Posts in category: Smartt Blog

Portland State University’s Learning Ground and Sandbox has been redone with a new DIRTT space.

“The Learning Ground and Sandbox resulted from a partnership between the Library, the Office of Information Technology, and the Associated Students of PSU. These spaces encompass the north wing of the Library’s first floor and feature several technologies and work spaces, including an extensive computer lab, assistive technologies, window seating conveniently located for access to power, and a technology support desk.

The Sandbox itself is a collaborative study area offering innovative technologies for student collaboration. It includes floor-to-ceiling writable walls, computers with 55″ displays, and wall-mounted touch-screen computers. All of the furniture is mobile, enabling the space meet any group’s needs.”

Follow the link for full article –>The Learning Ground

http://youtu.be/BoSKe1CjgFM

(CALGARY, AB) DIRTT received the 2013 Excellence in Sustainability award from the Arizona Manufacturers Council. Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, the award is given to the company that demonstrates green design of buildings, equipment and technology.

DIRTT was chosen to receive this award for its commitment to sustainability as demonstrated through its high-performing and eco-friendly products, its minimal-waste manufacturing process, and use of environmentally friendly materials and equipment.

“Right from the start DIRTT chose to minimize its environmental footprint by using alternative energy choices, minimizing factory waste, and operating using distributed manufacturing,” says DIRTT COO Tracy Baker. “We are honored to be recognized not only for these efforts, but also for the design and function of our sustainable solutions. Congratulations to the entire Phoenix team for their hard work.”

DIRTT’s Phoenix factory opened in 2011 and has undertaken several initiatives to increase sustainability both environmentally and economically. DIRTT leases the 70,000 sq. ft. facility, putting millions of dollars back into the community. The facility has a 92 percent recycle rate and solar arrays in the parking lot generate up to 10 percent of the factory’s electricity. Other waste reducing programs include paperless marketing and specifying, and a food composting program.

The Excellence in Sustainability award is sponsored by the Arizona Manufacturers Council. Formed in 2007, the council works to ensure that Arizona provides a globally competitive environment for the manufacturing sector of the economy that promotes innovation and further investment in research and development.

DIRTT was presented with the award at the Manufacturer of the Year awards luncheon; featuring Arizona Governor Janice K. Brewer and Sonora Governor Guillermo Padres Elias on Friday May 31st 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona.

(By: Kate Elliott www.dirtt.net)

Always asked about acoustics? Here’s an example of how DIRTT performs in real-life, not just in a sound testing lab. Brown & Caldwell is a global engineering firm. Before they were able to move into phase 2 of their new offices in North Carolina, they were given a bit of a surprise. The fire marshal couldn’t get a high enough decibel level reading when he was inside the private offices with the doors closed!

Source: www.dirtt.net

It’s Monday April 22, and it is the 43rd celebration of Earth Day.

Smartt Interior Construction would like to promote to everyone the importance of environmental protection and sustainability. Together we can keep the Earth clean!

Stay SMARTT and have a great day!

Give the environment a leg up this Earth Day

Reusing and recycling are great ways to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd– but why not insulate this year as well?

Calgary-based DIRTT Environmental Solutions Ltd. is working with its Distribution Partners across North
America to give old jeans a new home this year. Jeans that are on their last legs will be recycled into cotton
fiber insulation used in DIRTT’s customized prefab interior construction solutions, while gently used jeans will
be collected and donated to Goodwill Industries International thrift stores for those in need.

“We use recycled denim for insulation in the workspaces we build,” says DIRTT Business Development’s Julie
Pithers. “However, we believe recycling should always be a last-ditch effort to do the right thing. Reducing
waste in the first place and reusing what you can is best. That’s why we’ve partnered with Goodwill, so we can
find new homes for any usable jeans being donated. The rest we will happily send off to become insulation for
our solutions.”

DIRTT facilities across the continent are participating

In Calgary, DIRTT’s Distribution Partner Element Integrated Workplace Solutions Ltd. will be collecting the
jeans. The laundry baskets used to collect the jeans will be donated to NeighbourLink, a non-profit organization
that provides Calgarians living below the poverty line with free furniture, household items and other
necessities.

DIRTT’s facilities in Phoenix, Arizona, Savannah, Georgia and San Francisco, California also are taking part,
working with their local Goodwill stores.

Cotton fiberinsulation eco-friendly and practical

DIRTT moved from using traditional fiberglass insulation to Cotton Armor™ Acoustical and Thermal Blanket
Insulation in 2012. Produced in Eastanollee, GA, by Applegate Insulation, Cotton Armor is made with a
minimum of 85% recycled content and the final product contains cotton fiber — a rapidly renewable resource.
It outperforms typical fiberglass in the areas of acoustical properties, flame spread, and off-gassing, and it
doesn’t contain harmful chemicals or irritants.

The jeans will be shipped to Applegate as part of the regular load of Insulation scraps left over from DIRTT’s
manufacturing process.

Double win for DIRTT

“Earth Day’s goal is to inspire awareness and appreciation for the planet around us,” Pithers says. “Supporting
our neighbours while being responsible in how we construct our interiors makes this a double win, and a
natural fit, for DIRTT.”

About DIRTT

DIRTT Environmental Solutions (Doing It Right This Time) creates award-winning custom prefab interiors for
industries including corporate, government, education and healthcare. Our innovative approach results in
faster, cleaner construction with the highest levels of customization and flexibility, while significantly lowering a
building’s carbon footprint.

