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7 Years Later, Sing Core’s AIA Donation

Seattle’s Center for Architecture and Design had their grand opening 7 years ago in March, 2016, and they have stood as a pillar for the architecture and design industry ever since. We are honored to have worked with the AIA to construct this beautiful place. Their confidence in us and our product was felt, as this was a major project that had a lot of work put in from start to finish. It all started with an amazing design plan and incredible vision for the limited space they had available, and together with the great teams working on this project we were able to build the wonderful gallery that can be seen today.

Seattle Center for Architecture and Design


As a chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Seattle Center for Architecture and Design welcomes and promotes many different styles and techniques of architecture, hosting valuable presentations and events in their welcoming gallery. On display they have many different subjects of the architecture and design industries, and many people visit the center from open until close to see these marvelous features and discuss these themes.

During their grand opening, the Center for Architecture and Design was in need of some large, adjustable walls and doors to manipulate the gallery as needed. Their vision was to have walls that could be adjusted to create a beautiful, open space for guests, but could also be turned as to create a closed area to hold meetings and conferences. Sing Core donated the wall panels needed for this grand project, as well as customized them with additions such as a man door, allowing an easy entrance and exit even when the room had been closed off. The donated panels were actually so large that the front windows had to be temporarily removed, as the product would not fit through the door!

In addition to the adjustable walls and doors Sing Core donated, we also provided furniture for the office in the form of high end desks, shelving, partition walls, and more, all using our patented and patent-pending Sing Core products.

These grand adjustable walls are still in place today, and can be seen as a main piece of the Center’s gallery. They were created and still function to serve one main purpose: to maximize space in an innovative way. And while Sing Core is proud of our donation, we also owe a significant compliment to the incredible teams that designed the floor plan and installed the doors and walls, as their excellent skills and labor were just as essential in creating this space.

Texas Society of Architects

Sing Core also provided our panels at a discount to the Texas Society of Architects by AIA for use in their offices and building space. The location had a significant noise problem with their high, industrial style ceiling, and they needed high end panels to cut down on the echoes and residual sound. By installing Sing Core panels in strategic places, they were able to significantly cut down on the noise and establish a far more relaxed and focused work environment. Once again, this could not have been done without the incredible design and installation teams who perfectly utilized the Sing Core panels..

Conclusion

Sing Core is proud to be a platinum donor and support these AIA locations and the amazing things they do for the architecture and design community. If you are a member of the AIA, please share this article with your fellow AIA members, and we welcome you to reach out about any AIA project like these so that we can continue to help the organization, and we would be honored to do so at a discounted rate to help your budget. To learn more about the products provided to the Seattle and Texas locations, click here.

More Pictures of the Seattle and Texas AIA Donations

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Sing Core for Sound Isolation

Why Do You Need Sound Isolation?

Sound isolation is an important feature for many applications, primarily those where a room or area needs to be absolutely silent, with no background noise from the nearby areas. Sound studios, recording booths, conference rooms, and more often require or are greatly enhanced with sound isolation. In addition, if your home or business is near a busy street, having a properly designed door with sound reduction in mind can greatly reduce street noise.

Sound Reduction vs Sound Deadening

When it comes to eliminating noise, there are two main “strengths” to consider: sound reduction and sound deadening. Sound reduction is often sufficient for places like conference rooms, businesses, and other applications where you want to limit the sound that passes in or out of the area. Sound deadening is a more effective form of sound reduction, where the incoming and outgoing sound waves are stopped almost entirely. This is ideal for sound studios and recording booths, as well as other scenarios in which you want to eliminate as much background noise as possible. The difference in achieving these techniques is relatively the same, however, as it merely comes down to the thickness of both the barrier and the insulation inside.

How Sing Core Does Sound Isolation

Sing Core door and wall panels are excellent for sound isolation. Our standard panels are fit with high end insulation and leave zero voids, meaning our normal product provides basic sound reduction. Enhanced reduction, all the way up to sound deadening properties can be achieved by simply increasing the thickness of your requested Sing Core panel. No matter the thickness, we fit our panels with insulation from top to bottom, front to back, that way you can be confident that you’re getting a solid, sound reducing, and heat insulated door or wall panel.

In addition to studio-grade sound reduction, Sing Core panels are also incredibly strong, durable, and lightweight. Our patented and patent-pending designs are light enough to be easily moved, installed, and operated in comparison to the other options, as well as being stronger than steel. Our panels are also incredibly durable, and won’t need replaced merely because they got bumped into. We use high quality skin options including wood staves, vinyl, and others to ensure you get a beautiful and long lasting look to your door.

Watch this quick video to hear the difference when using Sing Core panels for sound deadening!

