Author: Eyal Salpeter

The Real Importance of Interiors on Mental Health

Space Plus Blog

This past year, in particular, has been a strenuous marathon in mental strength and shear resilience amongst the rapidly changing world around us. Beginning with the unprecedented fires in Australia, the lockdowns, protests, upcoming election and now with the environmental catastrophes across the United States, such as the hurricanes and wildfires we have all been exposed to quite a lot. Perhaps the most extreme emotional turmoil than any of us had experienced in our lives thus far. And now as we begin to reemerge from the confinement of our homes, we head back into group environments that were once places of joy, camaraderie, and integration to find a very changed landscape.

These days, it is second nature to look the other way when crossing someone on the street, if not to avoid crossing the street altogether. It’s normalized to pretend people around us don’t exist because we’re told to remove ourselves from potentially dangerous situations that could lead to the spread of the virus. While these social norms are in place to protect us, they can also be extremely damaging to our human psyche. Feeling mistrust towards all strangers, and in some cases, towards family and friends, has created a collective body of people who resolve to live and work in solitude. So how can we find solutions for reintegration without compromising our humanity in the process? Below we’ll examine some ways in which we can update our interior commercial spaces to protect us from COVID 19 while also regaining some of our human relationships.

The New Open Floor Plan

We’ve all seen them. We’ve probably all experienced them. The Open Floor Plan of the future looks a little different than what is typically imagined. The open plan of today is achieved by bringing the indoors outside. Most restaurants that were allowed to reopen have transitioned to outdoor seating, filling sidewalks and once busy streets with benches, leaving room for 6 feet of separation and plenty of arm room from patron to patron. Investing in pleasantries such as tall, leafy plants and string lights, these businesses have dressed up their establishments in attempts to normalize the very abnormal circumstances. This model, now also adopted by the business world, so far appears to be the safest medium in which to bring people together in a safe, socially distanced atmosphere. The open-air space provides a sense of security for customers and employees alike, eliminating the chance of stagnant, stuffy air that may carry air droplets containing the virus. Even though restaurants and office buildings have begun taking the temperatures of staff and patrons, the vast majority of those testing positive for the virus are asymptomatic. Meaning, a simple temperature test provides little insight about contagious carriers. But with this new model of outdoor dining, open-air office spaces, and outside school lessons, there is less fear about contraction, and as the numbers indicate fewer recorded cases.

Glass Wall Partitions

Indoor Solutions

To accompany the outdoor alternative to coexisting, there are some new and seemingly successful indoor solutions for safe reintegration as well. Glass Wall Partitions and wall dividers are being installed widely throughout office space, schools and waiting rooms to protect workers and customers from spreading the disease. By creating safe, functional environments within larger office buildings we can invite employees back into the office to help readopt a sense of normalcy and collaboration into the workday. People are rightly exhausted from months of working from home. Understandably, many are itching to get back into a healthy home/work-life balance. But we cannot bring workers back into communal environments without updating these interior workplaces to meet the current circumstances. Our collective mental health is has suffered greatly over the past year, and our interiors have understandably become a critical catalyst for our mental happiness or lack thereof. Our commercial interiors should be elevated to compensate for how much time we’re forced indoors. Bringing in plants, more natural lighting, water features, and even pleasant scents all help to soothe our senses and create an elevated place to exist. Stress is caused by so many uncontrollable exterior factors, but interior design is something that certainly can be improved.

Interiors should be designed to spread and enhance beautiful daytime light, drawn in through wide windows and skylights. We aren’t meant to exist for the majority of the day in dark, depressive, artificially lighted indoor environments. By providing light-allowing windows and full-sized Glass Wall Partitions, your office space can bring health back to the workplace. Consider replacing light-blocking interior walls with modern, easy to clean, sliding glass wall partitions and floor to Sliding Glass Room Dividers to improve mental health and morale during the workday.

By providing a more health-centered office environment that integrates beautiful greenery and increased natural light, you can improve the quality of life and health for your employees and customers alike. 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!

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The Importance of Glass

Space Plus Blog

Returning to Life after COVID

It’s safe to say that this global pandemic has been a cumbersome learning lesson for us all in with regards to our understanding of cleanliness, bacteria, and how susceptible we all are too rapid contamination. And with so many uncertainties still on the horizon, we continue to seek solutions and safety in the areas we can control. Something born out of the crisis is special attention to the materials that we build with and the obvious need for partition equipment and spatial solutions. Because these circumstances are all so new and constantly changing, much of the information and understanding we have is not necessarily rooted in fact. To arrive at undisputed facts, it takes years of trial and error, scientific testing, and data analysis. Yet because we don’t have time to waste in this battle against Coronavirus, we are forced to make micro-adjustments day-to-day when attempting to understand what works and what doesn’t.