DIRTT has manufacturing facilities in Phoenix, Savannah, Kelowna and Calgary. These manufacturing teams
work in concert with more than 120 Distribution Partners throughout North America, the Middle East and Asia.

For more information please visit www.dirtt.net.

For more information, please contact:

Kate Elliott
Media Liaison
DIRTT Environmental Solutions
(403) 390-2401
[email protected]

Kelsey Meyer
Marketing & Sales Support
Element Integrated
Workplace Solutions Ltd.
(403) 461-7487
[email protected]

Lori Crawford
Senior Manager
Marketing and Communications
Goodwill Industries of Alberta
(403) 282-9518, ext. 86541
[email protected]

The Gold certification is the third for the manufacturer of interior construction solutions

CALGARY—DIRTT Environmental Solutions Ltd., a manufacturer of agile interior construction solutions, announces that its Thermafoil wrapped medium density fiberboard (MDF) tiles have earned SCS Indoor Advantage Gold, a leading indoor air quality certification issued by SCS Global Services (SCS).

This is DIRTT’s third SCS Indoor Advantage® Gold certification; other certified products include DIRRT’s glass curtain wall with anodized aluminum frame and its solid wall with NAF (MDF). Thermafoil is impact and chemical resistant, is a fire retardant, has low moisture absorption, and is free of phthalates and plasticizers.

“It is extremely important to continue to develop materials that meet the highest environmental standards,” says Houston Peschl, DIRTT’s director of operations and sustainability. “Certification of our Thermafoil Tiles by SCS Global Services means we can offer our clients even more options when choosing low-emitting materials that conform to a variety of environmental certifications.”

To read the full article please follow the link.

DIRTT Earns SCS Certification for Thermafoil Tiles

“Modular, efficient design will provide innovative work environments for tomorrow’s employees and tenants.” – The Office Building of the Future.

A Shift Toward Modular Construction

“An innovative modular system offers the adaptability, efficiency and economy necessary to balance the owner’s business objectives with the well-being and productivity of employees or tenants and the appropriate use of natural resources. Modular construction merges high-tech BIM and the simple concept that eliminating excess saves money.

A modular building system offers significant economic advantages including shorter construction time (due to speed of erection, negligible weather delays and increased structural efficiency) and greater cost control as a result of the following: a highly efficient manufacturing and construction process with an increased number of more skilled workers, fewer subcontractors and reduced overhead cost and material redundancy. The system allows for efficient off-site construction in controlled environments that offers greater tolerances and higher quality control.

Every major building component is considered for its potential as a modular unit that can be fabricated in a factory and sized to be easily transported by truck, delivered to the site and assembled by a smaller workforce. As units are shipped after being manufactured, they do not require a significant staging area on site prior to construction. With a faster construction period than the typical office building, the system will result in short- and long-term cost savings as well as earlier building occupancy.”

To read the full article please follow the link.

The Office Building of the Future

Health-care is DIRTT’s biggest new vertical market which includes a patient area complete with pull-down settee, microwave, TV and communication desks, along with a 24-hour observation room and doctor’s lounge. Everything hangs from the wall system for easy mobility.

Many hospitals in the U.S. have used DIRTT systems; the ease of construction allowed a Detroit hospital to complete extensive renovations to rooms with no down time.

Using DIRTT, construction time is cut in half allowing for quick reuse of the space. DIRTT also does not create giant messes with dust and debris that can cause a sterile environment, such as hospitals, to become a harmful.

“Technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller; you’re part of the road.”
– Stewart Brand

Integrated DIRTT Technology

Elegant integration is the best way to treat technology in a great space. It not only conserves real estate, it keeps the place human. However, with technology changing by the minute, any integration needs accessibility and adaptability at the forefront. With DIRTT Walls you can mount technology to the outside or embed it inside where it is safe but accessible to the right people.

DIRTT Walls are designed for integrating technology either inside the Walls or hanging from them. An environment where technology is part of its DNA is an environment that should have DIRTT.
Start with clean, smart integration either inside the walls or hanging from them. Face-mount tiles can be easily removed to integrate monitors, CPUs, speakers, MP3 docks, USB ports, security readers, etc. DIRTT Walls not only support these elements and their accompanying cabling but keep them secure while ensuring their accessibility for the right teams.

DIRTT Java Centers

Everyone would like a great social spot in the workplace – but at what cost? With DIRTT you can have your cake and eat it at the Java Center. Design it in blazing 3D, with the specifications and price produced simultaneously. Hang whatever you want off it, run plumbing through it and watch your colleagues drool over it.

Create a destination spot in your office. A place that shows you are a client-driven business and a desirable employer, without breaking your budget or extending your construction schedule. Create it with DIRTT Java Centers. A Java Center gives you a perfect in-house space to effortlessly host clients and create a pleasant refreshment area to attract and keep great employees. The DIRTT Walls support wiring, plumbing, furniture and appliances, resulting in a hospitable area that integrates elegantly with the rest of your space.

You are free to choose handcrafted cabinetry or modular caseworks. Add dishwashers, sinks, fridges, coffee makers, TVs, granite countertops, etc. You create the perfect response to your needs using ICE® software to design it. Interactive, intelligent and in graphical 3D, ICE lets you quickly design, specify and price the perfect space for your corporate culture. In conventional construction the refreshment area often becomes a casualty of cost and/or schedule overruns. Then it is downgraded or eliminated, but by choosing DIRTT Walls for this aspect of your project you ensure results are on budget, on time and exactly what you wanted. On top of it all, they are as agile and accessible as every other DIRTT application.