KPMB Sample Library Storage

KPMB Sample Library Storage

A BEAUTIFULLY ORGANIZED SAMPLE LIBRARY WHERE ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS CAN BE INSPIRED

KPMB Architects is an internationally renowned Canadian design firm located in one of the most diverse cities in the world, Toronto. Their designs prioritize the quality of the human experience through the creation of vibrant communities, and sustainable cities and places.

STORAGE EXPERTS DESIGN NEW RFID LOCKERS TO INCREASE SPA CAPACITY

KPMB Architects was moving from King West to their brand new offices in the new Globe & Mail building. They wanted to ensure that the sample library was included in the office design so they reached out to the experts at Spacesaver Solutions Inc. for help.

Working with the Librarian at KPMB, our Storage Experts designed a solution that would beautifully store and showcase their samples. The new library easily holds the firm’s binders, flooring, carpet, tile, and other materials, making everything easy to see and access. There is a place for each sample with room to grow in the future.

Our storage solution includes cantilever and 4 post shelving, as well as drawers to store all of the firm’s samples.

The cantilever shelving is mounted to the walls with adjustable shelves for added flexibility. Labeled bins sit neatly in rows storing smaller items that can be easily rearranged as needs change.

Below the cantilever shelves sits 4 post open shelving. This stores larger items such as carpet tiles, and flooring samples – making everything easy to find and access.

The 4 post shelving is also used to create three large islands in the library where staff can gather their samples and work to create cohesive design plans.

Lastly, heavy duty drawers line the walls to store a variety of items including stone countertop and colourful glass samples. The drawers feature tine perforations for ventilation, and fully extend, allowing designers to easily see what’s inside and find what they need.

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Straticom Design Firm

Straticom Design Firm

SMALL FOOTPRINT, MAXIMUM SPACE, NO PROBLEM FOR AN ORGANIZED METAL SHELVING SYSTEM

For Straticom, an award-winning Toronto-based interior design company, storage space was becoming a daily battle. The company’s existing resource library was overflowing with samples, files, carpet squares and more. The space they had for these supplies and resources was small and the larger-sized items were just being placed on the floor, which created a hazardous work environment. The room was accessed on a daily basis by almost everyone at the company— creating an additional concern with its current storage method. The cramped space needed to be addressed.

VERTICAL METAL SHELVING ORGANIZES SPACE

The staff at Straticom called on Spacesaver Solutions Inc. to partner with in designing a storage system to accommodate the needs of the interior design company. To maximize space in the smaller footprint, Spacesaver Solutions focused on adding vertical storage by way of extended 4-post stationary metal shelving around the perimeter of the room.

ORGANIZED AND EASY TO ACCESS SAMPLES

The metal shelving was outfitted with door and drawer add-ons to accommodate the firm’s samples. This added shelves in places where none previously existed. Large and small samples both were given very specific “homes”—and all samples were easy to access. Finish samples finally had a place of their own, and bulky samples like carpet swatches and heavy tile books were stored in special metal shelving compartments designed in relation to their height and weight.

MAXIMIZED SPACE IN SMALL FOOTPRINT

In working around the room’s perimeter and storing samples vertically, there was plenty of unused space in the middle of the room—enough for us to install a center work island. The island became a centerpiece of the firm’s collaborative meetings, and convenient metal shelving storage space was built into the island to house additional samples and work materials.

“The (Spacesaver Solutions Inc.) team was awesome to work with throughout all of our decision making processes—and there were quite a few. The installation went smoothly with minimal interruption, and they were extremely polite and professional.”

- Sandra Bailey

a Design Coordinator with Straticom

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University of Guelph Library Shelving

University of Guelph Library Shelving

NEW LIBRARY SHELVING GIVES STUDENTS MORE SPACE TO LEARN

The University of Guelph McLaughlin Library is central to the University community as a valued partner and catalyst for learning, research, and knowledge-creation.

Originally built to cater to 10,000 students and a collection of 600,000 they have grown to serve roughly 24,000 students and hold a collection of 1.2 million. They were rapidly running out of space and needed help.

CUSTOM SOLUTION MODERNIZES THE LIBRARY AND CONDENSES COLLECTIONS

Our Storage Experts worked with staff at McLaughlin Library to design a solution that would condense their collections, creating more collaborative space for students. The new system would also help to modernize the library, allow staff to add new offices and create space to store new material that may come in over the next 10 years.

POWERED HIGH DENSITY SYSTEM LETS STUDENTS ACCESS AISLES WITH THE PUSH OF A BUTTON

The new solution includes 2 powered high density mobile systems with cantilever library shelving, and LED canopy lighting that lights each aisle as it opens.

The powered high density system allows students to access aisles with the push of a button. It features a Zero Force Sensor (ZFS) passive safety system that ensures each student operating the unit can do so safely. ZFS is an infrared photoelectric system that prevents a carriage from moving when a person or object is detected, and immediately stops movement in an aisle if a student enters as it’s closing.

We also installed a large mechanical assist high density system in the library’s back room to store and protect world-renowned archival collections in Canadian theatre, landscape architecture, rural history, and Scottish culture.

NEW LIBRARY STORAGE CREATES SPACE TO COLLABORATE WITH ROOM TO GROW

With a tight timeline of just 6 weeks to install, the new storage solution has allowed the library to condense 2 floors of collections to just 1. They now have more space for students to work and collaborate, more offices for staff, and a modern environment with room to grow.

The professionals at Spacesaver Solutions were creative and highly committed to meeting our needs. They did a great job on the project and we consider them partners that we would be happy to work with again.

- Kelly Bertrand

Director, Administrative Services

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