now it's no easy task to hoist up a freshfood display. you definitely don't want one of these to fall on your foot.i'm kalyn rothaus, and that's me at my first building project and my first power lunch.for as long as i can remember, i've wanted to be a designer, and now here i am creatingfunctional and fabulous spaces. this is my client, mark alfieri, founder and chairmanof brandstar, and that's carmen, his chief operating officer. they've asked me to takethis building and turn it into a modern and efficient workspace. it's going to be a challenge,but in the end, the new space will be functional and of course it will most definitely be fabulous.(music). we're now entering our third month of constructionon the new building. mark gave me the design
challenge to move 150 employees out of 20,000square feet and into this new building that's only 11,500 square feet. the challenge forme was to create a better working environment so that everyone would be more productive.the bullpen is a perfect example. just last week, mayline installed all the new furniturefor 54 employees that will be in this space. naturally, with that many people in a relativelysmall area, noise will be a factor. i've addressed that issue by installing armstrong calla ceilingpanels with total acoustic performance that will absorb 85% of the sound and block 35decibels. i've taken further steps to improve sound quality by adding sound masking to thenew space. i think together all of the sound technology will be a great solution for makinga smaller workspace more productive. oh yeah,
last week, with the help of 2/90 sign systems,we also found some fun ways to address the individuality and creativity of our employeesthat i'm sure they're going to love. but that was last week. now we move ahead.so today, we're working on a space that i'm sure is going to make the employees happy,the break room. but i want it to be so much more than just a place to grab a snack orchoose a drink from a vending machine. my vision is to design a comfortable dining areathat can serve as a fun meeting space as well, and for that i'm working with don jones frominnovation cabinetry to create what's needed for a high-end kitchen.when kalyn first called, she wanted something that was outside of the normal realm thatyou see in a business setting. most people
spend so much time at work, more than theydo at their own house, you might as well enjoy while you're being here.however, i did have a few curveballs to throw in with my design request including a kitchencabinet that would hold enough microwaves to satisfy 150 employees when they get hungry.typically, you don't have a 3-microwave cabinet available, so we were able to take one ofour existing pantry type cabinets and customize it with different shelving so it will havehouse the three microwaves. overall, i couldn't be happier with innovationcabinetry. once they finalized the drawings and the product is manufactured, they showup on site with everything ready to install. (music).when i was designing the dining area, i also
wanted it to serve purposes when it wasn'tlunch time. i wanted it to be a conference space, a meeting space, a gathering space,and what makes it wonderful is people love to gather around food. so when creating abreak room and kitchen for this new office space at brandstar, one of my key design challengeswas to keep employees on campus at lunch time. mike coffey from canteen really gave us somegreat ideas that helped us plan this space. i received a directive from carmen that shewanted a lunch room where employees could come and eat and also purchase food becausethere are not so many great lunch options in this area. so, providing the right foodchoices was paramount. that's when i discovered canteen.traditional vending still has its place in
a lot of parts of america and a lot of industry,and it doesn't necessary fit the new customer that's looking for more choices and options.and that's what avenue c brings forward. avenue c redefines vending to offer not justthe traditional snacks we all think about but also a wide variety of healthy meals thatactually support our wellness goals. so with canteen, we take care of all thatfor you. we understand what you're looking for, we're customizing that solution fromdesign to product offering, and then we replenish that on a daily basis for you so that youhave everything you need to make sure your employees are happy and productive in theworkplace. when i first sat down with mike and the guysfrom canteen, i explained to them exactly
what i needed.in this environment, they're trying to create great shared space. they were having a strugglewith convenience. they wanted to combine their workforce and bring it down to a smaller andsmaller environment that really fit their working needs. so they brought in us as aconsultant to say, "how can we recreate the break room?". i have to admit, the manufacturingprocess couldn't have been easier with the team from canteen.well, from the time you unpacked your boxes and i walked away, a lot has happened.(music). i'm in the break room right now with innovationcabinetry, and they are actually installing the boxes and the cabinet doors for our newdining area. we went with these more residential
style kitchen cabinets, but we did followcode in order to put them in a commercial space. so, i'm very excited to speak withdon and see where he's at. alright, don, so where are you guys? what's been happening?okay. give me an update.kalyn, yesterday we showed up with the cabinetry, right, in our boxes. we unloaded it. we hadeverything for all of this in one van, believe it or not, because we keep it flat-packed.our crew here jumped in, started assembling cabinets yesterday. we had most of that doneby midday. i see you brought the a-team because theyare very fast. they are very fast. these are three of mytop installers.