One of the serious debates during these unprecedented times has been the question of plastic versus glass. While many establishments are choosing to integrate plastic spatial solutions and Standing Wall Partitions or medical dividers, others are opting for higher quality glass products to facilitate the need for a spatial barrier. In this article, we will examine the properties of each and how the chemical properties of partition equipment directly affect our fight against the coronavirus.

Glass versus Plexi, which is better?

Without a doubt, both materials have their own individual value and beneficial qualities. After all, Plexiglass is often considered to be a more durable, harder to crack alternative to glass that still maintains a similar function. But while Plexi may be more durable in the heavily trafficked areas, glass will always be more sanitary, easier to clean, and less porous than acrylic plastics, making them the safer choice of the two for this specific need.

“Glass tends to cost less than Plexiglass and can be more scratch resistant and more easily recycled. Though the benefits of plexiglass are that it may be stronger, more shatter-resistant, and resistant to the elements and erosion than glass.” –Binswanger Glass

Where to Integrate Glass in Business

For any commercial establishment, whether a place of business, a restaurant, or educational institutions, it has become a necessity to provide a physical barrier between employees and customers or faculty and student at highly trafficked points of contact. This is where durable high-quality Sliding Glass Wall Partitions are a wonderful ally in flighting the spread of COVID 19. Glass medical screens are an extremely helpful tool in creating a physical barrier between people in group settings. A lot of restaurants are now installing large-scale glass wall dividers between tables in order to create more safety and security for their customers and employees alike. Within any business, you should be considering how and where you can install glass dividers at points of contact or within heavily trafficked areas.

The Reopening of Schools

Now that we are quickly nearing the end of summer vacation, one of the biggest concerns on the minds of most parents is whether or not schools will be reopening this fall. As many places are adapting to be more cognizant of the transmission of illnesses, schools are also heavily rethinking the interior design of their institutions too. Since children have less spatial awareness and cleanliness standards, it may be time for a modern design solution.

Glass Office Partitions

While many schools are opting for home-school with online classes this fall, there are a growing number of educational establishments that are indeed returning to a physical learning environment. With this, schools will be asked to come up with solutions to ensure that all students and faculty remain physically separated and socially distanced during the school day. Introducing modular glass dividers and Glass Office Partitions into the classroom could be the spatial solution many schools are looking for. These dividers are super easy to install, offer enhanced flexibility as compared with a standard wall, and are very easy to clean and disinfect. As faculty and janitors will be asked to continuously clean surfaces and disinfect, it only makes sense to use glass rather than acrylic as it is the easiest to wipe down and disinfect.

By utilizing transparent spatial barriers indoors, you can help protect your employees and customers from the person-to-person transmission of Coronavirus. Make your establishment as safe as possible for everyone by integrating Glass Room Dividers and standing glass partitions. 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.

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The Science of Plants: Why Integrating These Leafy Greens into Our Interiors Could Change Lives

Space Plus Blog

In the past couple of years, there has been a trending resurgence within the interior design world to bring plants and other natural elements indoors in order to create a sanctuary within living spaces. As humans, we sometimes fail to recognize how impactful the natural world has on our daily lives. Neglecting this very basic human need can result in disharmony from being so disconnected from nature. We truly need a healthy dose of greenery each day in order to feel wholesome, renewed, and healthy.

Now more so than ever, the need for plants, trees, and other natural elements in our living spaces has become invaluable for our collective well being during a worldwide health crisis. With an unprecedented amount of time spent indoors this year, we must recognize the need for nature indoors, and begin to design our interiors with this in mind. Not just in our personal homes, but also in our places of work, hospitals, medical centers, and educational institutions. By integrating the outside indoors, we can provide health sanctuaries for our clients, customers, and patients and help everyone remain as healthy as possible.

So why plants?

Many of the invaluable health effects of plants and the environmental benefits of these leafy greens are lost on the general population. Most of us are not educated on the importance of plants and what they provide for our planet, what they do for our indoor and outdoor air quality, and their ability to enhance human moods. Countless studies have shown that the integration of indoor plants into an interior space has improved the indoor air quality and become a natural system of filtration that keeps everyone breathing healthy air and getting the oxygen we need.

