Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Its been three years since Hurricane Irene the first of three storms in two years that left Ridgefielders in the dark after day rampaged through town in late August 2011.

Eight weeks later, the Halloween noreaster named storm Alfred dropped wet, heavy snow onto still-leafy trees, bringing down branches and wires and earning the nickname Snowtober.

A year after that, in late October 2012, Hurricane Sandy ravaged the area.

All three taught a simple lesson: be ready.

Is Ridgefield?

I have to believe our community has to be one of the best prepared communities in the greater New York metropolitan area, for our size, First Selectman Rudy Marconi said.

Ridgefield has an emergency shelter, the Recreation Center at 195 Danbury Road, which is open free to all residents when needed. In addition to its recreation facilities including showers amenities have been added that improve its usefulness as a shelter.

Theres now a big 450-kilowatt generator on site, powerful enough to run the entire building.

Previously, the buildings smaller 100 kilowatt back-up generator could only power emergency lighting and keep the pumps running.

Although the generator is there and the buildings multiple electrical systems could be hooked up to it by an electrician, when needed, a system is not yet operational to automatically switch the building to auxiliary power when CL&Ps electric grid stops delivering.

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Town builds its readiness for big storms

Anh Nguyen | Sept. 9, 2014

Retailers should not be afraid to fail, but be ready to fail fast, the analyst advises.

Wearables, smart countertops and facial scanning are just some of the technologies that retailers should be looking at implementing in their stores over the next few years, according to Forrester analysts.

In a report, 'The Emerging Technologies of the Digital Store', Forrester admitted that while concrete success stories about digital in-store initiatives were rare, it said that retailers should be looking to integrate certain technologies into stores because of the opportunities they give to retailers.

These range from enabling them to offer a personalised store experience, freeing up their sales staff to engage more with customers and using to their advantage the trend of customers using their mobile phones to research products while they shop.

Forrester said that proximity technologies, such as Apple's iBeacon and augmented reality (AR), are things that retailers should be looking at now.

Technologies in the near future But in a few years' time, RFID chips, video conferencing to connect customers in-store with remote product experts, facial scanning technology to enable a personalised service, smart countertops that provide extra information on products and wearables in sales, service and back office divisions, should all be areas that retailers pay attention to, the analyst said.

It provided some examples of real-life cases of these technologies already being explored by retailers.

Innovative high-end fashion company Burberry, for example, embeds RFID chips into its merchandise to unlock personalised marketing content for consumers when they log on to the Burberry website on their mobile device.

In addition, supermarket Tesco has used basic facial scanning software to deliver real-time, personalised digital signs based on the gender and approximate age of the consumer, while home improvement retailer Home Depot uses videoconference stations in its store to allow customers to interact with a remote kitchen expert to design a kitchen.

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Forrester's future retail store features facial scanning, wearables and smart countertops

(PRWEB) September 09, 2014

M S International, Inc. (MSI) is pleased to announce to fabricators, retailers, designers, and consumers the ability to quickly preview slabs of granite, marble, quartz, onyx, limestone, soap stone, and others located at the nearest MSI distributions center. With 17 MSI distribution centers strategically located throughout the United States, customers can quickly preview the actual slabs available for their project.

Steps To Preview Slabs:

To preview slabs available in your local MSI distribution center, navigate to http://www.msistone.com/countertops. Select from one of the twelve natural stone product categories and then the color category. From this screen, select the Preview Actual Slabs Available In Your Area button in the top right corner, just above the image of the slab. Select the MSI location nearest to you. View the actual slabs available in your area.

MSI sources the finest natural stone slabs available today, from around the globe. Marble, granite, soapstone, limestone, travertine, quartz, Venetian marble, onyx, semi-precious, quartzite, and a variety of pre-fabricated slabs are available for preview. Once a customer selects the bundle they are most interested in, information including the number of slabs, and the square feet available is indicated. It is recommended that customers write down the Item Description, Item ID, Bundle, and Location of the slab they desire. When visiting the MSI location, they can preview their choices, or explore other options.

Rupesh Shah, President of MSI states The slab selection process for a consumer can be overwhelming with over 400 colors to choose from. By allowing consumers to view on-line the actual slabs that are available in their area, we believe we can provide more choice and variety to the consumer and allow them to start the purchasing process from their desktop at home or with their mobile device and finalize the process during their visit to one of our showrooms. With over 30,000 pictures of slabs available, we believe this is the largest selection of real time slab inventory in the world.