50 Year Guarantee

Not only are Sing Core panels perfect for your sound isolation project, you can also remain confident in them for decades with our 50 Year Warp Free and Structural Guarantee. Whether you’re building a pivot door, sliding door, or any other type of door, you need to ensure it does not warp. Even a minimally warped core can compromise the entire function of the door, sometimes preventing it from closing or sealing, making it difficult to open and close, and many other complications from just the one defect. Our panels are made to never warp, and we give you 50 years worth of promise in that.

Use Sing Core for your studio, conference room, or any other instance where sound reduction or deadening would benefit you!

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Sliding Doors vs Pivot Doors

Both sliding doors and pivot doors are staples in the home and commercial building space. Both provide the same basic function: allow or restrict access to an area. The way they perform that function, however, is different, and thus each one has its own sets of pros and cons to consider when planning out your project.

Pivot Doors – Pros

Pivot doors are the classic when it comes to most doors. Rotating on an axis near the back end of the door, these doors swing out (or in) when opened and can be designed in many different ways. A pivot door may be a simple flat wood interior door or an extravagant and ornate exterior door, or anything in between. They are easy to operate, easy to install, and the standard door type.

Pivot Doors – Cons

While pivot doors are fantastic options, they do come with some limitations and drawbacks. One, a pivot door requires a much larger footprint than a sliding door, as it has to swing open in at least one direction. This means that the area around a pivot door must remain clear and unused, which can limit the available floor space in a small room or tight hallway. Additionally, pivot doors are only supported on the end with the pivot point, meaning they are constantly pulling down on their hardware and can wear on them much more over time. This can also limit their stability in some circumstances.

Sliding Doors – Pros

Sliding doors are becoming increasingly more common in both home and commercial applications. Architects and designers are choosing sliding doors more often as time goes on due to their sleek and modern appearance, as well as the benefits they provide. There are two main options when it comes to sliding doors, the standard and what is called a “pocket door”. Sliding doors take up significantly less floor space than pivot doors regardless of which style is used, and they can be designed to be much larger than the standard pivot door without near as many complications. In addition, sliding doors are mounted on at least one, sometimes two roller tracks. This means that they are evenly supported across the width of the door, leaving no areas lacking in support or wearing heavier on the hardware. Sliding doors that slide into the nearby wall are even more safe, as they are only ever exposed to traffic or weather when closed.

Sliding Doors – Cons

While sliding doors take up much less floor space than pivot doors, unless you’re using a pocket door, they do take up wall space. Arguably still less intrusive than pivot doors, however a standard sliding door will need to slide over the wall near it when opened. Depending on the size of your sliding door, this could lead to a large amount of nearby wall space that must be left clear. If you’re using a pocket door, however, this issue is completely resolved, as the door slides entirely into the wall. Sliding doors are also a little bit more complicated to operate, though this is hardly a factor as they are still simple to use.

Conclusion

No matter which door type you choose, you can build a beautiful and functional piece. If you’re considering these options, we encourage you to look through the Sing Core website to learn more about these door types and how Sing Core can help you!

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Sing Core Pocket Doors (Hidden Doors)

What is a Pocket Door?

Pocket doors are a type of sliding door that slides into a pocket in the wall instead of in front of or behind it. A variant of the pocket door is a “hidden door”, named that due to their hidden nature and the ability to create a nearly invisible door when closed.

Pocket Doors

Pocket doors are popular for many reasons, one of which is their space saving nature. Traditional sliding doors require the nearby space along the wall to remain empty so that they can open and move into that area. Pocket doors, however, are built to slide directly into the wall, and as such allow you to put furniture, decorations, or anything else along the walls nearby.

Pocket doors often require more engineering to make work, as they need a finished pocket with suitable space inside the nearby wall. This does present a potential hurdle in the construction of your door, however if you plan on doing this before starting construction, it is easy to work into the plans. Also, you can have a pocket door installed in a pre-existing wall assuming the wall is thick enough to allow for it, or you have the means of altering said wall.

Pocket doors are a fun and creative way to provide access to a room, and also tend to last longer than traditional sliding doors seeing as, when opened, they are not exposed to traffic or the elements. If you’re considering the options for a new door in your home or office, consider a pocket door for a unique and fun result!

Hidden Doors

One popular style of pocket doors are hidden doors, which function the same way, but have some added features to make them practically invisible. Hidden doors are usually designed to blend into the wall around them, providing a near-seamless exterior and, thus, proving incredibly difficult to spot, even if you’re walking right by it. Hidden doors work very similarly to pocket doors, using rails to slide into a hidden space within the nearby wall. Where they differ is that hidden doors often have an additional mechanism to press them up to be flush with the nearby wall, adding to their hidden nature.

