concrete, your portable building could provide a role of green escape. If it’s opposite and the area around your portable building is already green, your design could be seen as an extension of the natural world.

The design can be discussed with your landscape architect who will present you with multiple options. While thinking about the design, we advise considering all the beneficial elements of plants discussed in this article so that you can plan how many of those elements you really want to benefit from. The local environment, health, and branding can be seen as part of the whole outdoor garden design. This is part of the design planning. If you are taking advice from garden designer or landscape architect, make sure, that you stress these elements to him/her.

Branding

Another valid reason of the presence of plants on the outside of your portable building is branding. Your company’s image is built via many elements and decisions you undertake. It is built through your social media, your website, your customer relations, the values you stand for and portray will built your company’s image. This also includes how your portable building/office looks like and if you care for the environment and your local surroundings. This is part of your branding because it influences the way your clients feel about your company. It influences the way clients see you as a brand. Therefore, do use all the beneficial elements discussed above (environment, health, design) as part of your branding in order to show your clients what you care and stand for and what’s important to your brand. Through that, you will build the idea of your brand in your clients’ eyes.

Summarising the above four benefits of plants to our local surroundings, it is safe to say that plants play a very important role in our lives. It is then worth investing in plants, no matter where the reasoning behind our investment lies. Whether it is to all four discussed benefits, our planet or our own personal benefit, plants are definitely a long-term investment we should all consider to make.

Natural Light

Possible uses of modular buildings are many. Our clients use our modular structures for various business types. It usually means that there are people working in most of those buildings on a full-time basis. Our designs always consider the amount of natural light needed in the building and, unless our client has different needs, we strive towards maximum amount of natural light.

It is generally believed that natural light has many benefits. There is the obvious Vit D content which we get from sunlight. There is also another important natural light factor which we would like to focus on; it is the positive effect of the sunlight on our mood.  

In order to confirm our belief of positive effect of natural light on people, we decided to do a small survey among our employees. Results of the survey confirmed that all of our employees agreed on the positive effects of natural light onto their mood as well as noticed rise in their energy levels which often lead to a rise in their productivity. Lack of sunlight and short days during winter were associated with lower mood.

It is a fact that the lack of sunlight can affect some of us more than we may anticipate. Seasonal Affective Disorder (called SAD) is similar to winter depression and many people suffer from it every year. A physician may suggest the use of SAD lights amongst other treatments. SAD lights are a type of lights designed to imitate sunlight. Exposure to SAD lights is said to help with lifting your mood and many people use these with good results.

The reason why we talk about it is not to give you a medical advice as this is not our expertise. We talk about it because we believe that the sunlight performs an important role. Knowing that there are medically certified lamps imitating the sunlight in order to lift our mood is a proof that we are not alone in thinking this way. 

We also believe in solutions. There needs to be a combination of both types of light present, natural and artificial light, in successful interior design. When there is not enough natural light, either because of insufficient space for windows or simply because of bad weather conditions, the artificial light comes to the rescue, but the sunlight can never be replaced. This is why we offer designs where employees and business clients can benefit from a large amount of natural light. To produce the design maximizing the amount of light in the most convenient way is to know the purpose of the building as well as to know our clients’ needs. This is why the conversation with our clients is the most important part of the designing process.

It is also important to say that too large amount of natural light can potentially be distracting and bothering. This is particularly when an employee would be made to work for hours exposed to a large amount of strong natural light. It could cause an eye strain and be simply distracting. In order to avoid problems like these, may be enough to carefully consider the design of the building, particularly when it comes to the size of windows as well as their position. In addition, you can consider purchasing blinds or shades.

There are many types of shades and blinds with light filtering features, allowing you to enjoy the sunlight but reducing its strength. You can also choose UV protection shades which are smart looking. These shades will let you enjoy the view, as well as enjoy the sun, while at the same time reducing its strength again. The way we position furniture within the room is also important. We can avoid areas of direct sunlight when we position our office desks. 

We have confidence in positive effects of natural light on people working in bright spaces. We also think that natural light creates a positive atmosphere for clients who are visiting those type of spaces. Finally, let’s remember that natural light will not only enhance our mood and attract more clients. Natural light equals windows through which we can view the outside. A view of the outside can influence our mood in a positive way again. The subject of positively enhancing our view of the outside in order to lift our mood will be discussed in a separate article.

