Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The languishing site of the On The GO Mimico condo developmentwhich ceased construction before reaching grade when its developer failedcould soon be host to a two-tower mixed-use project. A rezoning application was submitted for the property at 327 Royal York Road in October, 2019 by VANDYK Group of Companieswhich envisions 29 and 44-storey residential towers and commercial space along with a reconstructed Mimico GO Station integrated into the podium.

Looking northwest to 327 Royal York, image via submission to the City of Toronto

The 27-storey, 242-unit On The GO Mimico project was placed into court-receivership in 2017 after developer Stanton Renaissanceran into financial problems. Metrolinx had partnered with the developer on the project, which would have contained 141 underground parking spots for GO commuters.

The site at 327 and 315 Royal York, image via submission to the City of Toronto

The development site is located directly north of the existing Mimico GO Station at 315 Royal York Road in the Mimico Triangle, an area currently characterized by light industrial land uses. Purchasing the property in 2017, VANDYK is the largest landowner in the area, and has proposed other high-density developments at 23 Buckingham Street and 39 Newcastle.

Looking northeast to 327 Royal York, image via submission to the City of Toronto

In October, 2018, Metrolinx announced that they had partnered with VANDYK in a deal which would see the developer pay for the construction costs of a revamped Mimico GO Station in exchange for the air rights above the transit hub. Mimico Station was built in 1967, the same year GO Transit began operation. Serving about 1,200 riders daily, ridership at the station is expected to triple by 2031.

Looking west towards 327 Royal York, image via submission to the City of Toronto

VANDYK's plan calls for 104.4 and 146.4-metre-high residential towers designed by SvN. There would be 499 one-bedroom units, 121 two-bedroom units, and 67 three-bedroom units for a total of 687 residences. Along the south face of the project facing the rail corridor, VANDYK proposes 8,809mof office space. A further 276m of retail and 1,096mof transit-related space is proposed. A combined 514 parking spaces for residential, visitor, office and retail users would be held within a three-level below-grade and a three-level above-grade garage. 103 of these on-site parking spaces would be reserved for commuters on the 315 Royal York portion of the site.

The reconstructed Mimico GO Station would include direct connectivity to Royal York Road, pick-up and drop-off spaces, a west tunnel providing platform access, a transit plaza, and bicycle facilities. A multi-use pedestrian and cyclist path would form part of the Mimico-Judson Greenway contemplated by the Mimico-Judson Secondary Plan.

View of the west facade along Royal York Road, image via submission to the City of Toronto

Paying deference to the height of the townhouses to the north, adjacent to Christ Church Cemetery, the podium would rise four storeys. On the east and west sides, the podium climbs to eight storeys to accommodate parking and office spaces. The long east-west massing of the podium also has the benefit of mitigating noise for condo residents. Diagonal precast concrete fins are employed to frame views outwards and reduce solar heat gain. The cantilevered podium provides protection from the elements for GO commuters and Greenway users below.

Glazing, wood framing and wood fins are proposed as the primary materials cladding the new station. The north wall of the station building, which faces the Greenway, is imagined as a canvas for public art.

Sectional perspective of the podium, image via submission to the City of Toronto

The towers adhere to the 750 m floor plate and 25-metre tower separation policies under the City of Toronto's Tall Building Guidelines. Two-storey faceted precast panels are applied uniformly across the two towers, continuing the architectural expression established on the podium. Indoor amenity spaces are proposed on the fifth and ninth floors and would provide for views to the exterior terraces and green roof spaces.

In their 2018 announcement, Metrolinx said a temporary station will be in place by 2023 while the new building is constructed. The rezoning application is currently being reviewed by the City.

You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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Mimico GO Station to be Integrated in VANDYK Mixed-Use Development - Urban Toronto

On Yonge Street north of the North York Centre Centre area of Toronto, a block-long pit is forming at the future site ofAoyuan International'sM2M Condoscommunity. Work on the five-towerWallman Architects-designed development, namedin a nod to the local postal code, has been active since last year when the former Newtonbrook Plaza and an adjacent office building were demolished to make way for the new density.

Panorama looking east across M2M site, image by Edward Skira

Demolition activity wrapped up last Fall, a few months after the first cuts were made into the office tower at the site's south end. Drilling activity followed around the perimeter of the site, forming the first elements of a pile and lagging shoring systemvertical steel piles bracing slats of horizontally-placed timber laggingwhich holds back the surrounding soil as the pit reaches its final four-storey depth.

Looking southeast across M2M site, image by Edward Skira

At the south end of the site, where the first phase towers will rise, digging has bottomed out at a 13.3-metre depth below street level. Digging continues in a south-to-north orientation, with only a section at the north end of the site yet to begin excavation. From this area, a long soil ramp extends into the heart of the pit, providing access to the base of the excavation that will eventually be replaced by a crane and sets of construction stairs.