“Studies have proven that house plants improve concentration and productivity (by up to 15%), reduce stress levels, and boost your mood. To create your perfect green haven, it’s worthwhile spending a little bit of time researching the plants that are best suited for each room and what kind of environment.” -Sophie Lee, NBC News

In addition to the elemental benefits that plants provide, they also have shown to be mood-enhancers and concentration boosters through scientific studies. Whether our human needs show that we truly feel happier and more comfortable in an environment that mimics the outdoors, or if there is actually some chemical benefit that increases our serotonin, the emotional effects on our health are unquestionable.

Plants in Our Interiors

Where are plants best used?

Of course, it’s wonderful to surround yourself with plants in your own home, but even better is integrating these beautiful beings into otherwise sterile environments that could be elevated to enhance the occupant’s experience. Hospitals are one of the best places that we should begin to integrate more plants and greenery into. The invaluable asset of good interior design on one’s ability to heal and recover is huge. Not only do plants freshen the air, but they also create harmony within an indoor environment that is otherwise devoid of life. Artificial lighting, little visibility to the outdoors, and in general, a meek surrounding can oftentimes lead to patients’ dissatisfaction, length recovery times, and general sadness while in medical facilities.

“Not only do plants enhance oxygen levels but some studies indicate a plant nearby can lower blood pressure, reduce the need for painkillers, and enhance the overall mood of a patient. Incorporating indoor and outdoor viewing gardens into hospital plans has been undertaken for several years now, and the evidence is clear regarding healing plants and their uses.” -Bonnie L. Grant, Certified Urban Agriculturist, Gardening Know-How

How can plants thrive indoors?

Most interior house plants are not exactly designed to survive in completely dark, shaded indoor environments. Indoor plants still need plenty of secondhand indoor light, which is easily provided through light-allowing windows and full-sized Glass Wall Partitions, for example. If you have a medical facility and would like to begin integrating more greenery into your interiors, you also must take into account the available light you’re working with. Installing easy to clean, medical-grade Sliding Glass Wall Partitions and floor to sliding glass room dividers will help to bring in tons of natural light that will excite not only the plants but also your patients.

By providing a more health-centered medical facility complete with beautiful greenery and increased natural light, you can improve the quality of life and health for your patients and staff. Make your wellness facility as safe as possible for everyone involved. With full hospitals and medical facilities due to COVID 19, ensure your facility a safe place by integrating glass room dividers and glass partitions. 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.

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Why Working from Home Has Become So Strenuous

Space Plus Blog

Working from home has become an integral tool and an invaluable ally in the race to flatten the curve of the current global pandemic. We were sent home, told to make do with our living circumstances, and only allowed visual communication through video chats and zoom meetings. Regardless of the obvious necessity of working from home has become in fighting the good fight against COVID 19, it hasn’t been easy. Well, perhaps for some it’s been a welcomed break from reality. But for most of us who don’t have an adequate home office, WFH mandates have been nothing short of taxing- on our mental health, our physical well being, our productivity and, well, our social life.

So, why has it been so difficult? When these hurdles present themselves, we’re often so struck by the process of change and steeling ourselves amongst the rough waters that we may not always consciously consider the litany of factors contributing to our mental dismantlement. Yes, we gave up the tiresome commute. Yes, we reduced our carbon footprints significantly. Yes, we had less work/life drama wearing us down. At first, these were all much welcomed changes, that many of us were overjoyed to work from the comfort of our breakfast nooks with our roommates/family close by. But it wasn’t long until the novelty of the home-quarantine-endless-summer motif wore off, and we began to miss our daily routines, those co-workers that clearly provided us with much more substance than we were perhaps willing to admit in the past, and the very idea of having a life separate from home.

So now, six months into the virus-induced groundhog day, it appears collective opinion is beginning to change. Despite the many real safety concerns, many of us are looking ahead to brighter days when we can once again transition from pajamas into work attire, to see our favorite barista at our local coffee shop before jumping into our car to commute into the city. We’re ready to enjoy the physical separation from our loved ones and regain the pieces of yourselves we had lost during this global pandemic. But before we can begin to envision future days, we need to understand the why behind our collective suffering. Why was working from home so troubling, so exhausting, so physically taxing as compared with a typical workday?