About M S International, Inc. Founded in 1975, MSI is a leading nationwide distributor of flooring, countertop, wall tile and hardscaping products. Headquartered in Orange, California, MSI also maintains distribution centers across the United States and Canada. MSIs product line includes natural stone products imported from over 36 countries on six continents. In addition, MSI carries an extensive offering of porcelain, ceramic, glass and quartz products. The company maintains an inventory of over 50 million square feet. For more information on MSI, visit msistone.com.

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M S International, Inc.s Website Now Offers Preview Of Slabs Available Locally

San Francisco, California (PRWEB) September 09, 2014

The global flooring market is expected to reach USD 326.38 billion by 2020, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. A growing focus on innovative flooring that is durable in nature is expected to drive market growth through the forecast period. Increased insulation demand is also expected to give impetus to the market over the next six years.

The market is characterized by changing customer preferences, with a considerable rise in home improvement and renovation projects. Development of hassle-free installation techniques and coupled with growing demand for environmentally sustainable products is also expected to contribute to industry growth. Environmental and health-related concerns regarding various flooring solutions may pose a challenge to industry participants.

The report Flooring Market Analysis By Product (Soft Coverings, Resilient Flooring, Non-Resilient Flooring, Seamless Flooring), By Application (Residential, Commercial, Industrial) And Segment Forecasts To 2020, is available now to Grand View Research customers at http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/flooring-market-analysis

Request Free Sample of This Report at http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/flooring-market-analysis/request

Further key findings from the study suggest:

Browse All Reports of This Category by Grand View Research at http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry/green-building-materials

For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global flooring market on the basis of product, application and region:

Browse All Ongoing Reports by Grand View Research at http://www.grandviewresearch.com/ongoing-reports

About Grand View Research

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Flooring Market By Product (Soft Coverings, Resilient Flooring, Non-Resilient Flooring), By Application Is Expected to ...

Tiny house indoor lighting.
If your tiny house will be off grid as mine will be then this little gadget will help give it a more on grid feel. https://www.instabulb.com/

By: Tiny Effort

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Tiny house indoor lighting. - Video

Architects - These Colours Don #39;t Run Live Brisbane

By: Elliot Perry

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Architects - These Colours Don't Run Live Brisbane - Video

This past May, octopus bacon--a little surf, a little turf--landed Superba Snack Bar in a spot on Jonathan Golds hotly anticipated 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles list. The food isnt the only thing playing fast and loose with diners' expectations. The interiors capture Venices mongrel vibe--Dogtown meets Silicon Beach. There are bike racks, of course, and artist and skateboarder Geoff McFetridge designed the wallpaper. But the zany details, created by Los Angeles-based Design, Bitches, keep going: A tile wall near the open kitchen mimics the inside of a swimming pool, ticking off the depths, and surfer-esque poncho fabric covers the banquettes. What is architecture? Its design, bitches.

Early in the process we were talking a lot about skateboarding in empty swimming pools and you can see that coming through in the finished project, says Paul Hibler, foodie visionary and founder of American Gonzo Food Corporation, and owner of several of L.A.s hottest restaurants including Pitfire Artisan Pizza, Superba Snack Bar, and Superba Food & Bread. Everything about the restaurants design mashes up cultural references in a way that only makes sense in Los Angeles' sprawling food scene.

Its not a year to mess with Design, Bitches. Architects Catherine Johnson and Rebecca Rudolph are keeping pace with L.A.s appetite for unusual, unstuffy food experiences. Theyre on a roll with the opening of two new restaurants Superba Food & Bread in Venice and the Hollywood outpost of The Oinkster, a burger joint with a cult-like following; an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara; and the imminent opening of The Springs in downtown Los Angeles Arts District, a self-proclaimed urban oasis serving up yoga, organic juice, and a raw vegan restaurant, plus wine bar.

Its a far cry from 2010 when Johnson and Rudolph founded their firm on a bit of a lark, entering an architecture competition together with an in-your-face name. The name could mean many things, but for the partners, whose chatty and overlapping conversation is inflected with art-house references and hip-hop phrases, it answers the question: What is architecture? Its design, bitches.

