Interior Design Show 2012 – Wo-Built’s WOW! Moments

youtube.com: InteriorDesig Show: IDS 12: 90 Seconds of Design - Details
Uploaded by InteriorDesignShow on Nov 28, 2011

Connecting the right people

with the right product
in the right place.
IDS12: Interior Design Show 2012

This weekend saw world-renown designers and architects descend on Toronto for the thirteenth annual Interior Design Show. Held at the Metro Toronto Convention centre, the event was a showcase of the latest trends in home design and décor, with exhibitors and guest speakers participating from around the world.

As always, Wo-Built was in attendance to get the low-down on the latest trends and technologies making their way into homes across the GTA (and around the world). Here are some of the products that caught our eye and/or captured our imagination.

Wo-Built is all about space, and the Space beds really caught our eye. These cool beds have handy storage built into the base, with single and double-height drawer models available. We think they’re more functional than a murphy bed for smaller rooms, eliminating the need for additional storage.

youtube.com: NewMusikPlayer: Positive Space Interior
Uploaded by NewMusikPlayer on Sep 20, 2011

Next, we couldn’t help but gush over the sample kitchen outfitted with the latest Blum SERVO-DRIVE drive system. This motor-assisted system makes opening, closing and organizing drawers and cabinets in the kitchen truly effortless. It’s a thing of beauty you really need to see (and touch) to appreciate; and one Wo-Built intends to put to excellent use for clients looking for the ultimate in kitchen utility.

youtube.com: brianwong73: Blum Servo-Drive Kitchen System
Uploaded by brianwong73 on Jun 23, 2008

Less spectacular but no less functional, Infinity Drain offered up a clever designer twist to an old problem. The “Tile Drain” replaces that boring old drain-cover with one that blends seamlessly into the décor of your shower. A very slick solution that we intend to put to good use in future bathroom installations.

Infinity Drain Linear System Installation from Infinity Drain on Vimeo.

There was lots more cool stuff at the show, like the Siena Adagio Chaise Lounge from Stone Forest, the amazingly high-tech Cristadur sinks distributed by Novanni Elite, and the funky indoor wall fountains from Saline Solutions.

Collage: Cool Stuff at IDS12 Toronto
Images Credits:
stoneforest.com: Siena Adagio Chaise Lounge
novanni.ca: CRISTADUR Sinksalinesolutions.net: Pink Bubblewall
vad.no: Convita Chair

There is so much to see, we were there several hours at least. But after all that, perhaps what we enjoyed the most was a nice relaxing recline in VAD’s Convita zero-gravity chair. We seriously did NOT want to get up! These chairs go together with phrases like “deep meditation” and “stay-at-home vacation;” not “high productivity.”

IDS 2012 Toronto was a fun time and thoroughly enjoyable. Too much to talk about/show in a blog, so do yourself a favour: give Wo-Built a call and let us show you how you can transform your existing space into the epitome of “form-meets-function.”

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Interior Design Show: Ideas and Inspiration in Design and Architecture

Screenshot: IDS12 Interior Design Show
January 26 to 29 2012, MTCC Toronto
Canada's Largest Contemporary Design Fair
Left: William Yeoward, Designer, London, Presented by Primavera,
Osborne & Little for Designers Guild,
Keynote Speaker: Globe Style Saturday presented by Para
Right: Paul Aloisi, Language Structure, Toronto, Prototype Exhibitor
Credit: www.interiordesignshow.com

Being design and build construction company we know design is all around us. Coming from an architecture background, we look at spaces and often start analyzing them to see what makes them work or more often not. Spaces define values. We believe that well-designed and built spaces can increase productivity and improve our clients’ quality of life. We would like to inform you about one of the most exciting contemporary design fair upcoming today in Toronto - the Interior Design Show.

Interior Design Show 2012
Connecting the right people
with the right product
in the right place.
IDS12

When: January 26-29, 2012

Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre (North)
255 Front Street West, Toronto Ontario M5V 2W6

Now in its 14th year, the Interior Design Show (IDS 12) presented by RADO, is Canada's largest contemporary design event.
IDS12 will be a year of fresh ideas and new events, with the most innovative in international and Canadian products presented by over 300 best-in-class exhibitors.
Legendary design stars and emerging talent are set to share their ideas through never-before-seen features and enlightening symposiums.
Introduced for the first time is IDS PLATFORM presented by RADO and AUDI: a series of talks, installations and exhibits, highlighting the cultural content of design.
Located in Toronto, IDS has established the city as a design destination and secured Canada as a leading player on the international design map.