Copyrights KC Cabins Solutions Ltd © 2018 |Any medically related information provided in this article is NOT intended as a medical advice. It is provided for discussion purpose only.|

Indoor Plantscaping (part 2)

Today, we are continuing our subject of New Year’s resolution which involves the introduction of plants within the building interior. The presence of plants within building interiors could be seen as a step forward, towards what’s better. The use of plants could be seen as small steps towards saving our own health and through that, saving our environment. That is undeniably important. 

There are many design options within interior plantscaping. If wanting to consider a large number of plants, it is worth hiring an experienced interior plantscaper, who will not only advise on the visual aesthetics but also have the knowledge of taking care of those plants as well as their effects on the microclimate of a building interior. Those are the facts you may want to consider before deciding on a large number of plants. Professional advice may be needed.

Your plantscaper, if you decide to hire one, will definitely discuss all the details with you. If you would like to use a small amount of plants and try this on your own, it is important to consider two facts. First, while introducing plants to an interior, it is important to consider the amount of light within the room. Most plants will benefit from large amounts of natural light, which means if you have large windows within your portable office your plants will be glowing. The second fact is regarding interior design. It is important to consider the color of the interior. Bright colored walls will highlight the presence of plants. Green plants will look great particularly within white walls and maybe with the addition of natural colors such as wood, pebbles or sand. Remember, there are many more possibilities to choose from. Read about particular plants prior to introducing those to an interior of your portable cabin. Have a look at Wolverton’s list of 50 plants that purify the air (link to the list can be found in the sources section below, or within part 1 of this article).

For many, New Year equals new hope and a new start. We often decide to undertake changes in our daily life and daily routine in order to improve on some aspects of our life. It usually involves new commitments. Change, if required, need to be made. This is how progress is being made. Air pollution, discussed in part 1 of this article, is a serious subject. If we focus on small steps and improve the air condition of our interiors, we will improve our health as well as the health of others. If more people decide to consider this change, we will work towards the greater good. The impact is on all of us.

Summarising, we put together a list of some of the most valid reasons of why plants could be seen as beneficial when used within the interior design of an office/hospital/shop or any other type of organization or business;

– The presence of plants within our surroundings benefits our psychological and emotional health, reducing stress, and relaxing us. This leads to increased productivity within the working staff.

– Plants are cleaning the air by getting rid of carbon dioxide and producing oxygen as well as getting rid of many other harmful air compounds (such as VOC’s, explained in part 1 of this article).

– By cleaning the air and influencing positively our emotional health, the presence of plants influences our general health. Again, resulting in a smaller number of days off within working staff.

– It has been proven patients’ recovery speeds up in hospitals while spending time around plants during recovery.

– Plants create a balanced microclimate keeping the air temperature down or up (warming or cooling the room) depending on the indoor conditions. This means the use of indoor plants could be seen as economical.

– Plants have noise reducing qualities.

– By including plants in interior design, the look of the room can transform remarkably. There are many possible ways to do that.

Finally let’s remember, when we use the approach of small steps, we have the biggest chances of success, and let’s consider introducing plants into our surroundings whether we make it our New Year’s resolution or not.

Sources;

NASA SPINOFF (2018), available at https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2007/ps_3.html (Accessed January 2018)

Wolverton Environmental Services (2012), available at http://www.wolvertonenvironmental.com/air.htm (Accessed January 2018)

Plant Air PURIFIER (2016), available at https://www.plantairpurifier.com/product_details_-_overview.html (Accessed January 2018)

Our House Plants (2018), available at https://www.ourhouseplants.com/guides/50-plants-that-clean-the-air (Accessed January 2018)

Indoor Plantscaping (part 1)

Many people decide on New Year’s resolution at the beginning of each year. New Year’s resolutions are often focused on improving our behaviors and improvement of ourselves as human beings. Also often focused on improving our health. On this occasion, by helping ourselves we could also help others. How can this be done? The answer we would like to offer is easier than you may expect. A decision regarding resolution depends on our particular needs. Because it could be a broad subject, our focus for today is not on all ideals we could strive towards, but a particular one. It is striving for a healthier working environment in order to improve our health. We would like to discuss the option of introducing plants within the interior design of your portable cabin, as a New Year’s resolution. It is something, we believe, you may find interesting and doable. The reason why we believe it to be a positive goal is mainly based on the vast health benefits plants give us. We will discuss those benefits further. In addition to health benefits, there is plenty more.