The pair has a holistic take on restaurant design, considering the architectural context, the interests of the owners, the goals of the chef, and the specifics of the menu, as they create the narrative of the experience. But that could be said of many architects. What sets Design, Bitches apart is the way they use the whole of L.A. culture as their palette--movies, everyday materials, art, food, fashion. Their approach reflects the casual mixing-and-matching of cultures that has helped transform L.A. from a "culinary backwater," to quote the Daily Beast's Andrew Romano, into one of the most exciting restaurant scenes in the U.S.

We are observers, Rudolph says. Were constantly gathering inspiration from everywhere into our memory banks. We really like mashing up ideas in ways that are relevant to the project at hand and might feel familiar yet somehow a bit odd or unexpected. . . . Our designs are not about preciousness or minimalism. Our goal is to create social spaces that bring people together to share food.

To date, the two architects and their small support staff have designed around a half dozen restaurants and food-related venues, including a second for Hibler, Superba Food & Bread. They transformed a 115-year-old auto body shop into a 4,377-square-foot all-day eatery, serving up pretzel croissants in the morning and butchers steak with bone marrow bordelaise at night. Industrial wood trusses combine with Japanese cabinetry and wall-sized supergraphics. Huge garage doors roll up during business hours so the airy dining room stretches effortlessly onto the patio. Southern California design has a long tradition of ignoring the distinctions between indoors and out.

The DBs bring a quirky, intelligent, off center sensibility to the table, Hibler explains. They challenge the conventional norms of restaurant design. When you work with a typical restaurant designer they have their usual bag of tricks and solutions. I am looking for a slightly disruptive result.

The growth of Design, Bitches practice parallels the changing food scene in L.A. Some food trucks begun in the free-wheeling craze a few years ago are putting down roots and adding storefronts. A couple years ago Johnson and Rudolph created brick and mortar outlets for Coolhaus Ice Cream--best known for their micro-trucks that serve up signature ice cream sandwiches with architectural names like the Frank Berry. They used the brands signature bubble graphics (rendered in neon, metallic balloons, and as wall murals) and a playful sensibility to transition Coolhaus into two 400-square foot retail spaces in Culver City and Pasadena. Design, Bitches uses the whole of L.A. culture as their palette--movies, everyday materials, art, food, fashion.

For Rudolph, the migration from four wheels to four walls poses as many opportunities as challenges--excited audiences and expectant chefs, but also micro budgets. We work with the clients to distill the essence of the brand and keep that vibe and culture wherever they go and grow, she says. You don't want to lose community that gets created around the truck and the excitement of following it, but we also want to make comfortable places for people to gather. Their excitement helps feed our creative fever.

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Design, Bitches: Meet The Architects Shaping L.A.'s Sprawling Food Scene

HARTFORD The city would pay $3.77 million annually for the first five years it leases a minor league baseball stadium that is part of a sweeping redevelopment plan, according to projections in city documents and the developer's plan.

For the first five years of a 25-year lease, Hartford would pay a developer 8 percent of the aggregate cost of building the baseball stadium, records show. The city would then sublease the ballpark to the New Britain Rock Cats, who would begin playing there in 2016.

The projected cost of building the stadium is $47.13 million, according to a proposal from Centerplan Development Co., the firm chosen to redevelop land north of downtown.

Centerplan's proposal also includes 210,000 square feet of municipal office space, more than 600 residential units, retail space and a brewery. The entire project would cost $350 million, and be paid for with private debt and private equity capital, the company said.

After the first five years of the city's lease with Centerplan, its rent payments would go up by 5 percent every five years.

The Rock Cats would pay the city $500,000 a year for the first 15 years of a 25-year sublease, and $600,000 annually in the final 10 years.

City officials have not yet offered a detailed plan for how Hartford would fund its lease payments to Centerplan, but have said that parking fees and revenue from the naming rights, among other things, could help make up the difference.

Centerplan's proposal also notes that the city would invest $8 million in the project for "offsite and roadway improvements." Maribel La Luz, Mayor Pedro Segarra's communications director, said Monday that Hartford would spend about $8 million from its capital improvement projects budget to upgrade the roads regardless of whether the ballpark is built.

Hartford officials have proposed building a 220,000-square-foot stadium to lure the Rock Cats, the Double A Eastern League affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, to the city. Construction on the ballpark would be completed by April 1, 2016, in time for that year's season.

The city council will vote on the redevelopment plan and the leases. Segarra sent proposals to the panel on Thursday. A public hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 17 at the Parker Memorial Community Center on Main Street.

