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Adjusting to Trade During the Times of Social Distancing

For a while now, since we are faced with the new normal, we are obligated to adjust to changes around us. The impact of all the changes depends on the type of business you’re in, a café, an office, a car rental service, a car garage, and so on. Among different rules, accommodating social distancing is one of the most common challenges we are now facing. Whatever your current solution to this challenge is, today we are hoping to offer an idea for an improvement to your modular building or, in fact, any other building’s outdoor space.

When we think of social distancing, we realize how much more space, indoor or outdoor, is needed. In order to accommodate the same number of clients we are used to serving, we are challenged to either create double queues, more sitting areas, or figure out some other bespoke solution. And suddenly the outdoor space has become more important than ever. Whether it’s to add tables outside the café, add queuing space for clients, create meeting area or serving space and queue for a pass-through window, the outdoor space helps greatly during this difficult time.

And yet, as the summer ends, temperatures drop and the weather becomes more difficult to predict, you may start feeling nervous about maintaining outdoor services or even having your clients to queue outside. Let’s face it, how many clients will want to stay in queues when the rain is pouring down on their heads and the wind becomes significantly cooler. Ideally, you may hope for more indoor space to accommodate this change, however, what if this isn’t an option? Consider other methods of updating your surroundings, such as investing in a canopy.

A canopy could be of different sizes and shapes. If you would like, a canopy can become an additional space, an open outdoor room. A modular building with a canopy can be designed to fit your needs. Most importantly though, a canopy could guard your clients against rain and wind. An outdoor space, if nicely decorated, can be very inviting. And because it is outside, it is instantly visible to the clients. This creates an even more inviting feeling.

Additionally, when it comes to indoor spaces, these are still a worry to many people. Clients may feel uneasy to enter indoor space. Therefore, again, having an open outdoor space, achieved by installing a simple canopy, may have a positive effect on a number of clients wanting to use the services. The type of decorations you choose such as light, furniture, or signage, will all improve the look of your business. Even if you want your canopy to be small and simple, and only to guard your clients against weather conditions, it is still an investment that will pay off.

A simple canopy can go a long way to help you maintain your business during this time and past this time too. Investing in a canopy have the potential for a positive visual and practical transformation of your business for years to come no matter the social distancing measures in place.

 

By KC Cabin Solutions General Construction • Tips and How To's 0 Comments

Floor Plan

When ordering a portable building, decisions regarding the floor plan could be seen as moments of reality. Moments which are very important as those decisions will impact long term use of the building. It is lovely to have the freedom to choose where things are in the space. At the same time though, it may turn out, that there are certain restrictions that may have not originally been anticipated by our clients. Restrictions which may affect choices regarding the floor plan. Examples of those could be building control requirements or local council stipulations. Those restrictions may mean that as exciting as it sounds, choosing a floor layout can also be a difficult endeavor.

There always is a way forward. A more complicated solution may be more costly. Knowing what is quicker and easier often opens up a way forward. We can then look at the floor plan with excitement realizing that we are in fact free to guide the designs as we want them and our imagination will flourish.

The first advice which we could give regarding the floor plan is to think of the building as a long-term investment. Buying a building equals spending money. Using a building has a real physical impact on the daily life and work of our clients and their employees. This means it is better to think long-term when investing money in the building. This way we will make sure that the money we spent is well invested. Thinking long-term may also save us some money in the long run. It is worth asking ourselves some questions; Do I know what will I want to do with that building in two years’ time? Maybe I will want a larger building? If so, it might mean, two years down the line I will be in the process of selling this building and buying a bigger one. If that is the case, maybe it is worth considering making the current order slightly larger straight away? It may be that just 1- or 2-meters larger unit may save us money in the long run. Are there any other long-term solutions I may want to consider?

Additional advice would be regarding the use of the building. As mentioned above, building control, as well as local council, will have their requirements, and those may have an effect on the building plans in one way or another. Requirements will have a lot in common for similar business types. It is, therefore, worth to know a bit about requirements relevant to your business type. Similar regulations will be relevant to food providers as opposed to beauty salons. It is important to know if clients will be entering the premises or whether only employees will be working in the space etc. Other types of requirements may be relevant to localization of the building. Knowing more about regulations will help to avoid last-minute changes to the plans.

KC Cabins helps with advising on the above but it is also important to consult building control and local council. When acquiring a building, clients are waiting in anticipation for its arrival. With a bit of knowledge on the above, the decision process regarding the floor plan can be a simple and very much exciting process. We are here to help.

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Crane Types

In order to unload your newly purchased modular building, we will require a crane. There are generally two crane types which we recommend using. It’s either the HiAb crane or a static crane.