No matter what type of business you have, there are suitable plants for interior designs of most. Many interior designs involving plants overtake large spaces of lobbies and shopping malls.  It is done in order to impress clients and transform the space into fresh, inviting natural-looking surroundings. Plants often serve as temporary walls, dividing large spaces into smaller, more approachable looking sections. It has been proven that people are willing to spend more money in an interior filled with plants. People perceive architecture with plants included as more luxurious, especially if tropical plants are in use.

Plants are also used within small waiting areas and offices, adding an atmosphere of freshness and warmth. This transforms the area of an office into a positive space where clients are willing to spend more time in. Thanks to the variety of species and sizes, plants have the potential to transform an interior more suitably than real walls and furniture do. Potted plants, for instance, can be rearranged when the needs of the space alter changing the look of the interior instantly. Another important aspect of plants is their noise reducing qualities. This can be used to advantage with the interior design of a cafe, busy office, or large shopping mall. By designing the interior with the use of plants similar to those growing outside, we produce an extension of the natural world. Thanks to that, architecture is more balanced within the environment. There is more.

Our aim is to improve the working environment into healthier conditions by introducing plants within the interior design of our business. To prove that it is a valid goal we would like to introduce a man who performed extensive research on this subject, Bill Wolverton. Wolverton is an environmental scientist who was working in the late 1960s for the US military and has been later funded by NASA Space Agency to work on research into natural environment self-cleaning abilities. There is a vast amount of information that can be found through different sources, including NASA’s website and more on Wolverton’s research. We will discuss his findings partially, but if you would like more information, please follow the links present in the sources section below.

Wolverton first worked on improving the quality of water with the use of plants and then followed with research into improving the condition of air within the building’s interiors. There are many volatile organic compounds (called VOCs) present within the building’s interiors, reducing air quality. The existence of VOC’s was initially identified inside Skylab space station by scientists working for NASA. A problem of volatile organic compounds once known, was found to be particularly heightened in airtight buildings, made with the use of synthetic materials and insufficient air circulation. Wolverton believed in improving air condition not by changing the way buildings are made but by introducing the right amount of particular species of plants within the building’s interior. He believed in nature’s life support system as a solution.

After retiring from civil service, Wolverton opened his own company, called Wolverton Environmental Services Inc. Through his company, he continued his work. He published a book titled “How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home or Office”. He also published his second book titled “Growing Clean Water: Nature’s Solution to Water Pollution”.

More information on the list of plants Wolverton included in his book. Find more at Our House Plants website following this link https://www.ourhouseplants.com/guides/50-plants-that-clean-the-air .

One of the conclusions of Wolverton’s research confirmed the positive influence of plants on hospital patients, Wolverton’s Company then started co-working with a Japanese company, Takenaka Garden Afforestation Inc, on designing ecology gardens for hospitals.

To be continued in part 2…

Sources;

NASA SPINOFF (2018), available at https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2007/ps_3.html (Accessed January 2018)

Wolverton Environmental Services (2012), available at http://www.wolvertonenvironmental.com/air.htm (Accessed January 2018)

Plant Air PURIFIER (2016), available at https://www.plantairpurifier.com/product_details_-_overview.html (Accessed January 2018)

Our House Plants (2018), available at https://www.ourhouseplants.com/guides/50-plants-that-clean-the-air (Accessed January 2018)

Preparing for Christmas

After discussing Christmas branding and its possible destructive effect on our perception of Christmas we concluded with our belief into the values conveyed through Christmas and for that reason we desire to celebrate it as a business. If you agree, read on and you will find out that today our focus is of less of a serious matter – Christmas decoration.