awesome.great team that came with me. everybody's hands on. so, give me a littlewalkthrough. yup, and you know you requested the 3-microwavestand that's not typically something that we can just pull off the shelf. so, we tookone of our cabinets, customized it a little bit, and that's here going to be behind you.you can see the three plugs we cut out in the back.i did. and the reason that i really wanted that microwave wall was because we have awhole wall of vending equipment coming in that has healthy salads, soups, things likethat that are quick. you purchase them and you check out from the self-checkout kiosk,and then they can just nuke it quickly in
the microwave.this is one of the newest products on the market, this type drawer-sliding drawer system.it's very high tech. what makes it different and special?well, traditionally drawer systems have been all solid wood. now this one is going to ametal side box, a little more durable, a little more heavy duty sides. and the soft-mountslides are tucked underneath so you don't see them. really nice stuff.when we originally had had our design conversations, i really wanted to have a moveable islandso that we could open this area up when the company has like potlucks and birthday celebrations,and you know we could put the cake here and then roll it away. so, that really, what youguys did there to solve this problem for me,
was excellent.and then we've incorporated an ada height sink for you so that we can drop that down,a little bit lower counter level here. yup.so in a commercial space, just so that everybody knows, you have to be code compliant, andthis is for ada accessibility. so, the american disabilities act which allows anybody in awheelchair or who has a handicap be able to come up and use the sink as everybody elsewould. so they can actually roll the wheelchair underneath and wash their hands appropriately.well from the time you unpacked your boxes and i walked away, a lot has happened. so,very excited to see it all. as we all know, restrooms are perhaps themost germ-ridden place we encounter each day,
and i wanted the restrooms at brandstar tobe the most healthy germ-free environment possible for its employees, especially whenit comes to washing and drying your hands. i wanted high technology that actually killsgerms, and i found what i was looking for when i caught up with jim fisher from americandryer at neocom this year for a quick demonstration of their truly innovative dryer.the biggest thing that we have that no other hand dryer has is called cold plasma technology.so what cold plasma means is actually while you're actually using our dryer, you're actuallykilling the germs on your hands. without soap and water, without cartridges, without filters,without foams, we kill things like e. coli, salmonella, influenza -- which is the commoncold -- the list goes on. these are the kind
of germs that we are able to kill by simplyputting your hands under the hand dryer. we took two pretzel jars.mm-hmm. we put our generator emitting cold plasmaon the top of one of them, and the other one had nothing being emitted into it. we puttwo pieces of bread into those jars and we took a picture of it every day for 14 days.this is what happened. around day 9… ew!see the mold? yeah.so what happens on the jar on the left, with the cold plasma being emitted from our generator,that bread was as soft as the day we put it in there.huh.
that's cold plasma in action.with the cold plasma clean technology that comes with this device, i think we've chosenthe most hygienic method of hand drying ever. it's also important that the restrooms betotally ada compliant. this included the lacava vanities along with the installation now ofthe grab bars and other restroom accessories. i found a company to help me called bobrickwashroom equipment. they offer nearly every accessory to complete our restrooms. i'm installingthese touch-free towel dispensers that release one towel at a time and these automatic foamsoap dispensers that are sensor activated. it's going to be a wonderful mix of accessoriesthat help complete my design for the restroom interiors.(music).
one of the goals in the design of this building isto improve employee lifestyle while they're here at work. we're doing that with avenuec and the new kitchen we've added to the break room. we also want to do that around the buildingwith filtered water stations. michelle cue from elkay manufacturing stopped by to talkabout all the water fountains we're going to need throughout the building.hi, michelle. so, i'm so glad you're here because we need to address two areas in thebuilding today, and it's where the water fountains need to go because, as you know, we have acode compliance with ada water fountains. yes.additionally, as the designer, i want them
to be modern clean lines, and also my client,mark, saw at his gym a bottle filling station attached to the water fountain. so that'sreally what i'm looking for. absolutely. so, the bottle filling stationis perfect for your project's needs. elkay built a bottle filling station on three elementswhich we like to say are quick, clean, and green.mm-hmm. and that's where the different features comein. for example, a 16-ounce bottle can take under 10 seconds to fill.yup. so, that will allow them to get back to theirworkspace really quick. when we move on to the clean aspect, our bottle filling stationsrun off of filter systems, and our filters
are certified to take out particulates likechlorine and lead. and then when we talk about the green aspect, we created it on purposeto make it easier to refill bottles so that you're not buying and throwing away plasticbottles. and there's actually a green ticker on the bottle filling station. every timea 20-ounce bottle or container cup, whatever it may be, is being filled up with water,it counts up one and it's helping remind you, "hey, you just helped save another plasticbottle from the landfills." i really like what i'm hearing from michelleabout the bottle filling stations. i think that they're going to provide us a lot morethan i realized. not only are we going to eliminate all the plastic bottles that havebeen around the office, but it's much more
attractive, it's connected to the water fountainsthemselves, and you know it makes me feel better knowing that the employees are goingto have safer cleaner water to drink. so now that the cabinetry is in place andthe custom countertops from compaq have been installed. the break room is coming together,and i can't wait to see the reaction from employees. but first, we've got to fill thisspace with some healthy menu items, and i've got the perfect partner to create a true custommarket for the office. after a month to produce the custom made pieces for our avenue c, theirinstallation team was back on site with a marketplace of material and product to replenish,refresh, and most certainly recharge this dining space.well, based on what we can see today, you
