Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/767733
Construction Marketplace 9 Tuesday, January 10, 2017 TASTE, STYLE AND ITALIAN QUALITY America Italiana chose to call its main brand Mito Italiano because it offers the highest quality of style and uniqueness. The company's windows and doors are custom made with top quality materials, the latest technology and innovative design rich in charm and personality – the main components America Italiana offers to the American market, a market that has always been an admirer of the beautiful and the prestigious. America Italiana is able to offer a wide range of custom products, from the noblest materials to the most hi-tech, from traditional colors to the trendiest, from the artisan to the most sophisticated production with the latest technology. Its windows and doors can be made entirely of wood, wood-clad aluminum, thermal- ly broken aluminum, steel, bronze or Vinyl-PVC. There are different technologies for different kinds of openings, including casement in-swing tilt and turn, tradition- al out-swing casement, vertical or hori- zontal pivot and single or double-hung. Avant – Passive House Windows and Doors The concept of a Passive House is "max- imize your gains, minimize your losses." Passive House is both a building energy performance standard and a set of design and construction principles used to achieve that standard. America Italiana's offerings, thanks to its vast experience in the field, include multiple material and design selections available in Passive House Technology for windows and doors to choose from, all with the highest standards to meet the requirements for the Passive House projects. Altolà – Custom Entry Doors Standing with wonder and admiration in front of your new entry door – this is what Altolà by America Italiana can do. Seeing that the details, the personality and style of your home really show, is the first sign that the goal is achieved. Many exclusive and custom designs are available, made entirely of wood, aluminum, bronze, front panels, blinds, traditional or decorated glazing. The only dilemma is what to choose. Glass Gallery – Custom Decorated Glass Glass Gallery by America Italiana is the "author's signature" that sets the mood for an interior, which suggests design that emits light, color and personality. Ideas are realized with techniques from the classical to modern. Decorate with a fusion of multi-colored glass that becomes surfaces for furniture, optimal partitions, doors or sliders. Escalation – Stairs and Railings Reach new heights with escalation in safety, style and elegance from your stairs to your rail- ings, in wood, glass, corten, steel or stainless steel. They are made entirely from beautiful, high quality materials. Innovative com- positions are carefully and intuitively engineered to America Italiana's standard of excellence to create absolute harmony and uniqueness for you. Atmosfera Toscana – Traveling in a Tradition Worthy of Imitating Authentic reclaimed roof tiles, handmade Terracotta floor tiles, antique and reclaimed wood flooring, Gres Porcellanato and ceramics are artisan crafted in authentic methods. Imagine your future home created with authentic Tuscan tradition and history. Atmosfera Toscana is the answer, and your traveling companion for this journey is America Italiana. For more information, go to www.america italiana.com or call 408.452.9166. FORMICA: TRENDS IN SURFACING DESIGN FOR 2017 An interview with Gerri Chmiel, Residential Design Lead, Formica Corporation. CM: What is trending in surfacing design with consumers for 2017? GC: In 2017, we're seeing homeowners look beyond the typical granite and stone options to bring their personal style into their homes, while finding new ways to express themselves. Trends for 2017 range from interactive surfaces that inspire homeowners with possibilities for creativity and functionality, to traditional materials reinvented as graphic geomet- ric patterns. Interactive surfaces bring style and function into the home. Durable, writable surfaces, like markerboard and chalk- board designs from the new Formica ® Writable Surfaces collection, provide a place for homeowners and their families to share their stories, encourage creativity and keep track of to-do lists and activities. ImagiGrid, LoveWords and ColorBook are patterned markerboards from the Formica Writable Surfaces collection bring that interaction into the home. Another trend we're seeing are fresh spins on traditional materials. Taking a material that consumers are comfortable with and creating a graphic pattern, such as herringbone, is an exciting way to update a space. White Marble Herringbone and Silver Oak Herringbone from the 2017 Formica Laminate Residential Collection feature two classic materials reinvented in a pattern with unlimited possibilities. Finally, homeowners have more options than ever for stone and wood- grain surfacing. After