Creating the right atmosphere within the workplace will result in a friendly environment for both employees and customers. If you are thinking of decorating your portable cabin to summon Christmas spirit some will argue to follow trends. Others will say, focus on the type of clients you have and organize your decoration to fulfill their needs. The type of clients visiting business should not be ignored. If there are different age groups or maybe families walking through the doors or anyone from within general public in fact or maybe a specific group of people, they all may need to be taken under consideration because they will have different expectations and different needs. Generally though, if you are not deciding to follow through with any special Christmas activities and want to keep your decorations subtle you probably do not need to overthink it. We believe that your clients should never be ignored and yet we argue that simple Christmas decorating could be down to your own taste. The reason is simple, most clients who appreciate Christmas will value Christmas decorations because decorations are pleasing to the eye and most importantly because decorations fulfill two major tasks; remind us of Christmas and spread the love – which equals in making us feel cozy and welcome. On the other hand, those clients who do not appreciate Christmas will either try not to pay attention to most decorations or may simply dislike them all. To that, we have one advise, if you would like to respect those particular clients but still evoke Christmas spirit you may want to keep your decorations subtle. It is really up to you to decide on that.

Our idea to decorate portable cabin for Christmas 2017 is to start early on with few decorative items. Each week or alternatively every couple of days there could be more items added. That way, the office is not overfilled with Christmas items too early and your spirit is built up slowly, day by day, in preparation for Christmas.

Our favorite color this year is gold. Interior design does not often include gold but as a Christmas color gold is your perfect choice. It means that if you like gold, Christmas is your perfect excuse to use it. Gold emanates elegance and value and could be a good choice for your Christmas decoration. There are some not impressive looking imitations of gold color and for that reason, it is important to pay attention to the hue of gold you are using. Rich and deep hues will work best.

Color match for gold could generally be up to your preference but it is worth remembering to not overdo it and if you are going for simplicity and elegance, choose one or maximum two other colors to match them with gold.

If you are a fan of tradition you could go for obvious color choice such as gold with red and green and decide to have some handmade decorations which would look lovely in those colors with the addition of some natural wooden items.

Wanting to create rustic charm you could use more colors. Decorations could be with the addition of wooden items painted in white, turquoise or any other color of preference with the use of crackled paint. Rustic looking wooden items like these can be found in many craft stores or sold online. It is worth remembering that for any color combinations you are choosing, adding a small amount of white together with gold will emanate charm and elegance.

Gold and white on their own can also be a successful and elegant choice of Christmas decoration. White is often associated with Christmas for obvious reasons such as a reference to snow and purity. Together with gold white will emanate elegance and perfectionism.

Finally our personal preference for color combination this year is gold with persian-blue. This color combination is elegant and rich. The deep hue of persian-blue is sophisticated, graceful and luxurious on its own. Together with gold, it creates a breathtaking duo. A hint of white could finish off this type of design satisfactorily.

Let us be honest, we love all Christmas decorations because decorations remind us of Christmas and no matter what color palette you choose it is not about trends, it is all about Christmas. 

Colors of Interior

Because office space is the most frequent intended use of modular buildings, we would like to discuss hints for choosing the right color palette when dealing with the interior design of an office.

Colors generally divide into warm and cool. Using warm colors within the room will make it appear crosier and visually smaller. Those colors will imitate heat and energy. The larger the wall painted in a warm color the stronger the impression of warmth and coziness.

Cool colors will visually enlarge the room. The room will appear colder but also soothing and calming and those are often good reasons to use cool colors for.

When looking at the color wheel, warm colors are generally those areas of red, orange through to yellow hues. Hues of brown are also considered warm.

Cool colors are considered to be hues of green, blue through to violet. White, black and grey are considered to be neutral.

As a rule, it is not advised to use only warm or only cool colors. When using warm color as a base, it is good to add some cool colored details and vice versa.

Office space is often used to greet clients. Cool colors will make an office seem professional but if too many in use, an office will seem uninviting and cold. Hence a good rule for the office environment would be to use a base color which is either neutral or cool and add other colors which will be generally in warm or mixed hues of warm and cool colors to warm up space.

For the purpose of this article, we decided to divide colors of our interior design into three categories; base color, colors of details and finishing color.