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Hartford To Pay 8 Percent Annually For Stadium Project

AAP Businesses confidence is high, helped by subdued cost pressures and better consumer confidence.

A surge in optimism among construction companies is keeping overall business confidence high.

The August reading of the NAB business confidence index came in at eight points, with readings above zero indicating optimists outweigh pessimists.

While the index dropped two points from a one-year high in July, JP Morgan economist Ben Jarman said business confidence remained high.

"Australia's NAB business survey had been surprisingly upbeat in July, but suffered some payback in August," he said.

"In the sector breakdown, mining representatives are keeping their chins up, despite the slide in commodity prices."

Confidence was strongest in the construction sector and Mr Jarman expects it will continue be the main driver of business confidence as the year progresses.

"The approvals data clearly show a bulge in the pipeline of residential building, and in construction of office and retail space, which will offset some of the mining capital expenditure decline," he said.

"But we doubt that is yet sufficient to lift demand conditions more broadly, and that sense is corroborated by the pullback in conditions reported today."

NAB's business conditions index fell to four points in August, after it hit a four and a half year high of eight points in July.

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Business confidence remains high

September 8, 2014 - Registrations are being accepted for American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) 2014 Fall Conference onSeptember 1417 in Westminster (Denver), CO. Exhibitor spots for Supplier Product Display are also available. Speakers will include Michael Hodgson (ConSol founder), Dick Doyle,as well asSherwin-Williams representatives Kathy Andersson and Eric Crosby. Also, attendees can test their knowledgevia game show to win discountsfor FenestrationMasters courses and exams. American Architectural Manufacturers Association 1827 Walden Office Sq #104 Schaumburg, IL, 60173 USA Press release date: September 3, 2014

Schaumburg, Illinois -- The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) is still accepting registrations for the upcoming AAMA 2014 Fall Conference. It will be held Sept. 14-17 in Westminster (Denver), Colorado. An action-packed week in the heart of the Centennial State has been planned for attendees, who can test their industry knowledge with a game show during the Product Supplier Display, and enjoy a night on the town at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Those interested in making a hotel reservation at the Westin in Westminster may contact Florence Nicolici directly.

Exhibits Exhibitor spots for the Supplier Product Display are still available, although time is running out to join the 14 currently filled. This opportunity is offered to Category 1 supplier members and provides the opportunity to exhibit products and services during an informal reception. Exhibitors are able interact with a number of potential customers without the added expense of separate trips or time away from the office. Local architects, specifiers and other industry professionals also have been invited to attend.

While at the display, attendees can test their knowledge by playing Are You Smarter than a FenestrationMaster? and win discounts off FenestrationMasters courses and exams. Players can earn savings on the only publicly available professional education and certification program by correctly answering questions from the course work.

Networking Attendees also can look forward to optional Sunday events, including a Colorado Foothill sightseeing tour with a visit to the Coors Brewery and a golf scramble tournament. The tour will be from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the golf scramble will have a 9 a.m. tee time. A group outing for dinner and karaoke at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre will happen Tuesday night starting at 4 p.m.

During these networking events and throughout the conference, attendees are encouraged to tweet using the hashtag #AAMAConf and mention @AAMAinfo.

To stay in the loop and have a custom-built agenda in your pocket all week, attendees can download the free AAMA app. During the Fall Conference, app users can receive notifications with pertinent event information, connect and interact with AAMA staff, take notes during conference sessions and much more. The app is available in the iTunes App Store and on Google Play.

Speakers Michael Hodgson, ConSol founder, has more than three decades worth of experience in making new and existing buildings more energy efficient. His presentation, California Regulatory Proceedings Impacting the Nation, will be given Tues., Sept. 16. Hodgson will discuss how Californias leading edge energy policy is driving the market to time-of-use energy pricing, incentivizing ways to reduce peak load and detailing how the policy impacts energy choices in buildings.

Additional speakers will include Dick Doyle, who will present an update on The Vinyl Institute, and Sherwin-Williams representatives Kathy Andersson and Eric Crosby, who will give an aluminum-focused presentation on coatings trends and residential and commercial exteriors.

Spouses On Monday, spouses attending the conference are invited to roll up their sleeves from 9-11 a.m. to fill backpacks with school supplies to benefit a Title I elementary school serving underprivileged children in the Westminster area.

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AAMA Fall Conference Registration Deadline Approaching