Tag: glass walls

New York Hospitals Face Extreme Conditions

Space Plus Blog

It’s no surprise that the city of New York would be one of the most affected by this crisis, and would suffer the most severe damage from the general design of New York City and the sheer amount of citizens living in a 2.3-mile wide territory. The inevitability of this catastrophic disaster was so abstract that for many, our largest fears surrounding this situation in New York have now been realized. With the exhaustive conditions of overcrowded hospitals and a current death toll of around 2,000 people, New York is by far the most severely hit state by Coronavirus.

Because these hospitals are so overcrowded, reports and imagery of patient living conditions within the city hospitals are confounding. Images of patient-lined hallways and hospital beds scattered throughout empty floor space in medical centers have many of us wondering what solutions may exist. Unable to enjoy the comforts and privacy of a hospital room, most patients are currently placed wherever there is room available. With the number of cases rising every day, news of nurses and doctors coming to help from neighboring states gives some hope in these dire moments.

Creating a healthy hospitalized environment for patients, front-line care workers, families and communities has become our top priority at Space Plus. Within the context of the all-encompassing coronavirus outbreak, we’re now offering our Wellness Walls to accommodate the increased needs for time-sensitive medical facilities, with minimal disruption and no major construction.

Our Wellness Walls are essentially glass wall partitions that hospitals can install and integrate into the hospital floor plan to create spatial separation and the confinement of patients being treated. These act as small-scale care rooms that can be deployed almost anywhere you have available space. Below is a comprehensive list of all of the potential uses and situations where our Wellness Walls could be deployed.

Situational waiting rooms
Infection control prevention
Mitigation Isolation System
Protection of Staff
Customizable and Convertable (can adjust depending on the number of sick vs. healthy patients)
Exam rooms
Triage rooms
Helps Increase Patient Flow and Available Rooms
Isolation rooms (positive and negative pressure)
Diagnostic labs
Easy to Clean
Doctors and Nurses can write on the glass walls (great for indicating arrival times and numbers, as well as labeling immediate attention patients, etc. Can be erased easily)
Administration spaces
Glass is Impermeable to Infectious Virus
Sliding pass-through window great for medications and paperwork
Perfect for testing and lab stations
Interior construction for temporary facilities
Can be installed in unused administration spaces that could be transitioned into overflow areas
Existing lower acuity units that could transition to high acuity units

With the integration of glass partitions and wall dividers, hospitals may be able to stabilize and care for all of the incoming patients in need. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo approximates that we have not yet hit the “Apex” of this Virus and that by the end of April we will have reached the high point of the pandemic in New York, with a hopeful drop-off and decline to ensue thereafter. This indicates that the time for action is now and that we are currently in a race against the disease spreading further. Spatial separation is the most crucial element in this process to safeguard our citizens against this deadly virus.

Make your wellness facility as safe as possible for everyone involved. Stop the spread of COVID 19 within hospitals by integrating glass wall partitions and increased patient separation. Visit Space Plus, A Division of the Sliding Door Company online to view our online catalog, and Get a quote from one of our professionals today.

Tips on How to Flourish During The Workday

Space Plus Blog

We’ve all been there; tired, stressed, overworked and mentally exhausted during your workday. You glance over at the clock and your fears were correct, it’s not even close to 5 o’clock and you are far from finishing your daily tasks. Why is it you find yourself so spent day after day at the office? Perhaps it’s easily attributed to poor quality of sleep. Or maybe it’s because you aren’t living your work life as authentically and ambitiously as you could. Well, fear not, for we come bearing positive news. There are a number of healthy lifestyle choices, mental exercises and flourishes you can employ into your 9-5 to keep you jazzed, increase your quality of life, and make some serious headway on those all-consuming deadlines you’ve been running from. Read on for the secrets to flourishing during your (once dreaded) workday.

Practice intentional breathing

While this may sound all too new-age for you, just consider how completely important the act of breathing is. The effect that breath has on our all-around mental and physical health is unparalleled. Though, despite the voluminous amount of findings that prove how impactful conscious breathing is on our lives, many of us tend to cast this very simple practice to the side. While at work, try to integrate mindful breathing into each hour. Start with twenty deep breaths every top of the hour. This will only take you the better half of a minute, yet the effects will generate so much lastly positivity on your whole being. Then, once you master that, increase the amount of deep breathing to 30 breaths, then forty, and so on until you reach five full minutes of deep, intentional breathing per hour. Not convinced? Try it at least twice before deciding it’s not for you.

