Contract furniture manufacturer Allsteel Inc. recently launched the KITS Collaborator, a free augmented reality iPad application allowing users to develop furniture layouts for any environment. Concurrently, the company is rolling out the “Where Would You Gather” competition, an opportunity to try out the new app. The contest is open for entries until September 14.
The competition is simple. Participants download the app, take a photo of a location, and then use the app to design a one-of-a-kind place where they would like to gather, incorporating Allsteel’s collaborative furnishings. Entries uploaded to the contest website, www.wherewouldyougather.com, are eligible to win an all-inclusive Grand Prize trip for two to NeoCon 2013 in Chicago, custom Gather furnishings including a Linger chair and a Scooch ottoman, and American Express gift cards.
The KITS Mobile app is surprisingly powerful for something so user-friendly. It engages the iPad’s camera, creating to-scale onscreen environments from the device’s snapshots, which can then be furnished with a simple swipe of the user’s finger. It also allows users to move Allsteel furnishings around within the space, change materials, color combinations and finishes, and produce unlimited high-resolution photo-realistic renderings within seconds. A series of easily accessed functions and controls allows users to add, remove, duplicate, change or group products together; or they can toggle between photo view, 3D view, plan view or elevation view. Selected furnishings are dragged and dropped into place, and the app uses a series of advanced algorithms to effectively determine the geometric ground plane, sizing each item appropriately as it is positioned in the environment. It’s a technological breakthrough that has been achieved without the need for a ‘marker’ traditionally required to accurately assess and calculate space dimensions.
Seeking to make all of its digital tools more effective and intuitive, Allsteel has recently re-launched its website, www.AllsteelOffice.com, as well. Boasting pared-down navigation and optimized browsing and search tools, the highly interactive site allows visitors to explore Allsteel’s impressive product portfolio and utilize planning tools like CAD and Revit data to incorporate favorites into their designs. Like KITS, the new site was intended to streamline the selection and design process for customers, increasing productivity and profitability. For more information on Allsteel and its complete digital toolkit, visit www.Allsteeloffice.com. +
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
PBK, DLR Group among nation's largest K-12 school design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 K-12 School Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Turner Building Cost Index dips nearly 4% in second quarter 2009
Turner Construction Company announced that the second quarter 2009 Turner Building Cost Index, which measures nonresidential building construction costs in the U.S., has decreased 3.35% from the first quarter 2009 and is 8.92% lower than its peak in the second quarter of 2008. The Turner Building Cost Index number for second quarter 2009 is 837.
| Aug 11, 2010
AGC unveils comprehensive plan to revive the construction industry
The Associated General Contractors of America unveiled a new plan today designed to revive the nation’s construction industry. The plan, “Build Now for the Future: A Blueprint for Economic Growth,” is designed to reverse predictions that construction activity will continue to shrink through 2010, crippling broader economic growth.
| Aug 11, 2010
New AIA report on embassies: integrate security and design excellence
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) released a new report to help the State Department design and build 21st Century embassies.
| Aug 11, 2010
Section Eight Design wins 2009 Open Architecture Challenge for classroom design
Victor, Idaho-based Section Eight Design beat out seven other finalists to win the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom, spearheaded by the Open Architecture Network. Section Eight partnered with Teton Valley Community School (TVCS) in Victor to design the classroom of the future. Currently based out of a remodeled house, students at Teton Valley Community School are now one step closer to getting a real classroom.