Looking northeast across M2M site, image by Edward Skira

The installation of a first tower crane will mark the next major milestone in the construction process, marking the first steps in forming for the underground garage that will span the site. The initial phase that will rise first from the south end will include 34 and 36-storey condominium towers with a total of 810 units atop a commercial/retail podium. Three additional buildings will eventually populate the remaining block to the north.

Phase 1 of M2M Condos, image courtesy of Aoyuan International

You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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Excavation Bottoming Out for M2M Condos in North York - Urban Toronto

Opposite Bond Street tube station can be found a small brick building, with a lion on top. At least, you can usually, as for the past few years its been covered in Crossrail hoardings, as the building next to it was demolished to make space for an upgrade of the tube station.

Fortunately, the tiny brick building was saved, and new images of the planned shops/block of flats that will be built here have confirmed that the odd little thing will remain in place.

But what is it?

It is the remaining one of a pair that used to stand on either side of the road fronting onto Oxford Street.

This was the London residence of the Earl of Aldborough, who leased the land from City of London (it used to be their Banqueting House), where he built a grand residence, Stratford Place, in 1771-4. Consisting of two uniform rows of houses, leading to a small square to the north side closed by the Classical front of Aldborough House (now Stratford House). The entrance was marked on the Oxford Street front by two brick gatehouses, crowned by lions, originally closed by railings and a gate.

The road is the sort of road that grand people visiting grand buildings would expect to see staff waiting for them and the odd little building on the corner is a porters lodge, to carry bags and the like for the grand visitors.

There used to be two, but sadly the western partner was removed in 1915 when the current building there was erected as a Lyons tea house.

Fortunately the remaining lodge is now protected as a heritage asset.

The protection is a slight surprise, as it sat next to a rather of its time concrete building from 1969, replacing an 1890s bank, and keeping the totally out of place 18th century brick box next to their new concrete block must have irked the architects Seifert and Partners no end.

There have been attempts in the past to reuse the porters lodge as a small retail cubicle, but Westminster Council keep refusing, which is wise.

The 1969 building was demolished during Crossrail works, as underneath two huge shafts were dug down to the tunnels to provide access to the construction site, and one of them was later reused as a lift shaft.

Now that the concrete office block has gone, its to be replaced with a less distinctive, but more appropriate for the area brick building with shops and flats, and the old porters lodge, temporarily removed during the Crossrail works, is to be restored.

The old lion of Oxford Street will be back.

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The old lion of Oxford Street - IanVisits

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"I'm just so glad we're spending our vacation at home," newlywed Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) declares at the beginning of Tim Burton's 1988 horror-comedy Beetlejuice. She means it, too. This isn't someone who's making the best of a bad situation: She likes the house she shares with Adam (Alec Baldwin); she's happy with the way they've decorated it; she seems to be really into cleaning; and there's a model of the town they live in sitting in the attic waiting to be tinkered with. The Maitlands have what so many of us wish for: the time and space to sit around the house, pursuing little side projects and hanging out with a significant other. Or, I should say, they have what so many of us wished for. But things look different on the other side.

After dying in an accident, the Maitlands find themselves haunting their home. Though it takes a moment to get used to, it's not all that different from vacation mode. There are small issuesBarbara can't use the vacuum cleaner because it's in the garage, and any time they step out of the house they fall into a Dali-esque purgatorybut for the most part, it's fine. They adjust to the new normal. That is, until the house gets sold to the Deetzes, New Yorkers fleeing the city who have big plans for remodeling. The arrival of the home's new owners, coupled with the realization that they'll be haunting their home for 125 years, troubles the deceased couple's extended vacation. But Beetlejuice isn't a cautionary tale about being careful (or at least specific) about what you wish for. The real problem posed by the film comes down to process: To get the Deetzes out, the Maitlands have to learn new skills, follow a complex set of rules for the recently deceased, and navigate a labyrinthine afterlife casework system. Dying is no big deal; it's the bureaucracy that'll kill you.

Beetlejuice consistently surprises with what it chooses to emphasize and what it treats as commonplace. The film repeatedly makes the point that death is the least strange aspect of the Maitlands' journey. For instance, Burton gives the film's idyllic set-up a foreboding gloss: In the opening moments, as the camera soars over the town, the streets are completely empty. It looks like Adam's modelor like Dustin Hoffman and the crew from Outbreak already came through. Seconds later, a spider climbs across buildings on the actual model, and Adam gently plucks it from the structure, coos at it amiablyand throws it out the window. I don't know anything about spiders that wasn't covered in Charlotte's Web, but this seems a bit intense.

Delia Deetz (Catherine O'Hara), meanwhile, has very little trouble adjusting to the idea that there are ghosts in the house, but she simply cannot abide their taste. "They're in there?" she asks when her goth stepdaughter Lydia (Winona Rider) tells her the Maitlands are in the attic. "They must live like animals!" Minutes later she's reminding Lydia of a life lesson that seems to precede their extraordinary circumstances: "You have got to take the upper hand in all situations, or peoplewhether they're dead or alivewill walk all over you." The key to navigating the world in Beetlejuice, then, is to know the rulesor make up your own. And that's especially clear with the introduction of the titular character (Michael Keaton), who must be invoked three times to be released. He's not vanquished until Barbara decides she's can, in fact, go into the Dali desert and ride a sandsnake into the house. To best the bureaucratic strangeness of life and afterlife, you have to know when to follow the rules and when to rely on your own inventiveness.

