Our Top Five iPhone Apps for Architects and Designers

The way we practice architecture has changed a lot in the past few years through the use of rapidly evolving technology. From 3D modeling to document a design, to the use of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch with clients and friends, it's safe to say this is not your father's design firm.

As we come and go throughout the day - from the office to the client meeting to the jobsite - we each carry an iPhone in our pocket. And just as the saying goes, "there's an app for that", we have found many apps that facilitate – or even revolutionize – the way we do our work. Here, then, are our top five apps for Architecture and Interior Design for use on your iPhone or iPod Touch:

1.  LIGHTMETER by Whitegoods
http://www.whitegoods.com/pressNews26.html

We have an old light meter in our office complete with switches and dials that measures the amount of illumination in a space. We use it to measure light levels in existing spaces, or to check the output of newly installed fixtures. But with this new app by Whitegoods, we now have a lightmeter with us whenever we need one.

Whitegoods is a company headquartered in London that provides lighting tools and products. Their cool looking light meter App is simple to use and very intuitive. You can choose to use either the front or rear facing camera for metering a space. Simply lay the iPhone on a table or hold it in your hand and it will start snapping away, taking readings every second. There is also a timer function for those hard to reach areas where you can't see the display but you need a reading.

With each reading, the App will tell you the appropriateness of the light level for different environments or tasks, such as "ideal for reading printed paper of high contrast" or "ideal for performing visual tasks of low contrast or very small size". This is one of the most unique and useful Apps we have seen.

2.  HOUZZ
http://www.houzz.com/iphone

We are big fans of the design inspiration website Houzz. TruexCullins has many of our projects posted to the site and we often get feedback from people who stumble across our work.

We recommend Houzz to our clients who are looking for a source of design inspiration. Gone are the days of clipping out pictures from magazines. There are now an infinitely greater number of photos at your disposal through sites like Houzz.

The iPhone App for Houzz takes everything from the website and puts it into a simple and easy package that you can take with you. Photos fill the screen, designer info is available with a single touch, and tags lead you to more information on many of the products shown. When you find something that you like, save it to an idea workbook for future reference. The iPad App is worth checking out too!

3.  COLORSNAP
www.sherwin-williams.com/colorsnap

ColorSnap is a free, versatile app that lets you build your own palette of colors from the vast Sherwin-Williams library.

Using your phone's camera, you can capture a color from a real-life scene, or copy a color from a photo you have on file. From there, you can match it to one of the 1,500 Sherwin-Williams paint colors and build a custom palette of corresponding hues and values. You can tweak the lightness, saturation and hue to get to the exact color you're looking for. Finally, the App makes it easy to find the nearest Sherwin-Williams store.

4.  AUTOSTITCH
http://www.cloudburstresearch.com/autostitch/autostitch.html

AutoStitch is an App that takes a series of photos and intelligently stitches them together to crease seamless panoramic shots. For us, this is especially handy when we need to document the existing conditions of a space, such as a room that is about to undergo a renovation.

This is how the app works: First, snap several photos on your iPhone, overlapping them by about 30 percent for best results. Then launch AutoStitch and move your photos into a holding area at the bottom of the screen. The app thinks for a few seconds then returns a perfect panorama shot. You can crop it, if needed, and save it to your camera roll for later use.

This is the only App in our list that is a paid App, but we think it's well worth the small cost.

5.  GLOBECONVERT Currency and Units Converter
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/globeconvert-currency-units/id334851202?mt=8

We are frequently finding ourselves at locations around the world as our international work expands to Eastern Europe and South America. For this reason we have a currency and units converter App on our list. There are plenty of converter apps out there, but we think this is one of the best.

The GlobeConvert App has been called the swiss army knife of conversion apps, with all the units you need, including currency, weight, length, area, speed, and many more. (How many Ergs are in a Joule, anyway?) This app is easy to use and aesthetically pleasing, a necessity for any self-respecting architect or designer.

Restaurant Week Part 4: La Bella Vita

Each day this week we are presenting a recently completed project from our portfolio of restaurants and bars. Today’s special is a new Italian restaurant that opened just last year. La Bella Vita is located at the Samoset Resort on the edge of Penobscot Bay on the Maine coast and features an authentic antipasto bar, a wood-fired oven and a marketplace for Italian specialty foods.

This new restaurant has a strong connection to the ocean. The sound of the sea combines with the aroma of the Italian cooking for an engaging sensory experience as soon as you enter the space.

We incorporated a variety of lounge and sitting areas, including fireside seating, a communal table, and club chairs overlooking the ocean. Exposed wood columns and beams throughout the space frame a series of views, both internally and to the ocean beyond. Interior finishes and materials reflect those commonly found in domestic Italian kitchens, such as marble, wood, and iron. And the color palate of the interior and patterns of the carpets and fabrics are derived from both the food and the rich Italian history.