years of serene stones, homeowners are sparking toward exuberant stones with high-move- ment. Heavily veined designs, such as Fantasy Marble from the 2017 Formica Laminate Residential Collection, make for a striking island or other focal point in the home. As in years past, usable grays blending warm and cool tones, like Silver Shalestone from the 2017 Formica Laminate Residential Collection, continue to trend. CM: Do you see technology playing a large role in surfacing? GC: The home is becoming smarter with new technology. Consumers have busy lives, and expect their surfaces to hold up to the demands of daily life. Think about the spaces where we eat, create and relax – we shouldn't be worrying about scratches. With this in mind, Formica Brand pioneered EliteForm, a surfacing technology that increases the durability and scratch resistance of laminate. With EliteForm, we can give homeowners a little more peace of mind. CM: What is your advice for homeowners looking to reflect their personal style in their surfac- ing choices? GC: Surface choices are a great way to express personal style. With Formica Laminate, home- owners have a wide range of options for bringing personal style into their homes. Formica Laminate is durable to with- stand the wear-and-tear of daily life, and a smart choice to fit into renovation budgets. One of the benefits of Formica Laminate is that it can be used horizon- tally and vertically, in every room of the home – from bathrooms to playrooms, laundry rooms to kitchens. With the introduction of the 2017 Formica Laminate Residential Collection and Formica Writable Surfaces collection, homeowners have a greater selection of surfacing options to fit their style and budget. Visit Formica at booth #W981. For more information, go to www.formica.com. DRIVABLE GRASS CREATES DUAL-PURPOSE SPACE FOR KAISER PERMANENTE Kaiser Permanente is all about promoting healthy living on and off campus from every one of its medical facilities across the country. The Anaheim, California medical center built in 2012 is no differ- ent. When city officials mandated that a fire lane be included in the overall land- scape design of this beautiful, seven- story building, WHITIN DESIGN WORKS went to work to create some- thing functional and purposeful without losing the aesthetic of the green space. "Since this was a medical facility, we wanted to create a healing garden for patients and guests to enjoy," says Michael Wilkes, a Project Manager and Construction Administrator at WHITIN DESIGN WORKS. "But in the 125-foot by 600-foot space we had to work with, we now had to also incorporate a fire lane. Our first challenge was how to site a fire lane that could work with our over- all design. We also had to coordinate with local fire authorities and Kaiser Permanente leadership. In addition, we had to ensure that whatever product we used, it had to be able to support a fire truck. We didn't want it to look like a fire lane and we certainly didn't want to use solid concrete." Wilkes continues, "We looked at a lot of product options but remembered that we had used Drivable Grass ® for a project a few years earlier, and were extremely pleased with how the grass had grown over it and made it look like a solid lawn. The flexibility, durability and strength of Drivable Grass pavers were exactly what we were look- ing for in this project." The permeable pavers were installed in January of that year. Since Wilkes is also a horticulturist, he's acutely aware of how plants grow, the importance of soil mix and the preparation of the earth before anything is planted. In this project, 95 percent com- paction was created for the base. Approximately 1.5 inches of sand and organic matter were used as fill all the way to the surface of the road base. The earth was then rolled and leveled before the pavers were installed. "Once the pavers were flush with other paving surfaces, it looked pretty cool architecturally," says Wilkes. "Then the soil was put over the pavers and raked and watered before immediately being hydro seeded." Wilkes explains that there were some challenges to the success of the grass taking root due to shading and cool- er, winter weather. "Luckily, things worked out. The weather was cooperative and the grass took well," he says. A long leaf fescue was used and the growth has been uniform, creating a pris- tine looking lawn. "The key to success with properly installing pavers like these is to prepare the soil, use a higher quality soil for back fill and avoid the use of too much sand," says Wilkes. "I went back to the property a year later and the lawn looked great! This project allowed us to create easy access to the building in case of an emergency without compro- mising our design of a beautiful, lush and lovely healing garden. We are thrilled with the outcome and would recommend the use of Drivable Grass for similar projects." For more information, visit booth #S1145.