Thursday, January 26, 2012
Conversations in Design - 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
IDS Opening Night Party - 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Friday, January 27, 2012
Professional Trade Day - 9:00 am to 7:00 pm

Saturday, January 28, 2012
Public Day - 10:00 am to 7:00 pm

Sunday, January 29, 2012
Public Day - 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Details and Tickets at:
InteriorDesignShow.com
IDSPlatform.com
ConversationsInDesign.com

Twitter Live Stream @IDSToronto: #IDS12

Come see the design world's trailblazers, gamechangers and celebrities and hear about their inspiration, projects and view on the direction of current design trends.

Update: Please read our short post Interior Design Show 2012 – Wo-Built’s WOW! Moments and you will see some of the products that caught our eye and/or captured our imagination.

Health & Wellness Professionals: You wouldn’t let just anyone Run your Practice; Why let just anyone Remodel your Premises?

Image Mosaic: “Health and Wellness Professionals Trust Wo-Built”
Image Credits: Microsoft Office Clipart: Kids playing doctor and patient;
Healthcare clinic waiting area; Band-aid

“The groundwork of all happiness is health.”
Leigh Hunt, English Poet

Beyond medical, dental, and chiropractic care, health and wellness today includes diet, nutrition, exercise, psychology, even spirituality. From naturopathic, homeopathic, and Chinese doctors to physio-, massage, and acupuncture therapists, wellness professionals are leaving the ‘clinic’ to work in Yoga studios, spas, high-end gyms, even trendy aesthetics salons. Health and wellness has truly become a ‘holistic’ affair.

It’s only logical that ‘mind, body, spirit’ practitioners and their premises are being held to the same high expectations established by the medical field. This begs the question: should a wellness practice of any kind risk their reputation and/or litigation for the sake of saving a few thousand dollars?

The days of the cold examination room or the dingy downtown office are numbered. People demand a comfortable, healthy and aesthetically pleasing environment. Spas and salons understand this very well, as do yoga and martial arts studios. Space has a look and a ‘feel.’ Poorly designed and/or cheaply constructed spaces simply have a bad vibe to them. This reflects poorly on you and your practice.

Even the traditional doctor and dentist are beginning to understand that they own a business; and, like any business, they cope with competition and benefit from efficiency. Space defines efficacy. Well-designed and built spaces increase productivity and improve clients’ overall experience. This reflects well on you and your practice.

The Greater Toronto Area is ranked among Canada’s most stressful cities. As a wellness professional you will appreciate Wo-Built’s top-drawer design and build services which recognize your practice may be a business, but you are only human. We do the work on your premises in the shortest time and with the least stress for you.

The bottom-line: we are nothing without our health. Wo-Built could mean everything to the health and wellness of your practice.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

links:
Check our four elements of healthcare facilities design which would ensure flexibility and adaptability without increasing the initial capital costs:
Medical Facilities - Building Image and Branding of Your Spaces

Buildings need Doctors, too!

Do you think that a building can be sick?
Image Credit: MS Office ClipArt: doctors, environments, sick buildings

Oh yes, buildings can be sick. The term Sick Building Syndrome has been around for years and refers generally to air quality issues caused by inadequate heating and ventilation systems, outgassing of materials and organic compounds such as mold in the air. Mostly used for the work place, Sick Building Syndrome is also applicable for residential buildings.

Ok, buildings don’t sneeze, sniffle or blow their noses to indicate that they are sick. But there are telltale signs. Musty smells, damp and humid air, wet patches on walls and ceilings, cracks in walls and ceilings, sloping and bouncy floors, leaning walls and many more. Then there is the “illness” behind walls: old, faulty and incorrect wiring, deteriorating plumbing and insect infestations, sometimes only apparent after a more destructive investigation.

And like any grumpy patient suffering from ailments the building will make its “discomfort” known, often by making the inhabitants sick. Mold is a serious matter and if there are signs it needs to be addressed immediately. Termites can literally eat your house around you, weakening the structure and in worst case scenarios have whole walls collapse. Faulty wiring can cause fires, and so on.

As professional contractors we have an affinity for buildings, we like buildings and we often dismay at the state we often find them in. Sometimes even the most obvious signs seem to have been ignored by the home owner, or they waited until the problem became widespread and the whole house “turned on them.”

Our best recommendation is to do regular checks, cleaning, maintenance and repair on your building. This is the most cost effective way to keep your home and family healthy. To minimize expenditures, plan your repairs and do the work in stages. If you play ostrich and think the problem will go away, you will only be faced with a much larger problem down the line…when a simple fix just won’t do…and instead of a general MD your house might be in need of a surgeon.