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As is the case with many horror-comedies (including Death Becomes Her, which we revisited earlier this week), piercing the veil between life and death has an effect not unlike pulling back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz: it exposes the small but consequential untruths we've glommed onto because we think we need them to survive. In Beetlejuice, one untruth is that the living know how to live. When Adam asks Lydia how she's able to see dead people, she replies that she's read the whole Handbook for the Recently Deceased. "It says, 'Live people ignore the strange and unusual.'" The Deetzes are presented as the otherworldly intruders in the home, rather than the ghosts who walk the halls. In this world, it's the living who are haunting their own lives.

The opportunity presented by the filmand by the Maitlands' staycation, to which they happily returnis the chance to pay attention to the strange and unusual, and to treat it like a part of the fabric of every day: to be present in the strangeness, even while absent from lifemetaphysically or otherwise.

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In Beetlejuice, Haunting Is Another Kind of Quarantine - ELLE.com

Before Minnesotas stay-at-home order was issued, Lori Schmidt and her husband had made up their minds to remodel their home in Blaine.

The couple recently signed a contract and put down a deposit with New Spaces, a Burnsville-based design build remodeling contractor.

COVID-19 safety was one factor in their choice of contractor, according to Schmidt.

They [New Spaces] are taking COVID seriously, she said, including an all-virtual-design process. I talked to other remodelers and they were fine wanting to come in our home, measuring, some even wanting to shake hands. No!

When the job requires workers to be in her home, theyll be wearing face masks, as will Schmidt and her husband. It will work well until everything is lifted, she said.

With construction designated an essential industry, home remodeling projects can and are going forward. But some Minnesota builders are dramatically changing the way they operate, staging Zoom meetings instead of in-person consultations, having homeowners take their own photos and ramping up job-site safety protocols, from sanitizing doorknobs to limiting the number of subcontractors allowed inside the home at one time.

Never in my 20-plus years in the industry did I imagine that we would be meeting with people virtually, said Bjorn Freudenthal, homeowner adviser and vice president of business development for New Spaces.

Homeowners have a wide array of new concerns about remodeling.

Theres fear and confusion, he said. Some want to move forward and view this [the coronavirus] as a speed bump. Some are saying, Lets pause. Life has been thrown upside down. Were trying to meet people where theyre at.

After the spring Parade of Homes and Remodelers Showcase were canceled due to the pandemic, New Spaces developed a virtual consultation process, including worksheets to help clients identify their needs, wants and wishes.

Its more collaborative, Freudenthal said of working with homeowners without entering their homes. Homeowners need to send pictures, walk around with their phone. We have to rely on technology.

JKath Design Build + Reinvent, St. Paul, also has dramatically changed the way it works with clients.

In-person client meetings have been replaced by Zoom meetings, and samples are delivered directly to homes, without personal interaction, said Katie Kath, co-owner and designer.

Theres increased communication about what clients need to feel safe, Kath said.

It feels like a lot more work, said Kath. I have a little bit of Zoom fatigue right now.

For New Spaces, job-site protocols have changed dramatically, including more temporary barrier walls to create separation, stringent tool cleaning and allowing only one trade in a home at a time.

Weve tried to create an environment of client safety and vendor safety, said Freudenthal. People ask, Is it even possible? The reality is, yes, if its planned properly.

Safety isnt a new challenge for builders, Kath noted.

Weve always been in the business of protecting ourselves and our clients from lead, from asbestos, she said. Thats not on the level of the coronavirus, but we always protect the job site.

Virtual home tours

Connecting with prospective clients also is more of a challenge in the coronavirus era.

Two years ago, when JKath had a home on the Remodelers Showcase tour, it led to 50 inquiries that resulted in 30 in-home consultations, said Kath.

After this years Remodelers Showcase was canceled, JKath had to look for another way to showcase the project it had planned to feature on the tour, a whole-house makeover in Edina.

It was going to be one of the Dream Homes, said Kath. Instead, the home was staged for a photo shoot.

New Spaces created virtual tours of the two homes it had planned to have open during the Remodelers Showcase, and invited people to take part in a Zoom happy hour during which they could ask questions. It plans to continue the series with other featured projects, a kitchen makeover on April 23, a lower-level makeover on April 30, and a kitchen/main level and master suite on May 7, all from 4 to 5 p.m. (Contact New Spaces, newspaces.com, to participate.)

For those who missed touring homes during the Parade of Homes and Remodelers Showcase, several contractors produced virtual tours of their featured homes that can be viewed on the Builders Association of the Twin Cities website, paradeofhomes.org (select Has Virtual Tour).