Homes Are Not Designed to Be Productive

Unless you’re one of the lucky ones who have a real built-in home office, replete with doors, desktop computers, and glass wall partitions, working from home turned out to be a complete disaster. We never had the training or the transition period necessary to acclimate to an unstructured workday, while still aiming to clock full hours and produce great work. The truth is, working on a laptop from your kitchen table or your bed is no replacement for the productivity of a real office surrounded by coworkers, a boss lingering nearby, tangible deadlines, and so on. Despite the concentration hurdles we were faced with, we also had to relearn how to exist in our new ergonomically inadequate set-ups without destroying our bodies in the process. Without help from our standing desks, comfortable working height stations, desktop computers, office chairs, and multiple breaks, many of us were ill-equipped to face an 8-hour workday in a healthy manner.

Office Wall Sliders

“Many of us are finding ourselves hunched over laptops on sofas or beds, perched on hard dining room chairs or subjecting our arms and wrists to ill-placed keyboards. For most of us, gone are the days when well-designed offices took care of all these problems for us.”

-Bryan Lufkin, Worklife

All of the laptop use, poor lighting, uncomfortable chairs, and laying in bed with our bodies scrunched up has compounded after the many months of home quarantine and has caused us to endure taxing physical pain and aches we never experienced prior to the pandemic. When our physical bodies are disrupted and unhealthy, it begins to take a toll on our mental integrity. Pretty quickly, we were faced with a slew of troubling mental uncertainties as a direct result of the times, which ended up affecting our physical bodies.

And so the cycle continued.

Overcoming this pandemic will take a lot of hard work. More than were collectively providing at the moment. But returning to a sense of normalcy is amongst the top of (almost) everyone’s priorities now.

How Will We Get There?

Your real place of work will have to adopt some serious and potentially uncomfortable safety measures and mandates so you and everyone else can be comfortable (and safe) during an in-office workday. They may have to install hundreds of new sliding glass office dividers and glass office partitions in order to keep everyone safe and provide enhanced spatial distancing. You might have to take a temperature check every day you go into the office. Maybe you’ll be asked to bring in your own set of utensils and a personal coffee cup. But these awkward precautions pale in comparison to the real repercussions of emotional instability, physical discomforts, and worse of all- contracting the virus.

Transition your workplace into a safe, welcoming work environment by integrating new techniques, safety measures, and spatial barriers for everyone to benefit from. Install glass office walls, sliding room dividers, and glass sliding doors to allow for increased separation while still maintaining a community feel. A “separate but together” floor plan will become a crucial element throughout this reintegration process to safeguard everyone in the office moving forward. Visit Space Plus, A Division of the Sliding Door Company online for more spatial inspiration, to view our online catalog, and to Get a quote from one of our professionals today.

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Reimagining the Workplace Following COVID 19

Space Plus Blog

For many, this is an extremely daunting task to be faced with; reimagining how one’s business should evolve to meet the new normal set by the Coronavirus pandemic. How exactly, can one’s business push forward and arrive at a completely altered working landscape? Will life ever be “normal” again?

For the past six months, normal has become Work From Home. Stay safe, stay home, flatten the curve. But after practicing social distancing and enduring home isolation for the better half of the year, many are beginning to question whether transitioning their team back into an office environment could be possible, and if so, how to keep everyone safe and risk-free during the typical 9-5 workday. To do this, there will have to be many structural and administrative changes to your once well-functioning office environment. This process may not be a cake-walk, and you’ll have to meet this challenge with an open mind, and enough resources to be successful in this transition. Here are the top four ways in which you can adjust to changing times and prepare your business to emerge from the current crisis unscathed.

Spatial Separation

To achieve enhanced health and safety for you and your employees transitioning back into the office, it is going to take some physical reimagining. You’ll need to alter/change the overall layout and respective environment to accommodate the necessity for physical distancing. Remember that many employees are still quite nervous and apprehensive about returning to work and putting themselves in a potentially dangerous situation. With so many people disregarding government recommendations, it can be understandably hard to know if your peers and coworkers are doing the right thing by wearing a mask/socially distancing outside of the office. As a business owner, the responsibility is on you to ensure your employees are safe when they come into work. Consider ordering modern glass partitions, glass office walls, and easy to disinfect glass office dividers. These spatial solutions offer enhanced barrier and boundary for anyone in the office and will help keep your employees safer and more distanced than normal. They serve a high purpose, allow natural light to flow through the entire office and keep a sense of continuity between employees, raising morale and maintaining a team environment even during the most isolating of times.