2. Build awesome relationships with your coworkers- and your boss!

Many employees report that a big cause for unhappiness during the workday is caused by a feeling of separateness amongst their coworkers or floormates. See if you can change this lack of closeness and human connection by asking one of your team members to have lunch with you a few days a week. Just having thirty minutes to talk with and learn about someone else’s life will significantly reduce feelings of separation. You may come to find you’re not alone in these feelings of solitude.

3. Get outta that chair!

This one is super important. As humans, we were not physically (or mentally) designed to sit in a chair for eight-plus hours a day. Make a concerted effort to get up, walk around, stretch, and move your body a few minutes every hour or so. This act will get your blood pumping and flowing properly again, which will also flow to your brain and as a byproduct, increase your mental capabilities exponentially.

4. Bring the gym to you

If you don’t have a gym that you frequent after your workday, and you can’t find the time during your lunch break to get up and be active, considering bringing the gym t you. Bring weights, a yoga mat, and even an exercise ball to the office if space allows. Especially if you enjoy your own office space, why wouldn’t you want to get up and enjoy some light exercise every few hours to maintain physical health and mental wellbeing? Yoga can be the answer to stagnant blood flow, stress, work-induced anxiety, and being overwhelmed. Yoga also forces you to breathe deeply, which will check #1 off your list.

5. What’s fueling you?

It’s so important to carefully consider what you are consuming throughout your workday. While there are so many opportunities for us to make unhealthy dietary choices at work, this is where mental strength comes into play. Physicians strongly recommend packing lunch in the morning to bring to work with you. Not only with a homemade meal be a lot healthier, but it’s typically a lot cheaper and environmentally sound than ordering takeout or Grubhub every day. Try to avoid too much boredom snacking and sugary coffee drinks, as these will simply turn into stored fat as your body sits for hours and hours without being able to burn it.

6. Create an office oasis

Crafting a serene surrounding office environment will seriously brighten your daily work experience. Consider bringing in low light houseplants, art for the walls, personal photographs and knick-knacks to personalize your space. Ask management about installing a glass office door so that you don’t feel so boxed in and closed off from the outside world. Often times, office partitions aren’t very well-considered, and therefore they can tend to detract from employees’ happiness and ensuring productivity.

7. The power of thought

Though at times it can be understandably difficult, try to maintain a positive mental outlook and attitude, both internally and externally. The power of positive thought is growing more and more curiosity and testing because science is finding a direct correlation between people living longer and healthier who practice positive thought, and who surround themselves with positive people. Be that person in your office that spreads and inspires infectious positivity.

8. Stop procrastinating!

Of course, this one is easier said than done. However, procrastination can have a seriously unhealthy impact on your mental health, which then effects (you guessed it!) your physical wellbeing, too. We procrastinate for a number of reasons, ranging from fear to inability, and from insecurities right down to pure laziness. Does it ever result in a positive outcome? Nope. Cut it from your life. Procrastinating only adds drama and stress to your life- both things we’re aiming to reduce.

9. Become a sun worshipper

If at all possible, talk to your boss or management about the possibility of introducing glass walls and translucent office partitions into the open floorplan of your workspace. This will allow for so much beautiful (and necessary) natural light to free flow through the interiors and lift everyone’s spirits, boost morale and create a healthier inside environment for everyone to enjoy.

10. Crank the tunes!

This one may seem silly, but trust, this is one of the best possible ways to increase happiness, stimulate your senses and add some serious ambiance to an otherwise dull workday. Latin jazz and Cuban dance music are known to add some vibrance and flavor to the atmosphere- don’t be surprised if you feel the urge to get out of your chair and dance a few steps of salsa (before your coworkers spot you, of course).

With all of these creative solutions to enhance your mood, your physical health, and your overall working experience, you have all the wonderful ingredients to create the idyllic workday and lifestyle centered around balance week after week! Make the move towards crafting a desirable workspace, and visit Space Plus, A Division of the Sliding Door Company for ideas and inspiration. Get a quote from one of our professionals to begin the transformation today.

Integrating and Updating the Classroom

Space Plus Blog

classroom setting with glass partition walls — SAMSUNG

Children exist in classrooms for the better part of a year. They are situated in an enclosed environment that is to be their framework and the overall basis for learning and growth. This space is, of course, shared with many other children who are each unique and individual in their capabilities, interests, behaviors, and attention spans. Although we now understand the psychological benefits and necessity in addressing each child’s individual needs, we still craft entire classrooms and institutions for education in too vast and general a space.

