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
Multifamily Housing | Oct 5, 2022
Co-living spaces, wellness-minded designs among innovations in multifamily housing
The booming multifamily sector shows no signs of a significant slowdown heading into 2023. Here is a round up of Giants 400 firms that are driving innovation in this sector.
Contractors | Oct 5, 2022
Materials shortages, cost spikes throwing Design-Bid-Build process out of whack
The traditional Design-Bid-Build delivery process is under considerable stress this year as materials shortages and cost spikes are upending usual practices, according to a new report from JLL.
Green | Oct 5, 2022
In California, a public power provider’s new headquarters serves as a test case for an innovative microgrid and for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Sonoma Clean Power (SCP), the public power provider for California’s Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, recently unveiled its new all-electric headquarters.
Contractors | Oct 4, 2022
Which comes first, the building or the cost estimate?
At the start of a project, don’t forget to establish financial parameters when you’re discussing the design and program. By establishing the costs up front, you can avoid the pitfalls that might derail your project and guarantee its lasting success.
Fire and Life Safety | Oct 4, 2022
Fire safety considerations for cantilevered buildings
Bold cantilevered designs are prevalent today, as developers and architects strive to maximize space, views, and natural light in buildings. Cantilevered structures, however, present a host of challenges for building teams, according to José R. Rivera, PE, Associate Principal and Director of Plumbing and Fire Protection with Lilker.
| Oct 4, 2022
Rental property owners want access to utility usage data for whole properties
As pressure from investors for ESG reporting mounts, owners of multifamily properties increasingly look to collect whole-building utility usage data.
| Oct 4, 2022
In dire need of affordable housing, Aspen, Colo. will get a development that provides 277 affordable homes
A few miles from downtown Aspen, Colo., a development will provide 277 new affordable homes for an area experiencing a dire affordable housing crisis.
Green | Oct 3, 2022
California regulators move to ban gas heaters for existing buildings
California regulators voted unanimously recently on a series of measures that include a ban on the sale of natural gas-powered heating and hot water systems beginning in 2030.
| Oct 3, 2022
The College of the Holy Cross completes a $110 million performing arts center
In Worcester, Mass., a one-hour drive from Boston, the College of the Holy Cross has completed its $110 million Prior Performing Arts Center.
Resiliency | Sep 30, 2022
Designing buildings for wildfire defensibility
Wold Architects and Engineers' Senior Planner Ryan Downs, AIA, talks about how to make structures and communities more fire-resistant.