The following link will take you to a video showing an example of unloading one of our modular buildings. In the video, our crew is unloading the building with the use of a HiAb crane https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKLDKpIYg-4

During the process of unloading, the building is lifted as a whole and set in the correct position. If the building is large, it will consists of more parts. Each part of the building is then lifted separately, placed next to one another and joined together by our crew. 
We recommend using a HiAb crane over other types because HiAb is most convenient to use as well as its a cost-effective option. 

Prior to the building assembly you will be sent some information, particularly regarding the weight of your modular building. This is in order to help you choose which type of crane is required. We will always advise further if needed.

  • Unloading of one of our modular buildings

As you can see at the photo above, during unloading, a crane is equipped with a hoist lifting belt and a spread beam. These are used together in order to lift and unload a modular building. Spread beam can be supplied by the crane company or by us in some cases. Spread beam we provide, can be used in order to lift the building depending on its weight. This beam can be used up to a maximum of 4000 kg load. If the maximum load is higher, the modular building must be unloaded with the use of a crane company’s spread beam.

Other than the need for a HiAb crane, sometimes, there may be need for a static crane use instead. Most often, static crane is required in places with difficult access. Static crane may also be needed if the building is particularly heavy or large. When it comes to the process of unloading, static crane, similar to a HiAb, is equipped with a hoist lifting belt and a spread beam in order to unload a modular building. The price of a static crane use is in fact higher in comparison to a HiAb. If situation requires it though, the use of a static crane may be unavoidable.

We hope that today we brought to you the process of unloading and assembling modular building a little bit closer.

By KC Cabin Solutions Design • Tips and How To's 0 Comments

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.

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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.

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Cladding and Foundation Covering

We have been discussing some of the foundation types suitable for the portable building. Today we would like to inspire with possibilities of extending design of the building into an innovative finish of the exterior space focusing on the foundation. No matter what type of foundation you decide to choose, there are different finishes you can try in order to upgrade the design of the building to your needs.

 

Examples above are showing three main types of foundation most frequently chosen by our clients – concrete slab, concrete blocks, and jackpads/easypads. Aesthetically, the concrete slab will give you more finishing options, while the latter two will look similar to each other, in terms of leaving empty gaps under the building, hence will require other methods and materials in order to cover those gaps. Various types of cladding, with their numerous designs, include; ceramic tiles, bricks, and clinker bricks, stone, wood, and metal. An option of using flowers and plants is an additional excellent strategy to upgrade your building’s design. Below you may find examples of different cladding types.

PORCELAIN AND CERAMIC TILES

  

Tiles can be used successfully as a concrete slab finish. Tile designs range from traditional through natural looking to technologically advanced, clean and modern designs. Porcelain and ceramic are diverse materials which can be molded into varied shapes. Colors of ceramic dye, as well as methods of painting ceramics, are extremely diverse. Because color and shape of the tile can vary greatly it makes tiles an exciting method of foundation finish. If you are feeling adventurous, why not ask an experienced designer or artist to design an innovative, one-off series of tiles, designed just for your building.

BRICKS AND CLINKER BRICKS

Other than given examples here, bricks are also presented on the picture of a concrete slab foundation example at the top of this article. It is a choice often made by our clients as a foundation finish which makes bricks the most popular option for the foundation design. There is a variety of different colors and sizes of bricks you can choose from as well as the option of going for clinker bricks. If you want to go for the simplicity of bricks, it is a quick decision leaving you with a simple choice of color and size. Clinker bricks present us with a greater diversity of designs. If you are feeling adventurous and you will decide on the use of clinker bricks, you can choose from within varied styles retaining some of the visual aesthetic of a brick at the same time.

STONE

  

Stone is a type of material considered to be timeless and elegant. Concrete slab foundation is suitable for the use of stone. Variety of colors and sizes of stones makes it exciting material to go for as a foundation finish. Stone is a natural material as well and it comes in many forms. Being natural material makes stone unique. The form of a stone will need a skilled hand to lay it out. It is, therefore, one of the most expensive materials out of those we discuss. If you are going for the simplicity and elegance, the stone is a material to go for.

WOOD

  

Wooden cladding can be a powerful material choice, in terms of its possibilities. It can be used for all; concrete slab, concrete blocks and jackpads/easypads foundation finish. The versatility of shapes wood can be formed into opens up many solutions for us. Forms, sizes, and shades of wood can be used as modern, innovative designs as well as natural, rustic, unrefined styles.

It is worth considering the building surroundings in order to decide whether we use wood as an extension of the natural landscape neighboring the building or if we decide to use wood as an innovative contrast to the metal cladding of the building design. Wood may prove to be the option just right for us.