By doing this, we allow for crippling distraction, generalizing, and lack of options during the school day. This is a paradigm that needs to metamorphosis with the changing times and increased understanding of child psychology. Space Plus, A Division of The Sliding Door Company has crafted a list of helpful solutions in the classroom integrating a few of our space optimizing Glass Wall Partitions and sliding glass doors to achieve a healthy classroom balance for all students to enjoy. Below is a breakdown of some well-known issues in the classroom, and our tips on installing the resolution.

The Known Culprit- Distraction

First, the largest issue and overall reason for classroom disruptions are individual and collective distractions. Many students suffer each day from crippling ADHD, ADD and just basic, un-termed lack of focus. Children are not necessarily designed to sit still and focus in a small room for hours on end, without breaks and fresh projects keeping the day stimulating. Because kids can only focus for so long on one theme or lesson, there is an inevitable point in each day where the collective student body begins to suffer from diminished capacity due to stagnant energy, other children disrupting the group or just plain boredom. Below are four main factors at play that should be addressed and reconsidered.

Diminished Focusing Capacity

There are a few ways to help mitigate this stagnation amongst your students:

Craft a few distinct zones with frosted glass dividers throughout the classroom to break up the lessons into activity zones. After twenty or thirty minutes in each ‘zone’ have each group switch to the next station. This keeps the lesson moving and flowing, and the students preoccupied in the right ways.
Give students the opportunity to work in separate spaces separated by wall partitions in the classroom if they need a little extra time to finish an equation or an activity when it’s time to move the majority of the class on. This way, the student can enjoy a finished thought before prematurely switching gears without having fully understood the material. This will cater to students who take a little more time to grasp concepts.
Be sure to craft thoughtful seating arrangements and successful partnerships in the classroom. A large reason for distraction in the classroom comes down to poor seating relationships and putting students together who are going to distract rather than inspire one another.

Lack of Accommodation for Different Learning Styles

Our educational system tends to operate with a standardized teaching method for every student- regardless of their attention span, their learning style, and their individual comprehension. This is an outdated approach to teaching, that is quickly being updated by any institution of learning that is clued in. Here are a few ways to integrate techniques that cater to the individual in the classroom.

Allow options by giving the students the opportunity to work collectively as a class, individually, and in small partnerships. This encourages varied thought and the beneficial qualities achieved through shared thought and group problem-solving. This also keeps the students stimulated and provides great team-building opportunities.
Offer quiet zones that are subjugated by sliding glass wall dividers in the classroom that cater to students that need a little extra help focusing on their activity. Some students find it very distracting to exist in a vast and stimulating atmosphere. This can be a crippling impediment for the student’s basic education.
Mix up the day with a variety of learning activities, from music to written assignments, art projects, and building exercises. By keeping the students on their toes, they inherently are able to better focus their attention and actively participate. Some children are more artistically inclined than others, some are more mechanical or math forward. By catering to a multitude of activities, the teacher allows individual successes amongst the students.

Physical Outlets

As previously stated, children are not designed to sit still and focus all day. Especially inside. Young children, as well as teens and adolescents, need a surprising amount of physical exercise and outside stimulation to achieve a healthy balance throughout the day. Here are some exercises to employ during the school day.

Take the students outside every ninety minutes or so to get their blood running, and some fresh air circulating. Having them run a lap around the track or go on a ten-minute walk will increase their overall stamina throughout the day and ability to concentrate in the classroom.
Provide a small portion of the classroom as a movement zone. Install simple glass wall dividers in the open floor plan to create a place for students to get up and do some necessary movement when going outside isn’t an available option. Yoga and normal stretching can be a crucial benefit to the health and wellness of the student’s day. Especially when they are asked to sit in uncomfortable desk chairs for long periods of time.

By utilizing a few of these helpful tips, you can better craft a productive working environment that caters to all students evenly. When atmosphere and stimulus are so important to students, it’s a no-brainer that providing options and healthy outlets will improve the overall quality of their education. To get started on optimizing the classroom for success, visit Space Plus, A Division of The Sliding Door Company for more ideas and inspiration on available solutions. Call Us to get in touch with one of our helpful representatives today!