Amy Haugen, Minnetonka, took part in one of New Spaces virtual tours before deciding to proceed with a remodeling of her main level and creating a master suite, a project shes been thinking about for 17 years.

While shes concerned about the coronavirus, she was reassured by the safety protocols that have been put in place. Everything is so uncertain, she said. But it took me so many years to decide, I need to just do it.

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Home remodeling projects continue during the pandemic, with a few key differences - Minneapolis Star Tribune

During quarantine, Disney fans have been finding all sorts of creative ways to pass the time, from reimagining Disney World and Disneyland attractions at home to cooking up recipes inspired by their favorite Disney films.

Home renovations and decor updates are also on the rise. What better way to show your Disney side than with home decorations featuring your favorite animated Disney characters?

Wayfair is currently offering four different Elite Tile Disney glass mosaic tile options that are perfect for your next DIY project! Whether you want to update your bathroom with Disney style or install a new kitchen backsplash, you cant go wrong with these easy-to-install tiles.

The first two Disney tile options feature various Disney Princesses.

This Disney Princesses glitter tile costs $8.49 per square foot. These feature alternating mosaic tiles that either have pink and silver glitter squares or individually images of Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Ariel, and Aurora.

The second Disney Princess tile option is priced at $9.49 per square foot and features six of the Princesses in Disneys line-up. Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, and Rapunzel have individual portraits, while Aurora and Belle share a tile.

The alternating tile in this set features jeweled aqua squares amid iridescent white tiles. This Disney tile set would be stunning in a bathroom with lots of natural light that would reflect off of the iridescent tones!

The third Disney tile style is priced at $8.99 per square foot and features the precocious Marie from The Aristocats! There are five glass mosaic tiles featuring Marie, wearing her famous pink bows, in different poses. The alternating tile has small pink and white squares.

The final Disney glass tile version is priced at $7.99 per square foot and features characters from the Cars franchise! Featuring Lightning McQueen, Mater, and Lightnings famous number 95, this bathroom tile set is perfect for little boys bathrooms!

The alternating tiles resemble a racing checkered flag with black and white squares.

Will you be using Disney bathroom tile to create mosaic art for your next home remodeling job? Tell us about your Disney decor dreams in the comments!

Even if you cant live at Disneys Golden Oak private community, you can absolutely add some Disney magic to your house. This Disney office decor is sure to bring a smile to your face when you sit down at your desk, especially if youre unexpectedly working from home!

You can also bring the magic home to your kitchen. Check out this Disney Princess dinnerware set or these Minnie Mouse dinner plates!

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Add Disney Style to Your Next DIY Project With Glass Mosaic Tiles! - Inside the Magic

With more than 1,900 businesses in Fauquier County, there are likely 1,900 stories of how owners are attempting to survive the current coronavirus landscape. Entrepreneurs have built their companies by considering educated risks. Some small business owners say they are using those critical skills to carve out their futures.

Salon Lou is an upscale Warrenton hair salon owned and operated by Lori Nicholson.

Salon Lou

Salon Lou is an upscale Warrenton hair salon owned and operated by Lori Nicholson. It opened in 2015 and had been a success from her first cut, she said.

Today the shop is shuttered and all 15 employees have been laid off. Nicholson said, Its almost surreal for my team and me. We were all in shock for the first two weeks. In the third week, we said, 'OK, what are we going to do with ourselves?

Nicholson believes that maintaining esprit de corps is foremost, so conducting virtual cooking classes with her employees helped soften the blow of not being able to man scissors, dye and hair dryers. "It's been a lot of fun," Nicholson said.

The downtime has also been devoted to virtual online training classes to maintain and enhance hair treatment skills and support professional education. A major industry show was canceled, so a lot of my stylists are taking classes online, Nicholson said.

Her furloughed employees have applied for unemployment. The process is frustrating and time consuming because millions of unemployed are tackling the same problem. "I've had to help some of my employees get it, Nicholson said.

She has had a lot of clients call and ask if she could come and do their hair. Unfortunately, state licensing laws and insurance companies will not permit most hair styling to be performed off-premises.

More importantly, she does not want to take the chance of infecting the community or her employees by going off-site. When the economy does open up, she said, We will be bombarded. Clients want professional hair jobs. They do not want to cut and color at home.

Once the doors open again, she said, its also going to change how her employees will interact with customers. We cant do our job 6 feet away. Well probably end up wearing gloves and face masks. Everybody will be scared of going back into the work force.

Currently, I can sustain my business for two to three months. After that, it's going to be questionable, Nicholson said.

Tony Tedeschi, of Piedmont Press & Graphics.

Piedmont Press & Graphics

Tony and Holly Tedeschi own Piedmont Press & Graphics. The couple has more than 50 years of print and design experience backed by historical perspective on how to survive cyclical business swings.

Tony Tedeschi said, My company is still open because we were declared an essential service, because we produce mailings and signage, both important to the economy. But weve lost work on promotional materials for concerts, festivals and equine events.

Losing business like the Gold Cup was hard because its one of our bigger jobs of the year. I would estimate our business is down 60 percent. The drop in revenues occurred almost overnight, he said.