2. Enhanced Safety Measures

The next best thing you can do to ensure your office is as safe and as risk-free as possible is to continuously clean, disinfect and manage the health of your working environment. Consider hiring a full-time cleaner or if your company is large enough, a cleaning service that is present the entire workday. They will scrub down surfaces, disinfect and wipe down areas that get high use and traffic such as door handles, bathrooms, communal kitchens, and lounge areas. This way, your employees can feel comfortable existing outside of their little cubicle when necessary. Additionally, require each and every one of your employees to wear a face covering, to refrain from coming into the office if they feel slightly ill, warm, have a runny nose or a cough. Some companies and establishments are even requiring compliance of a routine daily temperature check before entering the building (this applies to both employees and clients alike). Additionally, think about the ways you can evolve your communal spaces, such as kitchens and lounges/co-working stations to become more spaced-out and safer. Move couches and chairs apart to maintain six feet of separation, offer reduced food and beverage options in the communal kitchen area, and ask employees to bring in their own personal utensils and cups.

3. Reduce maximum capacity

An effective tactic in crafting a safe workspace is to stagger workers’ schedules in order to reduce your daily capacity. Organize your employee’s schedules so that some work from home half of the week, while others come into the office, then switch through the week and have the WFH group come into the office and send the others home. While this may be confusing at first, people will fall into this new normal and may even enjoy mixing it up during the week.

Glass Sliding Doors

Transition your workplace into a safe, welcoming work environment by integrating new techniques, safety measures, and spatial barriers for everyone to benefit from. Install glass office walls, sliding room dividers, and glass sliding doors to allow for increased separation while still maintaining a community feel. A “separate but together” floor plan will become a crucial element throughout this reintegration process to safeguard everyone in the office moving forward. Visit Space Plus, A Division of the Sliding Door Company online for more spatial inspiration, to view our online catalog, and to Get a quote from one of our professionals today.

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Integrating Separation in the Workplace Following COVID 19

Space Plus Blog

Admittedly, this all sounds rather paradoxical; integrating separation. Yet, this is essentially the new norm moving forward and out of our economic crisis spurred by COVID 19. In order to regain footing in the work world, many are asked to return to the office perhaps a little sooner than feels comfortable. Of course, there are plenty of safety measures in place, precautionary disinfecting, and routine temperature checks. Yet, to spend an entire workday indoors is a frightening commitment for many. So, as an employer, how can you ease the wary minds of your valuable workforce? Below are some of the most ideal spatial integration techniques to ensure you’re providing a safe environment for everyone to enjoy.

Rotating Schedules

In addition to implementing guidelines for enhanced personal hygiene and deep cleaning within the workplace, consider a rotating schedule method. With this system, a select group of employees will work in-office half of the week, while another group works from home, with the two groups switching throughout the week. This way, you can successfully lessen the chances of viral spreading from close quarters and reduce the overall impact within a newly occupied office.

Installing Glass Partitions

Our contemporary business leaders, entrepreneurs, and employees are now transitioning into collaborative, flexible work environments, seeking something different, fresh. Of course, this means that most newer office spaces are designed to be open-air, communal, and unfortunately, not conducive to protecting employees from a deadly virus. It’s not often we find modern-day offices equipped with closed-in cubicles, isolated offices, and physical privacy. Rather, these offices boast sweeping open floor plans, and rows of desks rather than cubicles.

How does one then craft separation within a vast open floor plan without compromising necessary natural light flow, or the essence of togetherness? Seamlessly integrating flexible solutions for the modern workspace includes installing folding glass doors, interior sliding doors, sliding glass walls, office wall partitions, stacking sliding doors, as well as many more glass options. These modern office partitions are not only easy to clean, a total breeze to install, and aesthetically pleasing, but they also provide the protection employees need to remain safer during this time. The key is to maintain a well-lit environment that still offers flexible spatial separation, visual integration, and, (during the current circumstances) protection.

6-foot Feng Shui

Many employers are beginning to welcome their workforce back into the office, equipped with some necessary safety precautions. Because this virus is mostly transmitted through physical contact and one-on-one close interactions, it is crucial in any indoor environment that staff continues to practice social distancing, and remains at least six feet apart. Not only should employees be mindful of the six-foot rule of thumb, but as an employer, it is your job to reconsider the office environment and redesign the space accordingly. Consider moving desks further apart, creating mandatory seating positions, and spacing out communal necessities. Asking employees to wear masks in more communal spaces such as the break room, the kitchen, or during meetings, comes highly recommended.

With the above methods in use, you should be prepared to receive your hardworking staff with little fear or risk of contraction within the office. Spatial separation, schedule rotations, and for enhanced safety, integration of glass office dividers will be the most crucial element through this reintegration process to safeguard employees, managers, and yourself. Ensure your establishment is as safe as possible for everyone. 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.