Design Recipe; professional, refreshing and inviting office = one cool/neutral base color + two warm (or a warm and a cool) colors of details + (optional) one finishing color to give the space more edge.

When using a base color we are thinking of large areas such as walls, floor, ceiling and tables.

When using colors of details we are thinking of chairs, small carpet, picture frames or advertising material on walls, stationery items, lamps, small design detail painted on wall (lines, dots), maybe text with the name of the company or perhaps one wall designated to one of the colors of details while other walls stay in base color. Colors of details are at least two so it is great fun to play with the amount of those two colors when choosing items for the space (example; stationery items and lamps in one color while picture frames on walls and a carpet in another).

When using finishing color we are thinking of an accent, a cherry on a cake. It could be stationery item additional to those which are already there, it could be one or two design highlights (line or dot painted on a wall) next to those which are already there, it could also be a lamp provided that other lamps are in different color.

When choosing any hue as a base color, it is good to go for its lightest version as it will appear professional, fresh and inviting instead of heavy and dark. Colors of details may be chosen in different shades, darker or lighter, depending on preference:

White – neutral color. When used as a base color, it will appear clean, fresh and open. White will need quite a few items in other colors otherwise it may appear as highly sterile. Accompanied details in yellow + violet or green + red will create an energetic, inviting and refreshing atmosphere. In fact, it is enough to choose any two colors opposite each other on the color wheel and add it to white base color to create a good combination.

Light-grey – neutral color. As a base color for office walls, it will appear professional and serious. Items in colors of details will not have to be as many as when using white. Light-grey is very nice as a background for other colors because it reflects them back. Orange + blue or yellow + violet would suit as colors of details for light-grey (great finishing color here could be white). Choosing any two colors opposite each other on the color wheel and adding it to light-grey should be a good combination as long as one of them will be a vibrant rich hue.

Light-blue – is a cool and soothing base color appearing as calm and refreshing. Items in colors of details added to light-blue will need not to be too many if wanting to keep the professional and serious feel of the space. Adding yellow-green + red-orange as colors of details will break it down nicely (black could be good finishing color here).

Light-green – is another good cool base color. Light-green will create calming and inviting environment for both clients and employees. When using green, it is important to not overdo it with items in other colors. Good choice for colors of details when using green would be violet + orange.

Light-violetis also cool color. As a base color, it will also need small amounts of items in other colors. Good detail colors for light-violet would be green + orange (good finishing color for this combination could be black or white).

Our five favorite finishing colors for an office space are white, dark-grey, black, silver and gold. The most important rule to remember when it comes to finishing color is that it must be different than all other colors already used as well as it needs to be present in very small amounts. It serves as a highlight.

Therefore in case of white being chosen as a base color, it cannot be chosen as a finishing color.

White could serve as finishing color when base color was chosen to be light-grey, light-blue, light-green or light-violet.

Silver as a finishing color will emanate wealth, technology as well as elegance and gold will emanate elegance and wealth particularly when used with white as a base color.

It is worth to take samples of all five finishing colors and to visually check which one matches best to our design. When in doubt we could simply choose black or white as these are neutral colors and should match almost any design.

That will be all, for now, when it comes to colors of interiors. More to come on design hints and colors in the near future.

While Choosing Colors

After purchasing a modular building it is time to work on its interior design. Uncertainties and questions may arise in regards to deciding on colors or even the whole process of designing. If that is the case you may find this article helpful.

Choosing colors is very important when it comes to interior design, therefore, it is necessary to spend some time considering what type of space and atmosphere you would like to create. In order to do that, there are two great tools which can help you, color wheel and color schemes. Knowledge of those tools when working on interior design is a big advantage.

While deciding on colors for space it is helpful to spend some time by simply looking at color combinations. Keep looking at our color wheel while reading this article, in order to give yourself an idea of what colors are of interest to you and how do they match.

It is important to know how to use the color wheel in order to choose a color scheme for your ideal interior design. To do that it is worth to know the types of color schemes – remember to keep looking at the color wheel, the most important part of colors is you need to see them, not just talk about them theoretically but to look at them.