Even before COVID-19, Tedeschi was preparing for a recession, which he thought was overdue. He learned a lot by surviving the 2008 recession, so he was better prepared; he had been saving money, both corporate and personal. The Tedeschis first move as owners was to stop taking paychecks.

He also asked his employees to shift to a 32-hour work week, essentially taking a 20 percent reduction in pay. We have enough money to go a couple of months, keeping our 15 employees working. He has an unused line of credit and has applied for thePaycheck Protection Program, which is a loan for small businesses. Its a forgivable loan, as long as 75 percent of it goes to employee paychecks and health care benefits.

If he is approved for the loan, it will give him an additional 75 days of relief. With all his planning in place, he thinks he is a long way from bankruptcy. He also is in the process of creating some new products and is poised to spend money on marketing.

Where you make your money is when you come out of a downturn. We want to be ready when that day comes. Im not panicked about the situation. Its going to be bad and painful, but people are doing their best to pull together and survive.

Regetis Photography

Amy Regeti manages her familys Warrenton business that has, Pretty much been set on pause. We are solely devoted to photographing weddings, and all our clients are postponing their plans. That will have a domino effect going into the 2021 season.

Amy Regeti of Regeti's Photography

Postponing weddings to the following year means that valuable dates that would have otherwise gone to new business are being snagged by weddings that canceled this year. Regeti said, It limits what we can take on. We service about 25 weddings a year, all of that that has pretty much jumped to later in the year. That business will likely jump again, dependent on the timing of the economic recovery. I would be surprised if we shoot even one wedding this year.

A lot of our clients are shifting dates because they do not want to hold a wedding and a reception with everyone wearing masks. Its not how they want to remember their special occasion.

The family business is a full-time job, but her husband does some work for the federal government. He has been able to retain his security clearance and continues to work, providing much-needed family income.

Home Sweet Home Improvements

Tom and Dawn Wottons Bealeton company is a design, build and remodeling firm with four full-time employees. One of the first actions Tom Wotton took after social distancing was implemented was to reach out to past elderly clients and see how they were faring. Often that resulted in face masks being delivered to the individuals for their protection.

His business is still operating and has about a three-month backlog of work; only a few of his current clients projects slowed down. Nonetheless, fresh leads have stopped.

When on-site, his crew quarantines off a section of the home that is being remodeled and works with hand sanitizers, gloves, safety glasses and face masks. CDC guidance for home construction crews are included in the companys regular safety talks.

Some of his suppliers and subcontractors initially wanted to stop residential work, but Wotton told them his clients were OK with proceeding and gained the cooperation of the vendors.

Wotton said, Yes, we are feeling an impact of whats going on. There are two fronts in play here. First, there are health and safety issues, and we are managing that part of it. Secondly, there is the financial front. If we can produce, we need to continue to produce. Its that simple.

Claire Lamborne owns Claires at the Depot restaurant in Warrenton.

Claires at the Depot

Claire Lamborne owns her restaurant like Tiger Woods owns his swing. The eatery is part of her very core, and she will fight to make certain it endures. To that end, she will reopen for curbside service soon.

Claires service was offered for a short time when the economy was first placed in lockdown. But a crowded staff in a tight kitchen wasnt manageable, she said.

Now shes back. I think we solved some issues with the carryout and will offer it again.

Lamborne thinks she has found a way to work around the tight kitchen issues while keeping her staff safe. While she has 36 employees, only kitchen staff will be brought back at first. She said she believes curbside service will last longer than some people think.

Lamborne said, Before we were trying to do food hot and that became very difficult. This time well be doing curbside meals that are cooked and ready for reheating at home.The new approach allows for pre-planning menu selections and calming the previously busy kitchen scene.

While answers to many questions about the recovery process are yet to be answered, Lamborne said she will not wait until they are to revive an income stream. My accountant doesnt have answers to my questions, and I need to find a tax attorney, said Lamborne.

Will Lambornes new world mean a delay in her retirement plans? Oh, my gosh, yes! The value of my business has dropped, so now I plan to work till Im 80 years old. Im healthy, so hopefully, Ill be able to do that.

Lamborne believes that when she does reopen, she wont be able to accommodate as many diners as before. I think there will still be social distancing. Well need to get those patio chairs and tables painted," she said, laughing.

John Hochheimer is chairman of the board of the Great Meadow Foundation.

Great Meadow Foundation

John Hochheimer is chairman of the board of the Great Meadow Foundation. He said they have had to cancel or postpone several of their planned events. The largest one to date is Gold Cup. It has been rescheduled for June 20, assuming conditions permit.

Twilight Polo was supposed to start May 23, but the potential new start date is now June 13. Honestly, all of our plans depend on what the governor recommends and what the requirements will be once the stay-at-home policy is lifted, said Hochheimer. Our revenue is down some 20 to 25 percent.

He underscores that the foundation is hurting because the delayed events are the core of its revenue. Nonetheless, the staff of seven is still working, and the gates are open.