can see that we've really matched a lot ofthe colors and the tones that they've set in the room, and i really think it's goingto be blend nicely into a great combined work and break space for your associates.all the way up on three: 1, 2, 3. of these to fall on your foot. but with refrigeratedunits finally installed along the wall, cameras are installed in the ceiling to monitor theavenue c along with a kiosk and scanning device that offers do-it-yourself checkout of fooditems. there's even a fingerprint reader that will connect your purchase to your creditcard account. now all this technology may be designed for quick individual service,but it's also designed to ensure that fresh foods get restocked every day.we use a state-of-the-art kiosk that actually
tracks every transaction, and from our fulfillmentcenters we know exactly what to replenish the store with the next day. as we sell productsthroughout the day, we're keeping track of those items. they disappear and we're bringingreplenishment the next morning. we're now ready to stock these units witha variety of fresh offerings designed to do just that. so to round out this break roomspace, we needed strong stylish tables where everyone can both meet and eat. i found theperfect offering from a company called berco furniture solutions. berco is primarily knownfor its tables. i chose its excalibur model with its solid steel base and strong stablesurface that comes with virtually unlimited finish options. i've chosen a finish thatblends in nicely with the cabinetry and flooring
here in the break room, and i think the employeesare going to love this space. (music).kalyn's hit a home run with this break room and this space. this really is an invitingspace. if you want to keep your employees engaged and keep them in the workplace, youneed to offer things like grab-and-go convenience. not only traditional snacks, but healthier,local, and fresh produced items on a daily basis. so, i'm just about to show mark andcarmen the avenue c micro market, and i'm very excited because i think this has exceededall their expectations and i'm really pleased with the outcome. it looks beautiful. thefinishes match perfectly, and it's exactly what i had in mind. so i'm excited to showthem and i have a little surprise for them.
well, i think this new break room is goingto be a very popular place for everyone. the innovation cabinetry makes it feel just likehome and avenue c is going to provide everyone with good food all day. it's all about deliveringconvenience, customer service, and fresh choice for the employees. and if they end up eatinghealthier because of my new designed eating space, that's all the better.so mark and carmen, i'm so excited to show you our fully customized canteen vending wall.we have four coolers, two slot walls, lots of fresh healthy snacks so that the employeescan actually eat lunch on campus like you guys had requested, and there's self checkout kiosk. so you actually can set up an account, and if you want to buy something, you canactually use your thumb print to scan which
is recognized by your account.so i just grab something out of the cooler, go over to the kiosk, and my account is allset up and ready to go. that's it. it's really easy.our original vision was to create a dining area that felt like you were at your own home,and that way folks would never want to leave. and i think that we overachieved in that area.when i come into this dining room with a beautiful kitchen and the avenue c, you just feel likethat you're at home and you have the ability to go in and just grab a snack if you're hungry,on the go, or if you want to sit down and have a meal and get a chance to fellowshipa little bit with your family. it's just amazing. so just how fresh are we talking here? well,canteen even employs its own executive chef,
brandon. he works with only the freshest ingredientsto come up with new recipes to offer on the avenue c. today, he's even offered to cookup a favorite recipe for us on site. alright, brandon, what do you got for us today?today, i've prepared for you a ropa vieja with black beans and rice.that looks beautiful. wow.enjoy. try not to eat it all at once.i know. (laughter).i love it. it looks good. i can't even tell you how many times i'vemissed lunch, missed a snack, because it wasn't convenient or i had a lot of work to do. youknow, i had a lot of responsibilities, and
i think our associates feel the same way.so now they can just jump right in here, grab something, heat it up, stay on campus, goright back to work. i just pull this out of our cooler, put mythumb print in, put it in the microwave, and i've got a healthy quality meal.that's right. you don't have to drive two miles now for rice and beans and pork andchicken and all those things that you like to eat for lunch.this is exactly what i envisioned us doing. so it'll probably cost the employees lessto have less time for us to have people outside, more convenient. it's a win-win-win.i'm relieved that carmen and mark felt so strongly and happy ultimately about the avenuec. they weren't sure, really, what i was coming
up with for this area.it's great because not only is it a high quality meal that you can grab, i mean, the pricingof avenue c is -- $6 i have a really healthy lunch, and where are you going to find thatoutside? when i envisioned what kalyn said we weregoing to do, i thought it was going to be a vending machine. this is not a vending machine.this is like a micro-market. it's everything right at your fingertips, high-end, high quality.it's way more than i ever imagined. i think mark and carmen were pleasantly surprised.i think this exceeded what their expectation was. when i had described a market on campusfor employees, you know, i think that they might have perceived it as like a snack bar.but this really provides great lunch options,
healthy food, a really good price point, andthe employees don't have to go anywhere for lunch.what i envisioned, when i designed this area, was create a better culture within the company.that sounds great. i'm just going to keep eating.you keep eating. (laughter).it's delicious. that was the vision.very good. very very good. next up for this project are all the electronics.we have some amazing projectors and screens that we'll be installing, along with a corporatemessaging channel for the employees, and a truly incredible flexible conference space.(music).