Bringing Your Office Into The Roaring ‘20s With The Latest in Glass Partition Technology (the perfect Holiday gift for your company)

Space Plus Blog

The Holiday Season is upon us, and it’s the last of the twenty-teens! It’s time to treat yourself and your organization to an upgrade. Our working environments are about to start evolving, and it’s important to stay ahead of the latest interior design and thinking to stay competitive. This is where we come in. Space Plus, a division of The Sliding Door Company, are leaders in cost-effective and innovative interior office and home products to help you navigate the design trends of the 2020s. Our professional experts are always available to provide you with factory-direct, glass solutions to ensure that you, your clients, or your fellow inhabitants will feel safe and comfortable in the space we create together.

If you’re looking to start evolving your space now, and you’re already aware of the office partition trend taking over the businesses leading America, you’ve come to the right place to learn more. Trend-setters and organizational psychologists are reporting that the 2020s will be the decade of inclusivity and that all starts with your office design.

Open Your Space to… Natural Light and Happiness

Throughout the Holiday season, hours of sunlight can drop dramatically, leading to lower levels of productivity and higher rates of burnout and turnover. Here at the Sliding Door Company, our commercial division, Space Plus, we integrate natural light into our solutions to mitigate the impact negative impact of darkness, even when the snow is starting to fall. Planning your interior partitions for offices around such scientific discoveries is part of our expertise. Our team has the resources to ensure that no matter what your spatial context, team size, or project purpose, including ADA compliance, contributing to LEED points and flexibility, we can help you realize we can realize your design goals.

An office’s partitions are an integral part of fostering an inclusive environment. Glass Partitions are particularly popular with our clients as they align with some of the key factors that inspire communicative working cultures. For example, having both a glass office door and glass wall partition allows for greater use of natural light, an organic promoter of happiness and inspiration. Many leaders are opposed to the distraction caused by the clear glass; therefore, frosted, smoked, combination, or other glass opacities are great alternatives that give visual privacy without compromising on natural light.

… New Interactions That Lead to Innovation

Along with the external influence of utilizing glass in your office environment, creating an efficient co-working space or predominantly open-plan office does not mean your more intimate meetings have to take place in dark, airless boxes. Co-working spaces are predicted to make up five to ten percent of all office spaces by 2030, so the 2020s is when you need to ensure you’re building out your competitive design. With the use of our glass wall partitions, changing your space to suit the daily needs of your staff and team sizes has never been easier.

Our expertise in movable walls will allow you to innovate your space for all future office needs (particularly for Holiday parties). Incorporating glass wall partitions inspires interactions, taking your office from a work environment to communal space in a matter of moments, but these walls need to be able to move when your spatial needs change. Fostering conversation and flow of human activity is a core purpose of our design expertise, so ensuring that your space can move with your needs is what we do best.

Flexibility is Key

There is no need to compromise on the availability of private spaces for high-concentration work. Whether you’d prefer to have your interior glass door slide up along the wall, or have them tucked away in a pocket, it’s your choice with our sliding glass doors for office partitions. All of our glass doors are factory-built and heavily tested for quality and safety in robotics technology. Our room dividers, office enclosures, modular wall partitions are fully customizable for every project we work on.

You can find the extensive bandwidth of our product line in one of our 26 showrooms nationwide, where we serve our clients with factory-to-field turnkey solutions. All of our solutions are fabricated with glass and aluminum, which are both environmentally friendly and contribute to earning LEED points too (another gift to yourself this Holiday season).

For an in-person experience of our work, just visit your local showroom. We have also worked extensively with WeWork, Serendipity Labs, Venture X, Ignited Spaces, Hilton Hotels, and several Fortune 5000 office and living spaces. Our work with these huge international teams has been featured across the press and media, but we are most proud of the relationships we build for long-term, ongoing work with our clients, no matter the size or scale.

We also have a long-standing relationship with dealers of Harley Davidson, Ford, and more. Our work is featured in showrooms across the United States, including our stacking room dividers, pantry enclosures, and our barn doors. Whether you’re running a spa, salon, office space, school, nursery, hospital, dental office, daycare, or want to redesign your own home, we have a plethora of options to satiate any needs.

The unique purpose of our work is to allow you to realize the exact shape, size, and flow of space you desire. If you’re a real estate owner or developer, or the person hiring one for your company, let us help you find the most cost-effective way to evolve your working environment. As these integrated, smart designs continue to grow in popularity, remember that Space Plus, A division of The Sliding Door Company, continues to have the best interior wall, door, and interior glass partitions; everything is made in our fashion, with quality and safety you can trust. We will be happy to find the perfect combination of design and functional elements specifically for your project so that you can be delighted with the result. View our gallery for inspiration, and to learn more about how our excellent team keeps achieving such high results for all of our incredible clients.