People are welcome to come out to Great Meadow and walk the grounds and exercise their dogs individually and in small groups. Its largely a wait and see situation. Fortunately, much of what was unfolding at the spacious outdoor venue was just ramping up. Rescheduling the more significant events later in the year will save many of the seasons activities.

Several smaller events, like the National Rocket Contest, will be rolled over to next years schedule. Hochheimer said that groups need to plan events weeks or months in advance, and the uncertainty about when people will be allowed to gather leads to the cancellations.

Well continue to update our website when things are rescheduled. And we do welcome visitors to come out and enjoy the grounds. But I ask that people clean up after themselves and their pets, said Hochheimer.

On the links at Fauquier Springs Country Club

Fauquier Springs Country Club

Shawn Rogers is the general manager of the venerable club that was established in 1957. It has about 325 members. The facility has a restaurant, pool, tennis courts and a golf course. While the restaurant is closed to diners, it is offering carryout service.

He explained, One of the major complications we have seen throughout this situation are the protocols weve had to put into place to keep our club going. The Virginia Department of Health has been fantastic as to what we needed to implement.

The governor has allowed us to keep the golf course open, and our number of rounds are up. Every cart is sterilized before it goes out, and only one golfer per cart is allowed. Weve removed the sand-divot containers from the carts and anything else a player might touch. Players are not allowed to touch or remove the flag pin during play, Rogers said.

The clubs most substantial revenue producers are its banquet and event operations. We have been severely hurt in those areas.A lot of weddings and special events have been rescheduled. In March and April, we lost $150,000 in revenue. Every day this goes on, we are at risk of losing even more.

Rogers thinks the country club will survive without difficulty for two to three months. After that, it will become more problematic. Right now, were OK. But not as OK as we should be.

Fauquier Chamber of Commerce

For more than a decade, Joe Martin has served as the president of the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce. He has successfully guided the organizations 530 members through robust economic growth. Today, hes a whirling dervish, working to keep his family safe from harm.

We have a weekly conference call with numerous regional leadership organizations strategizing on how to address the critical issues facing us. Im also on Zoom calls daily with local, state and federal agencies for the same purpose.

The communication outreach across these dozens of organizations has been phenomenal. One minor but important aspect of all of this is well be using these communication technologies from here on out, said Martin.

To focus on real-world concerns and seek advice from chamber members and their guests, a monthly virtual luncheon is hosted by Martin, where attendees go around the screen and share successes, struggles and challenges. Its an opportunity for one story to answer dozens of questions.

Martin finds it reassuring in such stressed times that most of the groups and individuals hes interacting with generally have a positive feeling about the future. But the pain experienced by small businesses is of particular concern to him. The downturn will end, and Martin, in concert with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, is working on a recovery plan to help make it happen.

Martin muses, The recovery is not going to spring back overnight. It will be a slow and methodical process of likely a year or more. Yes, there will be pent-up demand, but it will not be an explosive recovery. But it will happen. Staying focused and positive is key.

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Fauquier County businesses tack into the wind | News - Fauquier Times

For manufacturing and distribution facilities, the introduction of 5G the next generation of cellular wireless could be a game-changer down the line.

Related Research Consider: 5G will hasten the rise of the smart factory/warehouse, where tracking and distribution will improve exponentially, thanks to industrial IOT sensors. Monitoring will happen continuously in real time as the 5G network takes a triple approach to improving mobility speed (ultra-fast data rates), interactivity (ultra-low lag with no buffering), and connectivity (more capacity, devices, and data).

But this panacea of improved efficiency and productivity can only happen once facility owners and operators begin evaluating their properties infrastructure and readiness. With that in mind, follow the five-step road map in this article to prepare for 5G.

The introduction of 5G the next generation of cellular wireless could be a game-changer down the line. Roadblocks to ConsiderBefore rolling out the 5G red carpet, its important to remember that there may still be a few roadblocks in the way. When these roadblocks exist, occupants will feel like theyre walking at a snails pace in the facility but teleporting the minute they step outside.

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Smart Facilities and Industrial IOT in the Era of 5G - Area Development Online

Commercial real estate company Cushman & Wakefield recently introduced the Six Feet Office concept to showcase some of the ideas it envisions companies will be adopting soon. These include desks spaced 6 ft. apart, along with bold color and visuals such as circles embedded in the carpet to remind people to distance themselves.

Cushman & Wakefield

The battle between the states and the federal government is heating up about when to open the economy and start letting people go back to work due to the coronavirus. On Monday,Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottliebtold CNBC that employers need to have specific plans in place for how to safely return workers to the office or shopfloor.

"In an office, you could split your employees have half of them work at home, half of them come into the office on alternating days," Gottlieb said on "Squawk Box."

He added: "You should continue to encourage telework where you can."

Exactly when employees will be heading back to work is still an unknown, but what is certain is that when it does happen, things at the office will almost certainly be very different. Just as the pandemic is likely to have a lasting impact on our personal habits, it will also change the way we work. Among the key changes companies are already considering:more space, sanitation and flexibility, with more employees working from home on a semi-regular basis.

