dyson airblade

Did you know that paper products are 1/3 of what is in our landfills? Certainly the paper towels we use in public areas contribute to that number. How many sheets of paper towel do you use when drying your hands (at our Lunch & Learn, the answer for everyone was 2 or 3 sheets each time)?

The cloth towel roll was created (#2) to eliminate that waste. While minimizing paper waste it requires maintenance. Rolls need to be changed and washed and all of us know that doesn't always get taken care of. Then came the first commercial electric hand dryer (#3); maintenance free, more hygenic and sustainable. Even that could be impoved upon.

Enter the Dyson Airblade which cuts drying time down from 43 seconds to 12 seconds. It uses a high velocity sheet of air to pull water from the hands. It boasts:

• 81,000 rpm motor (4x faster than a Ferrari) 
• HEPA filter (removes 99% of bacteria from the air used to dry hands)
• carbon trust label- less landfill, less carbon
• cost effective (is 80% less to run than warm air hand dryers)

Integrating Technology

The icy roads from last Tuesday and Wednesday's sleet didn't deter Audio Unlimiteds' David Goldenberg from coming up to Connecticut to present a Lunch & Learn on Integrating Technology Into Design. Technology has certainly changed in the past century. How many of you remember the reel to reel and the opaque projectors?
Now technology is part of all aspects of our lives: home, work, entertainment, retail, healthcare ... you name it. When designing there needs to be integration in every built environment to make use of current technology. Conference rooms should allow for video conferencing and presentations. Malls, stores and lobbies should provide for digital signage and touch screen information. Soon we'll be ordering from a touch screen menu in a restaurant and selecting new shoes from a screen.
It was also exciting to see that new technology doesn't require both CAT 6 and Coaxial wires to be pulled. It allows for greater compatability and less wire management!