maintenance – Shanghai Metal Corporation

Container Island Resorts – America’s New Dubai

Did you know that there are over 4000 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico that will be decommissioned within the next century. These oil rigs occupy approximately 80 million square feet of area in the ocean. Basically the only way to remove them is to blow them into oblivion which would cost millions of dollars and destroy a major part of the Gulf’s aquatic life. What if these oil rigs could be used in another way?

The idea of turning the oil rigs into luxurious hotel resorts was already presented in 2009 by Morris Architects who also won the top prize in a hospitality design design contest with this concept. This idea also introduces an application for shipping containers.

The idea is to prefabricate hotel pods off-site out of shipping containers and transport them into the oil rigs with cargo ships. These new island resorts are also been referred as America’s Dubai. The BLDGBLOG site has put it also to a poetic perspective by comparing the resorts as the Kalevala of Abandoned Oil Rigs.

Prefabricating and transporting the hotels onto the rigs a relatively simple procedure. The challenges are more related to maintenance and business side. How to ensure security on the resort, how to handle stormy weather conditions, how to price them and how to maintain a steady flow of customers?

Shanghai Metal Corporation is a professional provider of prefabricated container hotels. You may see our website for detailed descriptions of our hotels. If you have any questions, please contact us with this form. Check also our social media sites for future updates.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: BLDGBLOG, LA Curbed, Dornob, Morris Architects, Design Ideas, The Telegraph, Paul Baut, Tree Hugger, Bustler

See our other articles about shipping container hotels.

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The Best Steel For The Best Dish!

An interesting wok test compares the carbon steel wok again the stainless steel wok. There is a lot of debate over these two compositions of woks even if they look kite similar there are some important difference with their temperature reaction.

Most people prefer the carbon steel wok over the stainless steel wok because it has the most regular heat dispersion. This is not the case with stainless steel overheated and these hot spots can totally ruin a cooking and reduces long-term quality cooking. On the other hand, the carbon steel has good resistance to high temperatures and retains heat much longer than stainless steel woks for future use.

The only downside is that carbon steel requires slightly more maintenance to eliminate the appearance of rusting. We just needs to dry well and rub with 2 or 3 drops of oil to prevent any risk of rust.

To have a good wok stainless steel we have to choose the best quality of stainless steel and the final price may be higher than the carbon steel wok. Overall, the carbon steel wok is a better choice for short and long term use.

Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a large selection of carbon steel with the highest quality standard and an affordable pricing. To find out more, please visit our Website or send your inquiry here. Our English speaking personnel will be more than pleased to help you. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Source: ehow

Photo credit: Wikipedia, myntan, wcclippart, plus.google.com

Jonathan T.// SMC Editor

Be cool, save energy and pay less

While building a house there is always a question what kind of roof to choose, what colour, should it be flat or pitched. When you live in a hot climate the answer is clear. A metal cool roof!

A cool roof can reflect sunlight and cools itself by emitting the radiation to its surroundings. Isn’t that cool? The roof literally reduces the amount of heat. Two basic characteristics of the roof are solar reflectance and thermal emittance. It is like wearing a white t-shirt on a hot day, it reflects more sunlight and absorb the heat.

Benefits

reducing energy use – as a building stays cooler, it uses less energy for air conditioning
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution
improving human’s health and make them feel comfortable – cool roofs prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths
extending roof life and lowering roof maintenance costs

Metal cool roofs might be one of the solutions for polluted cities. They have significant environmental benefits besides using cool roofs cool the cities. Increasing workplace productivity and decreasing pollution can be achieved by using metal cool roofs. Cool metal roofs actually last longer than standard ones because a cool roof doesn’t heat up that much.

What’s more cool roofs are typically light in colors so they can perfectly be a part of the architecture for those who might consider it as an important feature. As today’s range of cool roofs is pretty wide and there are a lot of manufacturers, it can be a real challenge to make a good choice.

Shanghai Metal Corporation besides other metal and steel products also offers a roof panel roll forming machine or a roof sheet making machine which are widely used for making various metal roof panels. For more details visit our website or send us inquiry. You could also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LindkedIn or Instagram. If you have a smart phone or tablet you can download our new application by scanning QR code below. Our English speaking staff will be more than glad to help you.

Silvia M.//SMC Editor

You can read more articles by this author here.

Credit and pictures : epa.gov, facilitiesnet.com, coolroofs.org, googleimages,

New Trend in Modern Retailing Inspired by Japanese ‘Origami’

Inspired by Japanese paper folding ‘origami’ new trend in retailing is portable and aesthetically appealing. The Kiosks created by London-based architecture firm, Make Architects, in collaboration with metal fabricators, Entech Environmental Technology Ltd are a success and use models of origami throughout the design process. Two unique prefabricated retail kiosks opened to the public for the first time at Canary Wharf’s Ice Sculpturing Festival in London in the beginning of this year.