So how will all this be achieved? According to a number of office designers, companies will be installing more sensors to reduce touch points, such as on light and power switches and door handles, antimicrobial materials, more and better air filtration, temperature monitoring at entry points, desks that are spaced farther apart, plus subtle design features that remind people to keep their distance.

Over the past month, commercial real estate company Cushman & Wakefield has helped 10,000 organizations in China move nearly 1 million people back to work after the country reopened its economy after the pandemic. Cushman & Wakefield, which manages 800 million sq. ft. of office buildings in China, learned much from that experience.

According toDespina Katsikakis, who heads Cushman's occupier business performance, the company used its learnings along with World Health Organization data and the advice of medical specialists to develop a concept dubbed theSix Feet Office, which it has already applied inside its Amsterdam headquarters.

Through properly spaced desks and visual cues, such as bold colors and large circle designs in the carpet, the Six Feet Office concept will remind employees that 6 ft. must stay between people at all times.Katsikakis says the Six Feet Office concept is a prototype to showcase some of the ideas Cushman envisions companies around the globe will be adopting soon.

The bold circles in the carpet in Cushman & Wakefield's Six Feet Office concept is designed to remind people to social distance.

Cushman & Wakefield

Katsikakis believes many employees will welcome these new changes. In recent years the amount of square footage allotted per employee has gone down from 211.4 sq. ft. in 2009 to 17.6 square feet in 2017, according to Cushman & Wakefield. This has led to widespread complaints about loud office mates and lack of elbow space.

COVID-19 is likely to halt this trend. Other changes she sees happening in China: staggered schedules to lessen occupancy in buildings, desks being moved farther apart and more barriers between desks. Cushman & Wakefield also sees more emphasis on sequencing people into elevators so they aren't packed in like sardines.

Another feature the commercial real estate company says to expect is an increase in signs instructing employees to walk in one direction in hallways, or clockwise in a meeting room, to ensure an orderly flow to foot traffic.

Making changes to accommodate social distancing at the office is already top of mind for many companies as talk of reopening the economy has started to reverberate here in the U.S. Among those that have already announced major changes are Marriott and financial services firm Discover.

On Tuesday, Marriott announcedthe hotel chain will be using signage in its lobbies to remind guests to maintain social distancing protocols and will be removing or rearranging furniture to allow more space for distancing.The company is also considering adding partitions at front desks to provide an extra level of precaution for guests and associates and is installing more hand-sanitizing stations atthe entrances to its hotels, near the front desk, elevator banks and fitness and meeting spaces. In addition, guests will be able to use their phones to check in, access theirrooms, make special requests and order room service that will bespecially packaged and delivered right to the door without contact.

According toAndy Eichfeld, chief human resources and administrative officer at Discover, once they are given the all-clear, employees will return gradually and only if they are comfortable to allow for safe distancing. There will be temperature checks for all employees at the door, and every other workspace will be closed off. In addition, traffic throughout hallways and stairwells will be one way only, and elevator occupancy will be limited.

Shared workstations have long been a hotbed of disease transmission, and the current pandemic is likely to change this trend. Designers say they expect the disappearance of shared keyboards and for companies to introduce clean desk policies with nonessential items stored in cabinets and drawers rather than on the desk to ensure proper cleaning and sanitation.

Designers say they are hearing more inquiries about disinfecting UV lights, which can clean not only equipment like keyboards but entire rooms overnight. Nicole Keeler, director of sustainability at interior design and space-planning firm Nelson Worldwide, said she's also fielding questions from companies and building owners about easy-to-clean materials.

"There's surfaces that are antimicrobial, just like you would see in a health-care system or in a laboratory," which could become a new norm for workstation surfaces, she said.

Nelson Worldwide's Philadelphia office. The interior design and space-planning foresees antimicrobial surfaces, like in a health-care system or laboratory," could become a new norm for workstation surfaces.

Farm Kid Studios

Another feature that could come into more common use: negative pressure rooms. Now used mostly in medical facilities or airport smoking rooms, negative pressure rooms could help contain germs in, say, a conference room, which can then be cleaned using UV light.

Working from home has many perks, but one downside is that collaboration is difficult with limited face-to-face communication. A recent study from PwC showed that half of the businesses expect a dip in productivity during the pandemic because of a lack of remote-work capabilities.

In recent years, some companies have focused on making their spaces more comfortable in hopes of drawing people back. Companies "are literally trying to make their spaces more desirable to draw people back to the office because they do feel like there was a lot of that personal connection and collaboration," said Nelson Worldwide's Keeler.

Assuming more people will be working from home regularly in the future, "we will have more specialized spaces in the office," said Jeremy Reding, principal and global workplace leader at DLR Group, a firm devoted to sustainable design in areas including health care, hospitality, museums, schools and the workplace.

Reding envisions rooms geared toward specific tasks such as small group conversations, as well as larger spaces for events and maybe even some rooms dedicated to virtual reality.