Where Sing Core Comes In

Sing Core advanced panels can be used to build sliding doors of any style, including pocket and hidden doors. Our panels are super strong and lightweight, so you get assurance that they can hold up to use, plus their lightweight nature extends the life of the hardware, and as such the door, by a significant amount. Our panels also have a 50-Year Warp Free Guarantee, meaning your door will never warp or twist and become unusable. Many doors risk warping due to their flat and incredibly precise nature, and even the slightest of warps can completely ruin a door’s appearance and functionality. With Sing Core, you never have to worry about your door warping, and we give you 50 years of promise to prove that.

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The Sing Core Sliding Door Revolution

Sing Core Sliding Door Revolution

Sliding Doors are taking over the industry. We recently updated the Sliding Door page on our website as part of an effort to keep things updated and more accessible to you, the reader, but also to go over why we believe Sing Core is the best choice for your large or custom sliding doors. In this article, we’ll touch on a few of these reasons, and afterwards we encourage you to go view the new Sliding Door page to see all of the changes!

Big Doors are Better with Sing Core

Big doors can be a big problem. Regardless of how well designed they are, if you’re using heavy, low quality, or warped materials, either one of those could limit its function. Especially with sliding doors, where precise construction and proper installation is essential to its long term functionality.

The biggest issue with large doors is their weight, as a heavy door wears significantly more on the hardware used to mount it, significantly reducing its lifespan. With sliding doors, this is particularly seen on the rollers and tracks used to open and close them. The heavier a sliding door is, the harder it is to open and close, and the more likely you are to have to replace or repair major parts of the structure, if not the entire door itself. Plus, a larger door is more likely to warp, and a warped sliding door becomes practically impossible to close and seal properly.

With Sing Core, these problems are removed from the equation entirely. Weight is no issue with our patented and patent-pending panels, as they are incredibly light while still being stronger than steel. This, in turn, reduces the damage done over time to the hardware and extends the life of the door. Plus, Sing Core panels are guaranteed to remain warp-free for 50 years, which is one of the most common reasons sliding doors fail. The larger a door gets, the more surface area it has, and the more likely it is to warp. With Sing Core, no matter what size your door is, our panels will never warp, guaranteed.

Sing Core Sliding Doors vs The Rest

Aside from making great large doors, what qualities does Sing Core have over the rest of the options? One major factor is ease of opening. Many people know the pains of trying to open a sliding door that is wedged into the track and wrenching your arm as it stops suddenly, or the great efforts that go into heaving a sliding door open at times. Sing Core panels are lightweight and dimensionally accurate, ensuring the door is easy to open and close and doesn’t get stuck on its tracks.

Sing Core panels can also be made to nearly any build specifications, meaning with us you can get a completely custom door that is guaranteed to perform, while with other options you may be limited to what’s “in stock” for your projects.

Overall, we recommend Sing Core panels for any sliding door project. Regardless of size, shape, or any other factor, feel free to request a quote to get started on your perfect door journey!

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Award Winning Project at the University of Idaho

Sing Core Provides Crowd Control Door

The University of Idaho recently had this beautiful crowd control pivot door installed which opens to access the arena and control foot traffic.

Idaho Central Arena

The Idaho Central Arena sees tens of thousands of people for numerous events, and features a basketball court, concert halls, and more. As such, the arena has heavy foot traffic during events, and was in need of a solution. With this crowd control door, they are able to keep an area closed off, then by opening the door instead divert crowds into the desired area. This large, high quality door needed to be lightweight, sturdy, and guaranteed to hold up to heavy traffic, and as such was designed with Sing Core.

What is a Crowd Control Door?

A crowd control door is one of the many functions of pivot doors. Aside from the usual open and close nature, crowd control doors are built to very precise specifications so that, when opened and positioned as intended, direct the flow of people away from one path and onto another. In this case, directing them into the area to watch the game.

Given the intense amount of traffic that crowd control doors see on a daily basis, they can’t ever crack, warp, or bend. If the do, they not only becomes non-functional, but they also become compromises in other essential areas, and lose their safety and traffic-diverting effects. That is why the University of Idaho went with Sing Core.

Proud to be a Part of the Project.

The University of Idaho used Sing Core for their door because we make strong, lightweight, and durable door and wall panels. We are proud to be a part of the arena project, and honored that they chose us to help bring this amazing building to life. The University and design team deserve the Structural Award they’ve received.

How Can You Get a Large Sing Core Door?

Sing Core specializes in making large custom doors possible, and we would love to help bring your project to life! You can learn more about our product on our website, and when you’re ready to get your perfect door started, click the orange pricing button at the top of our webpages.

We look forward to working with you to design another beautiful door!

