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Tuesday 26 March 2013

Newly Renovated Natural Health Centre Helps Create a Warm, Homey Environment

Natural Health Center - a commercial renovation by Wo-Built, photo wobuilt.com
Photo: Wo-Built’s  Commercial Renovation
Natural Health Center: New  Treatment  Spaces and  Resource Centre

"My interest in nature began early.
When I was 3, I refused to leave a park because I had to pick ALL the dandelions (just imagine a sea of yellow).
 
My current ambition is to help others to use the power of nature to feel their best.
And to love dandelions as much as I do.  ;-)"

~ Janet McKenzie, Summit Natural Health Centre

Welcome to the Newly Renovated Natural Health Centre

We were privileged to work with Ms Janet McKenzie, ND on her new offices for her Summit Natural Health Centre at 5133 Dundas Street West.

The original use for the space was a sales office for the adjacent condo building, hence we were lucky in being able to reuse a lot of the services (HVAC, Fire/Safety, and Lighting) with minor alterations.

As our mandate is to be green, we also reused as much of the existing finishes (doors, carpet (good quality, almost new), and bathroom fixtures) as we could to lessen the amount of materials that went into the landfill.

Our scope of work included adding several consulting rooms and adding a second bathroom. We had some surprises during the renovations, no renovation is without, but we resolved them in some innovative ways. More of that in a later post.

We were able to help create a warm homey environment for the Health Centre, very much on the lines Ms McKenzie envisaged. Something we feel is very important in a health and wellness environment. A calming and relaxing atmosphere will help ease minds, make clients comfortable and facilitate the journey to wellness.

Summit Natural Health Centre is now open. For more information about natural therapies and treatments please contact the Centre.


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

links:
wobuilt.com/blog: Medical Facilities - Building Image and Branding of Your Spaces
Wo-Built’s Commercial Renovation Project Naturopathic Office

wobuilt.com/blog: Health & Wellness Professionals: You wouldn’t let just anyone Run your Practice; Why let just anyone Remodel your Premises?
The bottom-line: we are nothing without our health. Wo-Built could mean everything to the health and wellness of your practice.


Commercial Renovation by Wo-Built: Natural Health Center, photo wobuilt.com
Photo: Wo-Built’s  Commercial Renovation
Natural Health Center: New  Treatment  Spaces and  Reception Area

About Summit Natural Health Centre
Summit Natural Health Centre is a multi-disciplinary clinic focusing on natural medicine. Our mission is to provide individualized care supported by resources that allow clients and members of the community to learn about health and natural treatments.
Summit offers practitioners' rooms in newly renovated premises located in an area with excellent potential for growth.

Summit Natural Health Center
5133 Dundas Street West
Etobicoke, ON M9A 1C1
Phone: 416-236-7642
E-mail: contactus@summitnaturalhealth.ca
Facebook: Summit Natural Health Centre 
Web: www.summitnaturalhealth.ca

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Introducing PeapodLife at Toronto Property Show

Property Show Toronto at The Hyatt Regency Hotel, March 30, 2013, image
Image: The Property Show Toronto - Saturday, March 30, 2013
Credit: ThePropertyShow.ca

The Property Show
Let Our Real Estate Expertise Take You One Step Further

Date: March 30, 2013
Time: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Venue: The Hyatt Regency Hotel
Location: 370 King Street West,
Toronto, Ontario M5V 1J9
Maps & Directions

Presented by: Beadboard Events


Update on our participation at The Property Show

As announced in December we will be with peapodLife at The Property Show on March 30th held at the Hyatt Regency in Toronto.

The show has an amazing line-up of speakers and exhibitors and we are honored to be one of them.

Where better than The Property Show to introduce peapodLife's Advanced Human Habitat concept and BEST Building EcoSystems & Technology to the Real Estate market.

Join us to view one of our custom designed Angolo EcoSystems.

Please feel free to use our promotional code to get 25% off when booking tickets:  PEAPODLIFE-TPS13.

For more information on the amazing speakers please go to The Property Show 2013.

See you at The Property Show!

Martina Ernst
President
PeapodLife - Advanced Human Habitat via Building EcoSystems & Technology




Tuesday 12 March 2013

Habitat for Humans: Indoor Vertical Garden of Eden


Architect Antoni Gaudi's vision for the Sagrada Familia, a church under construction for over 130 years, is aided by modern technology. Lara Logan reports.
Published March 10, 2013 4:00 PM
Can “God’s Architect” show us how to design & build heavenly spaces here on earth? Naturally!

Whether you are a devout anything or not, there is no question: La Sagrada Familia must be counted among the architectural wonders of the world. And it’s not even finished yet.

The vision granted to Antoni Gaudi some 130 years ago has been under construction for most of the time since. We won’t recount the history in detail; see the above 60-Minutes feature video for a good overview.

Rather, we’d rather focus on snapshot images like these; “majestic” and “awe-inspiring” come to mind.

Image: La Sagrada Familia – Interior, showing giant “tree” columns supporting “canopy” ceiling.

What immediately captured our interest was the majesty and reverence invoked by this building’s interior. It is entirely inspired by nature. Natural light casts shafts of illumination down through the spires in what amounts to a pure white forest of other-worldly design. Inspired design. (Where do you think the word “spire” comes from?)

The following two images capture this effect in greater detail. The feelings evoked are truly that of a magical forest. One can imagine oneself in the mystical Loth Lorien from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. In truth, the space captures in essence, the purity and genius of any forest ecosystem.

It manages to uplift the spirit not unlike the majesty of West Coast Redwoods do when one encounters those columns reaching toward the heavens.