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Finding the Middle Ground; How to Foster Productivity, Collaboration, and Innovation in the Workplace

Space Plus Blog

Finding the middle ground within the workplace has never been an easy undertaking. From startup to Fortune 500, and everything in between, finding this sweet spot is no cakewalk. Ensuring that your team of hardworking employees comes into an office setting each day that allows for creativity, idea exploration, collaboration, and of course, productivity can be an understandably difficult medium to reach.

Now more than ever, we must take all of these factors into account when designing the layout and relative environment of our working spaces. New considerations are beginning to emerge out of this pandemic, such as extra spatial separation, clean fresh air, the ability to work in solitude, and more. So, what are some of the most important interior design elements to tackle in the workplace and how can you provide the ideal environment for your workforce? Below we have all the necessary ingredients to inspire your office improvement plan.

Allow for Space

Creating more physical space in a typically cramped office environment can be challenge. However, with the dangers of the Coronavirus still very serious, it will be necessary in the coming weeks and months to reconsider your office interiors. Not only will interior improvements help keep your employees safe and their minds that ease, but it could also allow for a more comfortable, breathable working environment for your workforce to enjoy in the long term. By installing spatial dividers that allow for visibility and natural light to pass through, you can successfully integrate separation but maintain a feeling of togetherness that your workers will greatly benefit from. The use of glass wall partitions, sliding dividers, and floor-to-ceiling room dividers offer the following:

Enhanced safety
Curtail Unwanted Foot Traffic
Allows for heightened productivity and focus
Increases employee concentration

Open Air Environment

The transition away from dark, dim, cubicle-lined offices and into bright, light, fresh, open-air collaborative workspaces have been extremely well received in the work world. Open-air environments offer a sense of ease, comfort, and increased mental capability for anyone working indoors throughout the day. After all, we all need plenty of natural light, visibility, and the feeling of existing harmoniously together with our workmates. Offering a modern glass solution to the obstructing cubicles and walls of the past will foster a much more pleasant, workable office space for everyone. Easy to install modern folding glass doors, and interior sliding doors achieve this medium flawlessly.

Allow for enhanced visibility
Increase natural light
Bring the outside in
Breeds feelings of comfort and home

dentist office with office dividers

Create Community

Lean into community within the workplace. Encouraging your employees to talk, collaborate, pass ideas around, and generate an exciting think-tank environment will help to increase group morale, as well as bridge the gap between ideas still in the incubation phase. Most startups and tech companies utilize this structure because they see how beneficial it can lend themselves to the creative process. Here are some of the ways you can integrate community throughout the office:

Provide shared desks and large, team-sized tables that encourage discussion
Offer communal spaces throughout the office such as comfortable lounges, a communal kitchen, a few conference rooms of varying sizes
encourage friendship and collaboration by providing group games, group lunches, and comfortable break room seating that makes employees feel at home

Transition your workplace into a flexible, communal, productivity powerhouse by integrating more community-oriented spaces, sliding glass walls, office wall partitions, and stacking sliding doors to allow for needed separation while still maintaining a community feel. A “separate but together” floorplan will become a crucial element throughout this reintegration process to safeguard everyone in the office from the current pandemic. 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.

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Solutions for Social Distancing During early Stages of Re-openings

Space Plus Blog

Restaurant Industry Greatly Affected by COVID 19.

While expected, it appears as though most Americans are still grappling with digesting the new normal, being that many public establishments, restaurants included, are beginning to open their doors at alarming rates. Beaches, parks and other recreational, or “non-essential” businesses are also slowly reopening to the public. Though most are uncertain whether this is a wise gamble, others are overjoyed with the recent developments. Over the course of the last two and a half months, the food and beverage industry (including restaurants) has seen an unprecedented rollercoaster of highs and lows, of prejudices and judgments, of swift evolutions and unfortunate pitfalls and foreclosures. Of course, there is really no telling at this point, how successfully the industry will be able to regain its footing and return to “business as usual”. Likely, things won’t look or feel the same for months, perhaps even years. Though, if there is one certainty, it is that during the coming weeks and months, health, safety, and comfort will be taken more seriously than ever before. As a restaurant owner, it will become imperative to not only provide a safe and sanitized setting for your valued patrons, but your future success will hinge on your ability to convince the public that your establishment has taken serious measures to safeguard your visitors. There are a number of ways that you can ensure a clean, healthy restaurant coming out of this pandemic, so perhaps the ideal restaurant is one which utilizes all of the solutions simultaneously. Below are the top health and safety solutions to implement coming out of COVID 19.