 La Bella Vita is located at the Samoset Resort, just south of Camden, Maine. To view menus or make a reservation, visit LaBellaVitaRistorante.com

Restaurant Week Part 1: Church and Main

The warm weather is upon us now, and the local restaurant scene is hopping. With the advent of the summer tourist season and the bevy of spring holidays and events, Al fresco dining has taken over Church Street and Vermonters are flocking to their favorite restaurants.

The culinary scene in the Burlington area has grown impressively in recent years. We are also lucky to have such a strong network of local farms that deliver fresh veggies, meats and cheeses to these restaurants on a daily basis.

TruexCullins Interiors is currently working on a new restaurant which will be opening on Church Street soon. Look for more info on that project this summer! For now, we thought we would take a look at a few of our other recent restaurant projects as we kick off the summer 2012 season. Call this our own "Restaurant Week", and we'll start with one of the newest gems on Church Street in Burlington: Church & Main.

For over 18 months now, Church & Main has been serving brunch, lunch and dinner at the bottom of Church Street, in the location of the former Smokejacks. TruexCullins Interiors designed this new dining room, with custom furnishings, artful lighting, and rich finishes. Being right around the corner from the Flynn, the place has a definite theater vibe. Accent lighting highlights local artwork, and heavy velvet curtains provide privacy for an intimate dining experience.

The food, of course, is on center stage here. The focus is on locally-sourced ingredients that are presented in creative and dynamic ways. Church & Main also has an extensive wine list and outdoor seating. Be sure to follow Church & Main on facebook or visit them online at www.churchandmainvt.com

PHOTOS BY NATALIE STULTZ & BETSY RICH PHOTOGRAPHY

The Best LED Bulb

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy opened a competition for the best LED replacement light bulb.  It had to be super-efficient, using less than 10 watts, last for over 25,000 hours (that’s 17 years of using it 4 hours a day) and produce a warm, high quality light that is comparable to incandescent sources (less than 3000K and greater than 90 CRI, for those of you keeping score.)

The winner walks away with a $10 million cash prize.

The competition is known as the L-Prize, and its intent is to encourage the lighting industry to develop high-quality, low-energy LED bulbs to replace the common incandescent, scheduled to be phased-out starting next year.  For the past 18 months, the DOE has been conducting vigorous product testing (on its sole applicant), and last week they announced the big winner: Philips Lighting.

The winning bulb has a very cool form factor.  Dark yellow when off, the bulb glows a bright white when turned on.  The metal grooves along the shaft serve as a heat sink, keeping this cool-looking bulb running cool as well.

A year ago, we named the Philips EnduraLED light bulb as one of our top five green products.  At the time, the EnduraLED used 7 watts and was a replacement for a 25 watt incandescent, with a CRI of 80.  Now, a year later, the L-prize winner is better and brighter, providing enough light to replace a standard 60 watt incandescent while using only 9.7 watts of electricity.  Best of all, the quality of light is much improved, with a Color Rendering Index (CRI) value of 93.  That means it will look and feel like the standard incandescent bulb we all know and love.

The new Philips LED is expected to be on store shelves in early 2012.   Start saving your pennies, because the price is reportedly going to be $39.95.

Hinesburg Photos

We just received these new photos of the completed renovation at Hinesburg Community School!

The project was a 14,000 square foot renovation to the interior of a 1969 classroom wing.  The space has now been transformed into a welcoming, colorful and light-filled learning environment.  The project also increased the energy efficiency of the wing, and improved campus security by relocating the administration suite.  Additional features include enlarged public ADA compliant restrooms, a new Flex-space, a centralized nurses suite, and a new roof and sprinkler system.

Best of all, the students and teachers love the new space, evident by this thank-you card we received earlier this year.

Heritage Flight Week, Day 4

A Vermont Landscape rendered in carpet

 

Today we look at how the interior furnishings, finishes, and lighting support the environmental mission of the Heritage Aviation facility, while creating a high-quality, contextual experience that is a welcoming respite for travelers stopping in Vermont.

The furniture in the lobby and elsewhere in the building is hand-crafted by Vermont artisans, with local wood and low-VOC finishes.  Custom detailed FSC-certified wood veneers and locally-quarried stone clads the walls for a look that is gorgeous and green.

As you walk through the building, you will notice a unique pattern underfoot.  The main circulation and function spaces are treated with a modular carpet tile by Tandus called Manufactured Landscapes.  These 24” x 24” earth-toned tiles are arranged with a conscious randomness, so that the lines and textures form an abstract representation of an agricultural landscape, as it would appear when viewed from a passenger’s window of a chartered jet flying above.  The modular tile is also an “Environmentally Preferable Product”, with a third-party certified platinum rating.  The carpet and backing contains 48% recycled content, 10% post-consumer.

The interior lighting and mechanical systems are designed to save energy, while providing individual comfort and control.  In fact, those two things go hand in hand.  Individual lighting controls are provided at all workstations, conference rooms and staff rooms with dimmable circuits and daylighting controls that can be overridden locally.  Individual thermostat controls are provided at workstations, as well as at all conference rooms and staff rooms.  We find that providing this level of lighting and thermal comfort control by individual occupants promotes productivity, comfort and well-being.