There has been a trend in UK office design for a long time now for a very modern and very minimalistic look, with blank white walls and clean lines. Splashes of bold colours would be added for an ultra-stylish look; bold, lean and impressive to clients as they visited the office. More and more though there is a movement emerging in UK office design towards bringing both the home and the outdoors into the workplace, to create a more cosy and comfortable working environment. Cold, sterile workplaces are being replaced with warm colours, soft furnishings and an abundance of plants in an effort to increase happiness at work and boost productivity. The question is, can a few plants really increase productivity?

There was a study published in 2014 by Marlon Nieuwenhuis from Cardiff University, and Dr Chris Knight from Exeter University that states that, yes it does. Authored across 4 universities from the UK, Australia and the Netherlands, the study looked at the impact of offices which were enhanced with plants. It found that workplaces that had a plant in view of each employee – approximately one plant per square meter – were 15% more productive than their counterparts in ‘lean’ working environments.

The theory behind the findings is a simple one, if you put an animal into a sterile environment then they will be fundamentally unhappy, and people are no different. They thrive when in contact with nature and if we are happier, then we are also more productive. Participants in the study were significantly more contented at work and reported that they could concentrate better in a greener office environment and even thought that the air quality was better.

Other benefits which were reported in the study included an increase in employee engagement as they were more ‘physically, cognitively, and emotionally involved in their work’. It also reported lower physiological stress, an increase in attention span and improved wellbeing.

Employers have a duty of care for their worker’s wellbeing while in the workplace, and plants can be a very simple and effective way to do exactly that. This does not need to involve any expensive redesign or restructure, as it can be as simple as having plants on desks and in common areas as well as having fresh flower arrangements in reception areas. Just these simple additions can make a significant impact on the happiness and productivity of people within the workplace.

It seems that although it is undisputable that lean working environments are both beautiful and stylish, in practice at our most basic level people like to have a splash of green around them and actually perform better when there is.

In the lookout for perfection, mankind has started exploring the horizons. The search through these horizons has meant that many new innovations have been made. These innovations have all in one way or other changed things for the better. The housing and real estate industry is one field that has benefited a lot from these innovations. These upheavals can be seen primarily in the form of improvements in the railings and fences among many other things.

Railings and Fences are now available in a variety of forms and shapes, all of whom have practicality written all over them. Homeowners that have not yet joined the bandwagon are missing out on a lot of benefits that others with railings and fences installed enjoy.

1. The House Looks Attractive And Appealing

It is important to interpret that railing and fences are being used for other multiple purposes rather than just acting as a safety mechanism. The major change that is seen is that they are now used as a purpose of adding to the overall beauty of the house. The situation has heightened to the extent that it has become understood that houses without railings and fences are generally not as appealing as those with them. Homeowners are starting to grasp this change and the demand for railings and fences has drastically increased during the last few years.

2. A Lot Of Safety And Rigidity Is Added

Safety is one of the biggest priorities in the mind of homeowners nowadays. The definition of safety fulfils two regards, firstly to hinder the occurrence of any uncalled for incident within the home and secondly to impede any attempt from an outsider to enter. Both these functions of safety are practically fulfilled by the Wrought Iron railings.

The Wrought Iron Railings prevent any untoward incident from happening inside the home as they can be installed outside large windows. They then act as a safety measure for your kids in the house, who are generally inquisitive. The original function for a window of letting in air and light is fulfilled while simultaneously providing safety for your little ones. Secondly they can also be used as garden walls and gates that serve as a hindrance for any outsider wishing to enter your house.

3. They Add Value To The Home

Installing Railings and fences might look like an expense in the short run but in the long run they add a lot of value to your house which comes in handy during the time of resale. The value can be in the form of the impression that is left in the eyes of the buyer who feels assured that the house has been well taken care of and also in the form of a monetary gain in the selling price.

Thus, it is imperative that Railings and Fences are the need of the day as they not only act as a beauty enhancer but also as a means of adding value and safety to your house.

While great attention is devoted to industrial air conditioning and maintaining correct environmental conditions of a data center, regulating humidity in a server room is also vital for system performance and integrity. Humidity, the concentration of water in the air, is a variable with undesirable consequences for a data center at either extreme.

According to MovinCool, too much humidity in a server room can result in condensation and eventually corrosion or electrical shorts. Conversely, too little humidity contributes to electrostatic discharge. Static electricity in a server room is highly detrimental: electronics are sensitive to static shock and might be damaged beyond repair by the discharge.

To regulate humidity, data centers employ a combination of a computer room air conditioner, environmental sensors, and dehumidifiers or, alternatively, free cooling venting techniques that use the ambient outside air. For most server rooms, the challenge is setting the right temperature and humidity range to make the most use of free cooling, while still adequately protecting equipment from heat and condensation.

Data center cooling employing a dehumidifier is a relatively closed system, adding or removing water from the room as needed. If the server room instead leverages free cooling, venting in outside air, natural changes in temperature and humidity complicate the environment, making humidifying equipment work harder, especially on exceptionally wet, rainy days or very dry days. Free cooling’s cost savings using ambient air conditions are attractive, then, but the added complexity of maintaining a controlled computer center environment should not be discounted.

According to MovinCool, reducing humidity is one of the key components to proper food and perishable storage. Failure to keep conditions dry and cool could result in mold growth, or food spoilage and significant financial losses. That’s why these tips should be used when trying to store food for distribution.

Many warehouses have high humidity levels due to the lack of open windows or ventilation ducts, but you can reduce the humidity to protect your products. There are dangers from high humidity levels, including causing mold growth or mildew odors on your stored goods. Dehumidification processes in a warehouse are essential to protect your products from damage that can lead to a financial loss. First, you must improve the air circulation in a building to keep moisture from settling on surfaces.

Improve a Warehouse’s Air Circulation

One of the best ways to improve the air circulation in a warehouse is by having a portable air conditioner. This type of equipment does not require installing the device in a window or hole in a wall. You can move this variety of air conditioner to different areas of a building to keep the air circulating to eliminate humidity that can damage your products. If you have a regular schedule for moving the air conditioner to the various sections of a warehouse, then it will reduce humidity drastically.

Move a Dehumidifier Throughout a Warehouse

In addition, you should invest in a portable dehumidifier that you can also move throughout a warehouse. Dehumidifiers work by pulling the moisture-filled air through a filtering system to remove the water. The moisture will collect in large containers that you or your employees must empty on a regular basis to ensure that the dehumidifier continues to operate.