Limit Your Available Capacity

Many restaurants are choosing to reopen as safely as possible, to guard both their working staff, as well as their customers. One sure way to reduce the risk of person-to-person spreading, is to significantly reduce the number of available seats in the restaurant. Additionally, outside seating is encouraged, as fresh air is said to help reduce the risk of air transmission from those in close proximity to one another. By halving your normal capacity, you can effectively create distance and space between your patrons, allowing them the peace of mind of a non-crowded atmosphere, while ensuring a no-contact dining experience.

Indoor Social Distancing

Similar to limiting the establishment’s overall capacity, the main idea is to encourage indoor social distancing within public spaces that are normally overflowing with people. In regards to reopened businesses and restaurants alike, it will be very important to discern which tables should be seated depending on how much space they allow from the next occupied table. People want to know that they can remain a safe six feet apart, so it is the restaurant’s responsibility to grant that. The host or hostess must be aware of the current circumstances, the social distancing recommendations, and be able to plan accordingly when seating guests.

Wall Partitions and Room Dividers

Another solution that businesses, educational institutions, and restaurants are starting to utilize, are wall partitions and room dividers. Easy to install partitions can effectively create additional spatial separation and enhanced safety within indoor environments. No restaurant wants to see their customers feeling uncomfortable or worried about their health while out for their much anticipated, long awaited dining experience. As the owner of a food establishment, make use of the available spatial solutions and integrate easy to clean glass room dividers or breezy sliding room partitions throughout your business to create enhanced separation from table to table, or to limit the restaurants available seating. Some restaurants are now even using glass wall dividers to create see-through waiting zones where customers can wait to be seated in a safe, risk-free enclosure, apart from foot traffic and potential contact. Glass walls are not only antimicrobial, but they are also exceptionally easy to clean and disinfect within seconds. Additionally, glass walls are resistant to damage and water, and conveniently offered in a wide range of glass opacities, from completely opaque, to see-through transparent. They require no construction, and take less than 24 hours to be installed by our team of professional installers.

Continue Encouraging Customers to Take Out

Without a doubt, the surest way to continue providing a safe dining experience for your patrons, is to continue encouraging take-away food, deliveries, and made-to-order items that passersby can easily walk home with. By reducing the number of people dining inside the restaurant, you can maintain maximum health and safety for everyone involved.

Spatial separation will be the most crucial element through this reintegration process to safeguard patrons, restaurant staff, and delivery workers against this deadly virus. Ensure your establishment is as safe as possible for everyone involved! Stop the spread of COVID 19 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.

Why Glass Partitions Will Become Necessary Coming Out of COVID 19

Space Plus Blog

Within the coming months, we will start to see businesses, schools and other establishments opening back up to the public. The way in which our American establishments chose to guard themselves against the potential of spreading Coronavirus will depend on what systems, spatial solutions and safety equipment is available. As a business owner or superintendent of a school or college, it is imperative to ensure the safety of your customers and students within your facilities. One effective social distancing solution in public places, is to implement glass walls and glass wall partitions to create safe spaces and physical distancing in otherwise communal areas. While other available spatial partitions remain on the market, it is important to understand the benefits of glass as compared with other alternative materials. Below are a few examples of where glass wall partitions can be used, the benefits these partitions, room dividers and wellness “pods” provide, and helpful inspiration for your establishment moving forward.

Partitions can and should be introduced to create:

safe classrooms
healthy locker rooms/ school gyms
more productive workspaces
dynamic common areas
healthier clinics / partitioned nurses offices
quiet zones (study areas)

Where Wellness Walls and Glass Wall Partitions Can Be Implemented

Nurses Office: Protecting student and healthcare staff, Wellness Walls are easy to be installed into any nurse’s office or health center on campus. Wellness pods are even smaller, single-person waiting rooms with clear glass doors for visibility so healthcare workers can easily monitor patients/students inside. Separating the sick from those who are well will help stop the spread of invisible viruses and illnesses.

In The Classroom: By creating enhanced spatial separation throughout the classroom, students can remain safer during instruction with less physical integration. Quiet corners/study zones are helpful for students that need extra time to complete tasks, or make up tests.

Locker Rooms: Protect students from potential peer-to-peer exposure to COVID-19 and other illnesses by installing glass wall partitions and room dividers throughout locker rooms and exercise facilities. Our glass walls come in a variety of customizable options, that range in glass opacity, size, configuration and accessories. For private spaces such as locker rooms, our opaque glass options would work great, providing enhanced privacy for students.