The good news, of course, is that most problems can be fixed. Buildings are often more forgiving and resilient than we think, especially when the foundations and structures are sound.

Martina Ernst
President/CEO
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

links:
emcp-pmce.ca: The Enrichment Mini-Courses Program, May 7-11, 2012: Carleton University: 223 Heritage 101: Did you know that buildings need doctors too?

wobuilt.com/blog: When Home Buying, Mind your Manors!
Homeowner's Inspection Checklist: Conduct your own inspection to keep your home in top condition.

We got quoted on the Yahoo! JAPAN Discussion Board:

uziama6 's question:

Translate the following English.

Do you think that a building can be sick? The Norfolk Building in England was sick. So was the Five Ways House in Birmingham, USA. The Department of Motor Vehicles Building in Boston, USA, was too. But how can a building be sick? And what doctor do you call?


yanie431's answer:

... this is a disease of the building => http://wobuilt.blogspot.jp/2012/01/buildings-need-doctors-too.html


Big Thanks to yanie431!

Success Strategies for Women and Trades: Forum

Comic Strip: Wobinna & Friends: The Joys of Shop Class!
Illustrations and story by Dawn Palfreyman
2012 © wobuilt.com

Save the date
March 6, 2012
Women Trade Forum
An event for those who want more strategies to accelerate women’s employment in non-traditional trades.

Success Strategies for Women and Trades

Showcasing and enhancing best practices
Illuminating ideas to accelerate change

Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Centennial College, Ashtonbee Campus
75 Ashtonbee Rd., Toronto, ON, M1L 4N4

Coordinated by the Women’s Access to Trades Network**, and hosted by Centennial College, with support from the Province of Ontario and Canadian Women’s Foundation.

Who should attend?
This event will benefit all those who want more women working in the non-traditional trades:

• Employers seeking more women and skilled workers
• Labour groups looking to include more women in trades and apprenticeship
• Tradeswomen looking for more compatible workplace
• Groups accountable for equity, diversity, labour force development, productivity, poverty reduction
• Colleges, training centres looking to increase women in trades programs
• Secondary schools seeking more career options for girls
• Women looking for better paid jobs

What will the day offer?

• Success strategies in recruiting, training and employment
• Conditions for success -what we need to do more of
• Opportunity to envision what needs to change for more change to occur
• Update on status of College of Trades
• Emerging opportunities for change – a provincial women’s access to trades network

Why are we doing this now?

• Advancement on this issue is still a work in progress
• The demand for skilled trades’ workers is increasing
• We need to collaborate, link up and scale up in order to achieve a critical mass of women in trades
• Women need access to the full range of well paid jobs. It’s in our social contract.

Women’s access to trades is about…
women’s equitable participation in the economy.

• And reducing child poverty.
• And improving labour force development.
• And increasing productivity in a global economy.

**The Women’s Access to Trades Network is a collaboration of organizations dedicated to accelerating women’s participation in non-traditional trades to increase women’s access to good jobs and decrease their risk of poverty. Members include MicroSkills, On Track Career and Employment Services, The Centre for Skills Development and Training, George Brown College, YWCA, South Asian Women’s Rights Organization, Centennial College, Canadian Association of Women in Construction, IBEW Local 153 Women’s Committee, Skills for Change.

links:
about.com: Non-Traditional Employment for Women: Chipping Away At the Glass Ceiling
By Dawn Rosenberg McKay, About.com Guide

WIL National Mentorship Program: 2012 · Vancouver · Toronto · Montreal: Toronto Mentorship Program Application Packages

itabc.ca: The British Columbia Industry Training Authority: : Women in Construction Trades: A Strategic Plan to Promote Women
Prepared by The Women in Leadership Foundation, WIL, November 16, 2007

alis.alberta.ca: Career Planning - Education - Jobs: Women in Non-Traditional Occupations: Stories to Inspire

swc-cfc.gc.ca: Status of Women Canada: Statistics: Women in Canada 2010-2011 - A Gender-based Statistical Report

statcan.gc.ca: Statistics Canada: Women in Non-traditional Occupations and Fields of Study
"As was the case for occupation, women have made fewer inroads into non-traditional fields of study in the trades. The top five trades in which men had earned a trades certificate accounted for 79% of men in the trades in 2006. In these top-five male-dominated trades, women accounted for 2% of those with trades certificates in mechanics and repairers and in construction trades; for 3% of certificates in the precision production trades; for 7%, in transportation and materials moving; and for 10%, in engineering technology."
by Kathryn McMullen, Jason Gilmore and Christel Le Petit