DLR Group's Hines T3 West Midtown building in Atlanta

Creative Sources Photography/Rion Rizzo, courtesy of DLR Group

"It's really tuning the room to the desired behavior," Reding said. For training, if there is one speaker, the room should ideally have acoustics to amplify that speaker's voice so everyone can hear well. If it's meant to be more social, "you want to set up the sound in there such that maybe you're not getting a ton of reverberation because that creates headaches," he said.

To control these factors, designers use various materials such as carpet, acoustic tiles or curtains. Many of these factors are common considerations in the hospitality industry but new to corporate office environments.

After the crisis, some workers will likely continue working from home on a regular basis. To accommodate a more flexible workforce, companies have more reason to demand adaptive energy systems. Right now offices are designed to accommodate a certain number of employees on any given day. That means if only half of the employees show up on any given day, the energy usage is unlikely to change much, and the room may end up being colder than usual.

Reding, who has been going into the DLR office in Seattle alone, said the office has been freezing. "Right now we're overcooling, and all downtown [Seattle] is probably overcooling because there's nobody in the buildings," he said. Current systems are not adaptive, but Reding sees the introduction of adaptive systems that can respond more effectively to changes in occupancy levels.

With more employees working remotely even after the crisis, companies will likely invest in more and better technology to connect more effectively with remote workers. A survey by Gartner found that 41% of employees are more likely to work remotely at least some of the time post-pandemic.

Eric Arnold, president of Arnold Contract, a New Jersey company that makes custom office furniture, said there's been growing emphasis on technology with some built right into the furniture. Conference tables today not only include electrical plugs for computers and other equipment but may also have built-in microphones.

"Having a culture of trust that supports remote working I don't see those going away," said Katsikakis, who sees more companies leveraging remote working regularly.

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How your company office could change in the post-coronavirus era - CNBC

By ADAM SHINDERStaff WriterEquipment in the Bert DeRose Theater at Amsterdam High School, including a piano and sound equipment, was damaged recently by flooding caused when two pumps designed to remove excess water did not function, officials said.The flooding was discovered by one of the high school custodians on April 14, Greater Amsterdam School District spokesman John Noetzel said in a phone interview Tuesday.AHS English teacher and Drama Club advisor Bill Nelson said Tuesday that he received pictures of the flooding from a hall monitor.The water had gotten nearly to the height of the stage, and that is 18 inches, Nelson said. The flood was significantly high, and it had been there for a little while. I can tell that from the fact that the damage I witnessed to the piano that was down in the pit shows a very clear water line mark and a whole lot of peeling of lamination that would not have happened if it was just there for a few hours. This was there for a while.Flooding had long been an issue in the AHS auditorium, but Nelson said the issue was addressed more than a decade ago with the installation of a perforated pipe that could collect water and two pumps that would remove any excess.The whole reason for the renovation was to try and mitigate the flooding problem, said Nelson, adding that in the 13 years since the renovation, there had been no floods in the space, where before it was an annual issue in the spring.This time, as water collected during recent rainstorms, Noetzel said one of the pumps burned out, for some reason, and the second pump failed. It didnt work for some reason. It couldve been electrical, Im not sure. Thats all we really know.Nelson said with the theater being unused as school is closed during the COVID-19 crisis, there likely wasnt a reason for anyone to check on the auditorium or the status of the pumps.If, for whatever reason, [the pump system] gets tripped or theres a power interruption and the pump isnt functioning, the little alarm that goes off isnt terribly loud, he said. You have to be vigilantly aware of whether or not theres been a trip.AHS Principal Tyrone OMeally was able to survey the damage and said that once it was spotted, district maintenance workers were quick to fix the issue.I took a look at it and went, Whoa, OMeally said. The good part is, by the time I got to look at it, the team was already outside taking a look [at the pumps] and trying to address the issue.Noetzel said the result was minor water damage in the orchestra pit area to the piano, two speakers and a microphone jack. Pictures have been sent to the districts insurance provider.Its covered, Noetzel said. We have flood insurance.Nelsons hope is that the damage isnt too extensive.There was carpeting on that floor, and it was completely submerged, he said. I imagine its possible to dry it all out, and it looks like they did a fairly good job of sucking water out of there, but is there mold underneath the carpet now? These kind of questions will always be there.I cant imagine the sound board wasnt affected by it. But, they may think that its probably OK, or good enough. I dont know. Its one of those moments where you can really begin to tell what matters. As is oftentimes the case, people in the community are very good at pointing out that there are certain kinds of activities that seem to matter more than others. These kind of episodes oftentimes expose those preferences.Nelson added that, should schools be able to reopen, its unknown how long it would take for the theater the largest performance venue in Montgomery County and one used by groups both in and out of the school community to become usable again.The impact on the communitys involvement with the school district would be curtailed significantly if the auditorium use had to be curtailed for any reason, he said, for any length of time.

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Equipment damaged by flooding in AHS theater - The Recorder