An Architect’s Guide To…..
An Architect’s Guide To Choosing The Right Drafting Stool
A standard component of any office’s design is a comfortable office chair The average work day is 8 hours, and while you have a lunch break and a couple of coffee breaks spread out intermittently throughout your day, the majority of your time is probably spent crouched over your desk. Given the amount of time spent down sitting down, making sure you have a chair that properly and comfortably supports you is absolutely essential. For architects, having the proper seating in your studio is equally important.
Sure, most standard office chairs are height adjustable, but they really don’t offer enough height for use with a drafting table or a counter-height work surface. Not only does a drafting chair/stool provide more in the way of height, it lends itself better for use with the large width and depth of angled drafting table surface. Here is a basic guide on choosing the right drafting chair for your home studio or office space.
Height Matters:
The first thing you need to consider is the height of your main work surface. While a normal office chair might work best if you use a standard size desk with a flat, horizontal work surface, if your work surface is angled in any way you might want to consider a drafting chair.
A drafting chair should put the lowest edge of your work surface at about elbow height. The seat height should be adjustable (most drafting chairs today have this feature), allowing you to work comfortably anywhere on your work surface. If you work in a shared office space, it’s imperative that you search for a drafting chair that has a larger height adjustment range.
Turn Me Right Round…:
A swivel feature is absolutely essential component to any drafting chair. The swivel function helps to encourage proper posture, keeping you from twisting and turning your upper body when you get up or turn around in your chair. Having a drafting chair with a swivel function also makes working in a collaborative environment easier, giving you additional freedom of movement.
Other Essential Features:
Other important features to look for in a drafting chair include a foot ring, an ergonomically-contoured design and comfortable seating.
- Foot Ring: Since you are sitting higher up off the ground, your feet need somewhere to go. Having a foot ring is therefore a necessity! Your best bet is to purchase a drafting chair with a 360 degree adjustable foot ring. Positioned above the base of the chair, the foot ring allows you to rest your feet flat since you can’t likely reach the ground. Helping to maintain proper posture, a circular foot ring will support your feet whichever way you swivel in your chair.
- Ergonomics & Comfortability: Don’t skimp and purchase a cheap drafting chair if you plan on using it for hours upon hours. Working all day in a chair with little to no back support is a bad idea all around. You risk serious injury, not to mention general to severe discomfort. Your drafting chair needs to have both lower and upper back support.
Chair backs need to be adjustable as well to account for all heights and body types. Backless drafting chairs are not recommended for extended periods. Perhaps a model with adjustable arm rests is a good idea as well, depending on your preference. Arm rests do provide additional support, but sometimes get in the way of your arm movement. Certain models like Herman Miller’s Aeron Work Stool feature a tilt system that actually keeps the sitter’s feet, arms and back support in place whether he is reclining or leaning forward, providing for a seamless transition between postures.
A high quality drafting chair could cost you between $300 and $1,000 so it’s definitely an investment. Whether or not you decide to purchase one should be based on personal preference. You also need to take into consideration your current studio’s layout. If you’re planning on purchasing a new drafting table, it’s definitely time to upgrade your chair as well. Look at it this way – the more comfortable you are sitting down, the more productive you are likely going to be. If you are suffering, then your work is most likely suffering as well.
Posted in Product Review and tagged architect, architecture, chair, desk, furniture, guide, Marketing, office, seat, seating by Studio Render with 28 comments.
“Green” Architecture
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Sustainable “Green” architecture, is a general term that describes environmentally-conscious design techniques in the field of architecture. Sustainable architecture is framed by the larger discussion of sustainability and the pressing economic and political issues of our world. In the broad context, sustainable architecture seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space. – Wikipedia.org
Historically speaking, building took into account many factors that the technology of today has let us overlook; Factors such as building orientation, natural light, using local materials and designing to minimize expensive excess, to name a few. Architects can specify tile that comes from Italy, steel that must be expensively procured, shipped and attached, and designing HVAC to overcome bad design so that everyone is comfortable. The question is why we have gone away from responsible designing and building techniques; because we are used to taking technology and what we are able to get for granted. Just because you can get something, does that mean you should? Architects like Frank Lloyd Wright were known for using site materials for construction and being “Organic Architecture”. That doesn’t mean they are sustainable structures, but many are very good examples of what could be done easily in today’s society to maintain environmental sensitivity. Not all sustainable buildings have to use expensive solar panels or windmills to be considered “green”.
Interesting Religious “Green” websites:
http://www.nccecojustice.org/grbuilding.htm
http://www.greenerbuildings.com
http://www.churchsolutionsmag.com/articles/3b1Feat1.html
http://store.churchlawtodaystore.com/creachdo.html
http://www.rca.org
Posted in Sustainable and tagged architecture, development, Discussion, economic, efficiency, environment, environmentally, green, history, natural light, orientation, Sustainable, techniques, technology by Studio Render with 24 comments.
Sustainable design brainstorm
The following is a brainstorm for designing a ZERO ENERGY residential structure in Detroit, Michigan that I used several years ago.
Standard electric resistance 52 gallon storage tank
Collector rated at an energy production of 45,600 Btu/day at the low temperature (95°)
WHITE ROOFS:
o Altering residences to white roofs may reduce cooling energy needs.
o Average 19% reduction
o White tile provides the best cooling related performance post WWII nearly all roofs were white
Super Efficient Refrigerator (Kenmore 55792)
PHOTOVOLTIC MODULES:
o Single crystalline modules have a maximum power rating of 75W
o BYPASS diodes are installed in each module to minimize loss due partial shading
Interior mounted duct system (R-5 flex ducts)
WIND POWER:
o One of the most promising new energy sources that can serve as an alternative to fossil fuel-generated electricity
o Wind Power COULD be our main source of electricity
§ 20% of supply with only 1% of the US land
o Large numbers of wind generators are required to produce useful amounts of heat or electricity
SOLAR POWER:
o The sun provides enough energy in 1 MINUTE to supply the world’s energy needs for 1 YEAR
o Used in 2 forms: thermal & photovoltaic
§ To warm building, heat water & generate electricity
§ Cell-module-panel-array-array field
o Non-polluting, no moving parts that could break down, requires little maintenance and has a life of 20-30 years with low running costs
o An average home has more than enough roof area to produce enough solar energy to supply all of it’s power needs
o The solar equipment will eventually pay for itself in 2-5 years depending on the amount of sun the location receives
REQUIREMENTS:
o KITCHEN-20 amp small appliance circuit
o APPLIANCES-separate circuits for built-in’s
o LAUNDRY-20 amp circuit with a 240-volt circuit
o OUTLETS-1 circuit for every 575 SF; any point must be within 65 feet for an outlet; maximum height for an outlet is 5.5 feet; any wall 2’ wide must have an outlet; hallway requires 10 foot/outlet
o BATHROOM-separate 20amp circuit
Posted in Sustainable and tagged brainstorm, check list, design, Discussion, environment, environmentally, green, ideas, Sustainable by Studio Render with 2 comments.