employmentjourney.com: Women in non-traditional trades and technology: raising awareness
"Trade HERizons is a program coordinated by Women’s Network PEI. The aim is to encourage women to consider a career in trades and give women the support needed to make that transition."
by Gloria Welton

thecentre.on.ca: Local skilled trades training program helps women achieve their dreams
by mcdonaldm

skillsontario.com: “Women in Non-Traditional Roles – Putting Our Skills to Work”
Putting Our Skills to Work - Women Working in the Skilled Trades and Technologies

theglasshammer.com: The Glass Hammer is an online community designed for women executives in financial services, law and business.

wobuilt.com: Community: Mentoring: The Wo-Built Career Advancement Program
Our mission is to help women enter and succeed in the skilled trades. We hope to open more doors and provide more opportunities for women who strive for a career in the building/finishing trades.

wobuilt.com/blog: Helping Women in the Building Trades

Home Renovations Today: Freedom versus "Grid-lock"

Collage: Home Renovations Today: Freedom versus "Grid-lock"
Illustration Credits: MS Office ClipArt
House with solar panel & Electricity, energy, homes
2012 @ wobuilt.com

“We often take for granted that our lights will come on when we flip the light switch, but the reality is that our reliability standards and the current state of the transmission grid leave us all vulnerable to blackouts.”
Richard Burr, Politician

What would happen if tomorrow you flipped the light switch and nothing happenned? If you turned on the tap and nothing came out? If you went to the grocery store and the shelves were empty?

The term “grid-locked” is fair and fitting. Like a Toronto motorist trapped in rush-hour traffic, our lives and progress are at the mercy of the grid. In simplest survival terms, we are not truly free.

We think of ourselves as being a first-world nation built on a solid, stable financial system and democratic society. The fact is, our so-called “freedom” teeters perilously atop a house of cards that has grown so large, complex, and reliant on co-dependent systems, any number of minor failures in any one of those systems could spell disaster for our established way of living.

How many of us could switch to a life without electricity overnight? How about growing (or hunting/fishing) our own food? Providing our own fresh water? Heating/cooling? Very few, indeed.

With ever-increasing food and energy costs, it is clear the grid—in all its myriad forms—is under a great deal of stress. Do we really want to wait until it reaches a breaking point? Do we trust those in power to look after our interests? What if every home could be a net producer instead of consumer of energy?

Home renovations today should address these issues. Put aesthetics aside a moment and consider the long-term sustainability of your living space; its resilience in the face of catastrophic grid failure.

Any sustainable community will have de-centralized and distributed production of the most basic measures of freedom (energy, food and water security) for inherent resilience and stability. The imperial “bigger is better” mentality of centralized production is oppressive and obsolete.

Wo-Built is a champion designer and builder of the future. We actively research and develop complete systems to address household needs at all levels—including the most fundamental.

Leaving no stone unturned, Wo-Built scours the world for best-practices in sustainability and the latest in green technologies to offer complete home renovation systems and additions that transform houses from victims of grid-lock to off-grid bastions of freedom, ecological responsibility and sustainability.

Wo-Built asks you to consider: we all buy home insurance "just in case." Strange, there is no insurance policy covering all the essentials without which our households cannot survive. The time to prepare our homes for the inevitable challenges of 21st Century is now. Wo-Built is taking the lead.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

links:
greenhomebuilding.com: Building Today for Tomorrow: Avoiding Gridlock in your Home
"The typical gridlock image is of being stuck in your automobile in a traffic system that has bogged down because it cannot handle the volume of traffic. You feel helpless because you have to use the car, but it's not getting you where you want to go. You are locked into a dysfunctional system."
by Kelly Hart

choosingourfuture.ca: Choosing our Future: Building a Sustainable National Capital Region: Our Choices Today - Create Tomorrow.
Choosing our Future is an innovative joint planning initiative of the City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau and the National Capital Commission.

blog.homerenovationguide.com: Blogging about the world of home renovation and improvement.