METAL

Metal cladding is one of the most if not the most diverse option to choose as a foundation finish. We can use metal cladding to cover all of the different foundation types discussed above. Design options of metal cladding are vast and could possibly give you the most contemporary finish. Aesthetically, metal cladding could serve as a solid extension of the design of a portable building already present. Portable building cladding is made of galvanized steel. Metal cladding foundation finish could also be treated as a separate external architectural element and an upgrade to current architecture of the building. Metal is associated with technology. In order to decide on the type of metal cladding, we need to look closely at colors and shapes already present within the building architecture design. If we strive for the unique finish, we may want to consider to ask an experienced designer or an architect for advice.

FLOWERS AND PLANTS

Flowers and plants can also be used as a finish to all the above foundation types. There are numerous planter designs which could be positioned on the outside of the building as a decorative and functional architectural element. We could also incorporate plants within building architecture by constructing additional fixture for plants onto building cladding. Plants can be used not only in planters, pots and on walls themselves. Plants can be planted straight into the ground and through this create an extension of the landscape surrounding the building. We will be discussing separately the subject of plants in another article.

All the methods discussed above can be mixed and matched together, depending on your needs. As an example, we can imagine mixing metal cladding with plants. There is also a possibility of extending present metal cladding with the mixture of metal and wood. Options are multiplied by the number of designs in each type of cladding material section.

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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.|

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Closer to Christmas

Today, when Christmas is at our doorstep, we would like to talk about two simple ideas for activities to organize in your portable cabin. As discussed in previous articles, for us, the most important are values conveyed through Christmas. Values such as love for another human being, the importance of family and friends as well as the importance of life itself. Every year we are given the chance to recall those values. Commercialization of Christmas raises expectations for over the top decorations, gifts and food which equals in greater costs of Christmas related items. As a consequence, there is more stress associated with the idea of Christmas and attention driven away from values mentioned above. As a result, disregard of Christmas celebration is generated in more people every year. It means that if we do not stop raising those expectations, the chance of recalling values we all care about may fade away.

There is a possibility to stay on the relaxed and modest side during Christmas and hopefully lowering Christmas expectations and commercialization of it while still celebrating. Even when we talk about richness and elegance of colors while discussing Christmas decoration, we believe in moderation. It is your choice as a business owner and as a private person though.

While working on reduction of Christmas expectations and sustaining Christmas values at the same time, as a first idea for activity this Christmas we suggest supporting a cause. How will we go about it is important if we want to adhere to the idea of moderation. A fair amount of Christmas related anxiety is brought upon by substantial growth in spendings. Some of it is also related to the greater expectation of perfection and excellence during general Christmas arrangements. We recommend supporting a cause this Christmas while remembering to give your customers a free choice and no obligation in doing the same. Let your customers choose if they want to support it and make it ok if they don’t. Have a petition prepared in your portable cabin ready for your customers to have a look at and potentially ready for signatures and/or donations. An idea could be to support a local cause. Giving your customers free choice will reinforce the focus on values instead of raising anxiety and expectation over Christmas. This is why we recommend having a separate space within your office designated for information regarding a cause you are supporting. It could be located in the waiting area if there is one, with a chair to sit on and a quiet space to read about it. It is important to make it visually appealing and well marked. Try to organize it in a way so that people will not feel obliged to contribute but so that they will have an option to ask for more information or possibility to sign it there and then.

Our second idea for an activity to do this Christmas is something lighthearted. It is to create a handmade Christmas decoration. When it comes to participation, once again, it is crucial to keep activity accessible to everyone and yet with no obligation. Decoration we propose to create is an origami Christmas ribbon. By following link to free origami club website here, http://en.origami-club.com/xmas/ribbon2/index.html you will find instructions on creating Christmas Ribbon. There are many more designs available, a website is generally free to use. There are some restrictions in regards to copyrights but as long as you state origami club site copyrights and will not use their designs for merchandise, it is ok to use them. If in doubt, please find more information on origami club website here http://en.origami-club.com/site/index.html or feel free to contact website management via e-mail.

We believe in moderation and in bringing people together in order to keep Christmas relaxed and this is why we propose simple activity with low organizational costs. Creating something handmade is a lovely method to connect during Christmas in a modest manner. Whether it is together with your clients or with your work colleagues, creating easy to follow hand-made designs will hopefully enhance some teamwork and a friendly Christmas atmosphere. Our personal favorite is Christmas Ribbon design discussed above because of its simplicity and easy to follow instructions. We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a lovely Christmas and a beautiful New Years Celebration and we cannot wait to meet you back in 2018.