Colors divide into primary (“blue”, “red” and “yellow”), secondary (“green”, “orange” and “violet”) and tertiary (all other shades – which are created by mixing primary and secondary colors, for instance, “blue-green” and “yellow-green” are both tertiary colors).

It is important to say that our color wheel is limited when it comes to tertiary colors, for instance instead of having just “yellow-green” between “yellow” and “green” there could potentially be a whole range of hues created between “yellow” and “green”. That way you could create almost infinite number of hues to choose from. When starting, it is good to keep it simple.

Below you can find some typical color schemes;

COMPLEMENTARY COLOR SCHEME – this scheme uses colors which are opposite each other on the color wheel, for instance, “yellow” together with “violet” or “red” with “green”.

SPLIT-COMPLEMENTARY COLOR SCHEME – this scheme uses one color and its two complementary hues, for instance, “violet” together with “yellow-green” plus “yellow-orange” or other option would be “green” with “red-orange” and “red-violet”.

TRIADIC COLOR SCHEME – this scheme uses three evenly spaced colors on the color wheel, for instance, “blue” with “yellow” and “red” or “green” with “orange” and “violet”.

SQUARE COLOR SCHEME – this scheme uses four evenly spaced colors from the color wheel, for instance, “blue-violet” with “green”, “yellow-orange” and red” or another example could be “blue-green” with “yellow”, red-orange” and violet”.

ANALOGOUS COLOR SCHEME – this scheme uses three or more colors next to each other on the color wheel, for instance, “blue violet” with “violet” and “red violet” or as other option we could use “blue violet” with “blue” and “blue-green”.

MONOCHROMATIC COLOR SCHEME – this scheme uses one color and variation of its shades but with no other hues involved, for instance “blue” with “dark blue” and “light blue” orred” with “dark red” and “light red” (note: darker and lighter shades are not present on our color wheel here because you’re using the same hue, if you’re planning on using this scheme you can easily find color wheel which is divided into lighter and darker shades). 

It is important to say that some of the most successful designs are created by choosing the simplest possible option, for instance using complementary color scheme or split- complementary color scheme. That way you choose one color as the main color and you use complementary color (or two complementary colors in case of a split-complementary scheme) to accentuate with details. For instance, if your room is mainly filled with blue furniture you could place orange lamp together with some other orange details such as orange picture frames within the room (note: “orange” is positioned opposite “blue” on the color wheel hence it is seen as a complementary color for “blue”). This would mean you’ve chosen to use complementary color scheme in your design. Remember to not overdo it, the main color needs to fill the room and complementary color should be present in smaller amounts. It could be nice to experiment with a number of details though. You may find that you decide to add another color to give the space more edge; that way you would choose to go with a split-complementary color scheme by choosing to have one main color and two complementary colors. Experimenting enables to visualize the outcome. In other types of schemes such as triadic scheme, you may try to use all three colors in the same amount or again experiment with different amounts of all three colors.

If you’re still unsure about how to match colors together you may find paletton website as a helpful resource, just click the following link and have a look at what colors go together, you can choose one or more shades or hues. You may be amazed by how fun it can be to play with colors http://paletton.com/#uid=1000u0kllllaFw0g0qFqFg0w0aF

In our next article, we will discuss in greater detail what type of colors are considered good for certain types of spaces as well as discuss the importance of warm and cold colors when creating the feel of a space.

Why Modular Buildings can fulfil your needs for the space?

Our modular buildings are designed in order to fit the space to your needs. Whatever your idea for the space – office, storage, manufacturing or any other – at KC Cabin Solutions Ltd we will discuss it with you in detail in order to meet with your idea of the space.

We find series of catering units designed and manufactured for Kaufland, German hypermarket chain, as an interesting example of versatility of our modular buildings. These units are easily transportable from location to location. Units are also functional. With regards of the visual design and functionality of these units, every detail was manufactured for the purpose of catering unit including window solutions as well as space for advertisement. Each unit is manufactured exactly the same as part of a series and spread out into different locations around Germany.

As a client, during the process of designing, manufacturing and installing modular building of your choice, you will be advised on types of solutions available within the design in order to create perfect space fulfilling your needs.

We hope you enjoyed our realization idea of the week.

KC Cabin Solutions Ltd