“It was only when we were making [physical] models that we suddenly realized something was jamming, and that was really interesting.” Later, the designers built a full-scale mock-up out of cardboard and foam board. “That way we could really understand how it works,” explains Sean Affleck, Make Architects’ lead project architect.

The outer shell is made of 2-millimeter-thick aluminum plate which is crucial to mimic paper due to its lightweight and easy manipulation. Any other material would be too heavy.

Although lightweight the aluminum shell is not less resistant; the powder-coated aluminum cladding panels are highly durable against weather and graffiti, requiring minimal maintenance. The rest of the body uses stainless steel fabricated in-house.

To create a proper system that allowed opening and shutting the pop-up store with easiness the metal was folded, pressed and rolled. Such a process created an integral hinge into which a stainless steel rod was inserted. Very convenient a remote-control can do the job of opening and closing the kiosk with no stress.

“[The kiosk] had to be solid, but lightweight, so then that led us to origami,” says Affleck. “[You] end up with something very flimsy; add a few folds and creases, and suddenly the strength appears. In the folds, the shape appears.”

The vibrant opening is attractive to the public who also finds a shelter underneath the ‘origami’ roof. When opened the inside of the sculptural rectangular box measures 2m deep and 3m wide, perfect for multitude of purposes; from serving coffee to information points to even a spot for DJs at events. The interiors lined with steel frames and a plywood-stressed skin can be customized by the vendors, depending where and when they are used. It is very comfortable to stand inside the rectangular ‘origami’ box, rain-skin cladding panels protects the changing vendor stories from insulation and reduced solar gain.

“Our solution on the modern street kiosk is a distinctive sculptural rectangular box that transforms when it opens and its function is revealed. The internal fit-out elements can be adapted to suit the needs of individual vendors”, says Affleck.

Aesthetically pleasing, the prefabricated pop-up stores are a great solution as urban furniture. When closed, the booths appear as futuristic sculptures, their matte grey exteriors evoking the steel and stone of the city, enhancing and revitalizing the public space. The aesthetic form of the kiosks coupled with new activities and landscape would be able to provide a new urban platform for both tourists and locals alike.

Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of metals such as aluminum, widely used in the fabrication of prefabricated ‘origami’ pop-up stores. To find out more, please visit our Website or send your inquiry here. Our English speaking personnel will be more than pleased to help you. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Source and Photo credit: sddretail.co.uk, sklim.com, blog.archpaper.com, alucobondusa.com, archiloci.com, bestpaperz.com

Camilla G.//SMC Editor

For Our Italian Readers: In un armatura di alluminio

Un nuovo complesso residenziale e appena sorto in Germania nello stato di Baden-Württemberg grazie alla stretta collaborazione tra professionisti e imprese locali. Il design innovativo, basato su principi delle moderne case ecologiche, è stata progettato e realizzato con rivestimento in lega di alluminio. Lo scopo di questo progetto è stato quello di unire la tradizione urbanística locale con il nuovo concetto di efficienza energética e quindi l’utilizzo di nuovi materiali.

Per il rivestimento sono state usate delle scandole di alluminio preverniciate ed applicate attraverso l’utilizzo della tecnica del coil coating che prevede ” la pulizia il pre-trattamento chimico della superficie del metallo e la verniciatura del materiale utilizzato”.

L’uso dell’alluminio come rivestimento di metallo sta diventando sempre più popolare, dal momento che resiste alla corrosione e richiede poca manutenzione ed è un materiale richiesto soprattutto per la progettazione e costruzione di case ad alta efficienza energetica perché è relativamente poco costoso, non arrugginisce, ed è generalmente facile da montare ed e interamente reciclabile. Uno svantaggio di questo materiale è che non ha un alto grado isolante.

Le proprietà di questa lega pero conferiscono ai progettisti soluzioni diverse al problema tra le quali l’ utilizzo di un materiale termico come rivestimento interno dell’alluminio ( come previsto per la realizzazione di questo progetto) oppure molto piu interesante quello presentato da alcune aziende italiane dove l’alluminio e comunente usato per la progettazzione di persiane e finestre.

Come si può vedere dalla tabella il design termico proposto nel quadro combina un ottimo isolamento termico e acustico consigliato per condizioni climatiche estreme.

La Shanghai Metal Corporation (SMC) offre in alluminio in vari tipi e dimensioni, con uffici e filiali in tutta l’Asia, Europa, Australia e nelle Americhe. Maggiori informazioni su alluminio possono essere trovate sul nostro sito qui. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

#BuildingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Pasquale S.// SMC Editor

Source: metalroofnet.com, zappone.com/aluminum-shingles, motherearthnews.com, greenhousecatalog.com, novalsystem.it, archiexpo.com, melindashouse.com, burasconstruction.com