School & Public Libraries: Education should and can be a productive, safe, and well-enjoyed experience for all. While many are fearful of returning to public learning facilities such as libraries, you can ensure the safety of any and all visitors by implementing the necessary devices to provide a risk-free public environment. Custom-made glass room dividers and office partitions create a wonderful spatial barrier for study corners, checking out/purchasing lines, and perusing zones. These environments dampen airborne disease transmission and empower educators and workers to perform at their best, because risk-free means stress-free.

Enhanced Cleanliness

Our glass walls are super easy to clean, are resistant to damage and water, and conveniently offered in a wide range of glass opacities, from completely opaque, to see-through transparent. They require no construction, and take less than 24 hours to be installed by our team of professional installers.

Our glass room dividers and Wellness Walls are much longer-lasting than alternative materials like acrylic or wood, and can be easily cleaned and disinfected within seconds. While acrylic materials are porous and allow for bacteria to set in, glass is antimicrobial, which is why most wellness facilities and hospitals choose glass over any other material for walls and partitions. Due to the tempered design, our glass walls can be sterilized very easily while holding up in highly trafficked enhanced usage environments.

To achieve an enhanced safety standard, and to create a well-functioning environment for your students, employees and instructors, consider installing wellness walls and glass wall partitions into your establishment. Spatial separation is the most crucial element in this process to safeguard everyone against this deadly virus. Make your facility as safe as possible to effectively stop the spread of COVID 19 by integrating glass wall partitions and increased person-to-person 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.

Los Angeles To Gear Up For ‘The Worst Week’

Space Plus Blog

Increased Isolation Mandates, Closure of All County Parks and Beaches, Navy Hospital Ship Mercy Docks in LA Port

With a recent update from the LA Times, news has spread of a large Navy hospital ship docking in the Los Angeles port to receive medical patients who are in need of urgent care and are suffering from medical issues unrelated to the Coronavirus. This strategy intends to safeguard patients against contracting the deadly disease while in overcrowded hospitals throughout the city. This will also hopefully help alleviate some pressure that has been put on hospitals throughout southern California and the greater Los Angeles area and may provide a bit of relief the city has been hoping for.

These efforts were a direct response from California’s local and state governments as a preemptive measure, as the situation in New York lends example of what a worst-case scenario could look like. Aiming to prepare the city for another wave of patients who are critically ill and struggling to breathe, officials scramble to set up the medical vessel to mitigate the coming impacts these new patients will have on an already overtaxed system. This last Saturday the number of patients in Los Angeles intensive care doubled overnight, which threw public health and safety officials and local governments into a frenzied state of decision making. Trying to find solutions quickly and affordably, the state struggles to meet the demands of a large population and inadequate medical staff.

Introducing a few powerful strategies could be the solution to overcrowding and contamination throughout local Los Angeles hospitals. While this navy ship will take immense pressure off of local facilities, hospitals and medical testing centers still need increased spatial separation and enhanced safety to ensure the wellbeing of patients, medical staff and health officials. In-hospital contamination has become a huge issue and has already compromised too many health care providers, medical staff, and patients. This is one risk that could be avoided. Hospitals must provide stronger safety solutions and spatial separation to decrease the risk of in-care spreading. Providing a clean, safe environment for every patient is of paramount importance.

We have specifically designed specialty medical-grade wall partitions to help solve some of these issues. These spatial solutions are intended for medical facilities to introduce into open floorplans, waiting rooms, and in high-impact zones so as to create increased separation and safety. Below are a few of the features and benefits of our Wellness Walls.

Wellness Walls Features/Benefits:

Glass Wellness Walls Promote Safe Environments
Glass/aluminum is easy to clean and disinfect
Separation of patients necessary to reduce contact/cross-contamination
- Reduced exposure to ill patients
- Protect patients and staff from the spread of viruses and unwanted medical conditions
Opaque or clear glass to provide visual privacy when needed
Enhanced Protection
Low cost, no construction needed
Easy to transport, are modular, and easily demountable. Can swiftly repurpose an office into a checkpoint, etc.
Allows you to transform a space in one day
Social-distancing

With all of the inherent benefits of our Wellness Walls, consider integrating them into your medical facility. While this next month will be a challenge for everyone, the best we can do is to increase separation, decrease contact and provide quick solutions to some of our most pressing problems.

Spatial separation is the most crucial element in this process to safeguard patients, medical staff and 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.