Two Images: La Sagrada Familia Interior Space Interior Detail of tree trunk and branches columns supporting canopy ceiling, and the heavens above. 
Credit: Warwick Mihaly; Source: Panfilocastaldi | Architecture, design and photography: La Sagrada Familia forest + La Sagrada Familia ceiling

This image of the space above the sanctuary (the altar and surrounding area) perfectly illustrates how natural themes and elements reach upwards toward the heavens, where natural light floods the space from above in harmonious union with the divine (religare: from which we derive the word religion).


Credit: Jeremy Jones; Source: Paperblog: A Sincere Apology to La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia is the epitome of how natural light and themes transform a space into something more…much more. They bring a vibrancy, life, vitality, energy, to a building. They evoke positive feelings of peace and tranquility, even in the face of such majesty as this cathedral…exactly like nature itself does. It is a perfect union of architectural mastery and building technology with the essence of nature – light, energy, the foundations of the natural world.

Antoni Gaudi’s vision was to immortalize in glass and stone the glory of God, the majesty of nature, and the mystery of how the heaven’s and earth unite. Heady stuff. Sort of requiring a building project on the scale of La Sagrada Familia. Wo-Built can’t help but ask: can this same effect be created in a home? An office? Any building?

Absolutely.

With lots of natural light; a living breathing ecosystem; some nature-inspired design and a healthy dose of sacred geometry, even the smallest of buildings, the tiniest of spaces can be transformed into tribute to the glory and majesty of Divine Mother Nature, the Divine Father of Everything, and where the two unite in mutual harmony and symbiosis to create something truly wonderful and magical together: habitat worthy of true human beings…a building suitable for us…the so-called Children of God.

Advanced Human Habitat. A space to thrive in; to feel better about yourself and others in. A building which makes you gain more by consuming less. Saving energy and warming your heart instead of burning energy and warming only your body.  A space which provides purity of air, water, and atmosphere. A place that is your sanctuary. An Indoor Vertical Garden of Eden. A little bit of Heaven on Earth…for you and your loved ones. A habitat for human beings to aspire to their highest selves, perform to their utmost abilities and achieve their greatest achievements.

And you don’t have to believe in anyone or anything but your own senses: you can see, feel and benefit from such inspired habitat. You don’t have to believe…you need only be human!

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

Thursday 7 March 2013

5 Reasons Why Remodeling Can’t Compare with "AHH…!"

Collage: Remodeling vs. Advanced Human Habitat
pPodLite Muro and pPodLite Angolo self-contained vertical garden ecosystems
Image Credits: PeapodLife; MS Office ClipArt: Woman Construction, Man Construction

pPodLite Muro and pPodLite Angolo self-contained vertical garden ecosystems create Advanced Human Habitat; are the BEST way to give any old décor a new lease on life!

So you’re all fired up to improve your space. You’ve got a budget in mind and you’re ready to take on the project of re-inventing your home, office, retail boutique…whatever! Before you do, we think you should save yourself lots of time, money and headaches and give yourself some “AHH…!” instead.

5 reasons why pPodLite Muro & Angolo Vertical Garden Ecosystems by PeapodLife are infinitely better than remodeling at revitalizing space and actually create Advanced Human Habitat.


  • 1. There’s no substitute for nature. No art, paint, furniture, appliances wallpaper, tile, window dressing, carpet, or anything else you can think of can replace the universal appeal of nature. Not only that, none of your efforts to change the look and feel of the space will improve the air quality or vitality of the atmosphere. It will only ever be a “special effect;” a substitution for the real thing. pPodLite is the real deal. It is a cause of positive effects: in you and everyone else.
  • 2. Remodeling is just a temporary “fix”. Magazines and interior design gurus will tell you what fabrics, furniture, flooring, lighting and accessories are “hot” right now, but a few seasons from now tastes will change. It’s like the belief you can merge old and new architecture. What happens when the “new” becomes old again? The key is to find and accentuate timeless beauty.  Nature is always in style: ecosystems are alive! They grow, adapt and change all the time.
  • 3. Remodeling may look good, but an ecosystem feels incredible. Sure, when your makeover is done, it’ll make you feel pretty good (if it went well; or relieved that it’s over with). But after a while, the pleasure effect will wear off, as it always does. pPodLite self-contained ecosystems are easy to install, and immediately change the energy and vitality of any space. People will ask you “did you remodel!?” not because they see the difference immediately; but because they can feel it. This is the “holy grail” of interior design. It comes standard in pPodLite.
  • 4. Remodeling is expensive. To get “the right look” you may need to spend tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours of your time. Sure, you may enjoy remodeling. You may like browsing home décor magazines and watching HGTV until your eyes get bloodshot. But time is money. And just think what else you could be doing in a vibrant new living space in the company of a living, breathing vertical garden ecosystem which was installed in no time.
  • 5. Treating plants only as expensive “living art” is a recipe for disaster. Thinking of jumping on the indoor vertical garden bandwagon because you like the look of it? Be prepared for “the revenge of mother nature.” Sellers of soil-based living walls won’t tell you about the mess, the smell, the dripping water. What’s that going to make your expensive makeover? (How are you going to change the soil in that vertical garden when it putrefies and dies?) As for hydroponic or other contrived ways of hanging plants in a completely unnatural way (i.e., without their roots firmly grounded and pointing downward toward the earth) be prepared to double, triple, or quadruple your home makeover budget long term. Oh, didn’t “the other guys” tell you about the ongoing plant replacement costs? Of course not, because they won’t admit to the facts: plants simply cannot survive long-term in any so-called “living wall” which ignores the fundamental laws of nature? The most fundamental of those? The law of the ecosystem; the law behind PeapodLife.
For more info and links, check out the official announcement at PeapodLife.com: PeapodLife Officially Launches pPodLite. You will also find PDF’s of product sheets for pPodLite Muro and Angolo.


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