Quality Renovations with Better Value: Press-Release

Press-Release: Property Owners See Better Value,
Fewer Headaches with Quality Renovations
2012 @ wobuilt.com

For Immediate Release

Property Owners See Better Value, Fewer Headaches with Quality Renovations

New Website: Renovating Trumps Moving; should be Fun, Stress-Free Adventure

Toronto, (January 6, 2012) – Property owners and real estate investors stand to benefit from renovating in 2012, but only if they lay aside their misgivings about construction. According to newly revamped website www.wobuilt.com, homeowners should consider renovating over moving and discover all the benefits a building project offers. Design & Build Champion, Wo-Built, Inc., is out to convince owners: building can be enjoyable, relaxing, rewarding.

“We inspire Toronto real estate owners and investors to take a bold plunge into a stress-free adventure in building,” says Wo-Built President, Martina Ernst. “We offer people an uplifting approach to construction: quality, value-based, friendly and fun. We keep homeowners excited about their new house.”

Many homeowners overlook the advantages of renovating due to misconceptions there’s less cost and fewer headaches in selling and buying a new home. Wo-Built puts this and other myths to rest with “Renovate or Move?,” revealing financial and other benefits of renovating an existing property versus selling/buying.

“Wo-Built offers homeowners a revitalizing, fun experience,” Ms. Ernst continues. “We promise to have a general contractor onsite regularly giving updates; looking after the client’s vision; really listening to them; handling issues and communicating solutions with honesty, clarity and transparency.”

A client advocacy approach relieves people’s worries about construction. Wo-Built fights for clients at every step of the process; ensuring homeowners get the best possible result for the budget they have to work with, maximizing property value with absolutely minimal impact on clients’ lifestyle and stress-level.

With real estate red-hot in the GTA and interest rates low, Wo-Built encourages property owners to take the plunge into fun and adventure with value-enhancing upgrades to properties that reward on many levels.

###

Wo-Built, Inc. is a women-owned Design & Build General Contracting Company specializing in residential, commercial and investment building projects including additions, major renovations, high-end kitchens, complete interior redesigns, new builds, and more. Wo-Built’s vision is “to be the best while doing good” for its clients, the community and the environment. Its social mission includes training and supporting women in the trades.

To arrange an interview with Martina Ernst, please contact 416-402-2679.

For further information:
Martina Ernst, President
Tel: 416-402-2679
Fax: 416-354-2555
Email: info@wobuilt.com

Media Contact:
Attila Lendvai, VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build
Suite #3, 1287 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, ON M6E 1B8, Canada
Tel: 647-460-0560
Email: attila@wobuilt.com

Photos: Before and After
Second Storey Addition
2012 @ wobuilt.com

link:
newswire.ca: /CNW/ Canada Newswire: Wo-Built Inc. | Property Owners See Better Value, Fewer Headaches With Quality Renovations

A New Year, a New Adventure in Building

"... we will never forget the great experience of our renovation and the truly exceptional folks that made it happen!”
Carla Ciallella

Wo-Built’s New Year’s Message to You: Relax. Have an Adventure!

In 2012, Wo-Built is relieving people’s misgivings about major residential and commercial renovations. It begins with our newly renovated and re-launched website, www.wobuilt.com.

We occasionally get to see the results of a beautiful home renovation, but the “disaster stories” we hear through the grapevine seem to leave an impression. Along with sticker-shock from being sold what doesn’t actually exist yet, “the building nightmare” seems thoroughly established in our minds.

The alternative—moving—comes with its own headaches, hassles and costs. You may get taken to the cleaners (or discover “nightmares” hidden behind the walls, under floors, in the basement, etc.).

At the start of a New Year, Wo-Built encourages all Toronto homeowners and even real estate investors in the GTA to take a bold step into the unknown: a stress-free adventure in building.

A major home, commercial or investment renovation should be fun, and we make it so! We listen to you, handle the issues and explain the solutions with clarity and transparency. We keep you in the loop.

Above all, we are your advocate: we fight for you at every step of the process, to ensure you get the best possible outcome for the budget we have to work with, with absolutely minimal impact on you.

The end result is always, “Wow! Look what I built with Wo-Built’s help!” There’s nothing better for us.

Addition, major renovation, high-end kitchen … you name it, it can be done. With real estate red-hot in the GTA and interest rates low, why wouldn’t you take the plunge? As your builder-with-a-difference, we work with you (not against you), listen to you (not talk down to you) and keep you in the loop (not keep you up all night). Wo-Built makes residential, commercial or investment building projects a fun adventure to last a lifetime.

Learn more at Wo-Built’s freshly redesigned website for 2012: www.wobuilt.com.

Wo-Built's Team
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Screenshot: Wo-Built Inc. - Your Design & Build Champion
Inspired Design + Adventure in Building + The Wow Factor
2012 @ wobuilt.com