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Advantages of Sing Core for Commercial Applications

The Advantages of Sing Core for Commercial Applications

Sing Core has many uses and advantages in both home and commercial applications, though we tend to think more of the home applications than those in the office. We often undervalue the importance of things such as doors in the workplace, though they are essential to the daily operation and safety of our businesses.

Doors in the Workplace

The first type of door people often think of in the workplace is the front, back, or “entry/exit” doors. These are incredibly important when it comes to the safety and operation of a business, yes, but there are many more types of doors that are commonplace in commercial industries. One other common type is the standard interior, or office door. There are also “feature doors”, which are usually large, grand, and beautiful doors that act as the opening between important areas or large rooms (see this fantastic double sliding door at Laserfiche as an example). The other common types of door are security doors, room dividers, and more. Sing Core has experience making each of these, and our panels make an excellent choice for them.

The Advantages of Sing Core

While Sing Core’s benefits in the home and professional market are similar at their core, there are some features that excel in the industrial and business sectors. One such advantage is the ability to make large, custom, and lightweight doors with our patented core. Many businesses make use of these beautiful doors as their entry, or as a feature inside, but standard construction options lead to them being incredibly heavy, or come with many other downsides. Sing Core specializes in large doors, and we make them significantly lighter than other methods, while still retaining incredible strength and durability. Our panels are also guaranteed to remain warp-free and structurally sound for 50 years, so you never have to worry about your large custom door warping and becoming unusable on you.

Another major advantage to using Sing Core in the workplace is the insulating and sound-deadening properties of our panels. In a situation where privacy is important, like you’d expect in meeting rooms or offices where confidential information is shared, you need to ensure the security of that information with a door that reduces or eliminates the sound that passes through it. Sing Core doors do this incredibly well, as our insulated honeycomb design naturally muffles sound. This also makes it a must have for businesses close to a busy street, as the passive street sound can be a detriment to a workplace.

In addition to the sound-deadening nature, we also offer a Sing Core Security Door for applications where safety and protection are essential. If your business holds high-end electronics in specific rooms, or perhaps you have sensitive documents and information, you need to ensure that the door you use to secure those areas can hold up to any attempt to break in. A Sing Core Security Door is reinforced with steel bars to guarantee the safety of what you hold on the other side.

Summary

Sing Core products deliver many valuable properties to both home and commercial applications, and we encourage you to reach out to learn more about how Sing Core can fit in at your home or office!

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What Else Can You Use Sing Core For?

Other Uses for Sing Core

Sing Core panels make amazing door and wall panels for a variety of applications, but what other uses do they have? We already know they’re the best choice for large or custom lightweight doors, or incredibly sturdy walls, but Sing Core has a wide range of other applications.

Tables or Countertops

One of the more common non-door things we Sing Core panels used for is as a table or countertop. Our products work incredibly well for this, as some cases call for a very lightweight and easy to move surface, or others demand a large, custom-shaped table for places like a conference room. Either way, Sing Core panels work great for these applications. You can have the sturdy, warp-free, and high-quality aspects of a Sing Core door, but for your table or counter!

Mobile Cabinets or Containers

There are many different cases where one might need a mobile cabinet or container. Some businesses have rolling cabinets for secure equipment storage, while others need a durable and strong container that can be hauled from location to location. In the case of a storage cabinet, Sing Core works amazingly as it keeps the unit lightweight while also providing rigidity and security that normal, thin cabinet wood does not. Plus, with our new Security Door panel, this can take a cabinet from secure to impenetrable. Businesses that are constantly moving high-end electronics or sensitive documents can make especially good use of a Sing Core storage solution.

As for the case of strong containers meant to be hauled from place to place, Sing Core is again an excellent choice. People or businesses that find themselves regularly transporting hefty or large items may be looking for a reusable container that can guarantee protection for the cargo, without adding much to the weight of it.

Furniture

Sing Core panels can be made to unique sizes and shapes, allowing them to be used for miscellaneous furniture or similar applications. Sing Core has been used to make bunk beds, dressers, storage pieces, and more. This allows for the furniture to be transported incredibly easily, as it would weigh a fraction of a normal unit of the same furniture. We even use furniture made from Sing Core products in our own office, and they are still holding strong and working incredibly well.

Floors

We often think of Sing Core panels being used as doors and walls, but they work just as well as floors. Particularly the floors of upper building levels, as they are incredibly lightweight, but have the structural integrity to withstand walking on. If you’re building a tiny house or some other small structure, using Sing Core for your upper floors may be your best bet, as it allows for easy construction and transportation.

And More!

Sing Core is more than just a door or wall panel, it’s a core that can be used in nearly any aspect of construction. Floors, stairs, furniture, and much more become a possibility with Sing Core. Plus, you still get our 50-Year Structural Guarantee, so you know you won’t need to do any replacing for a long time. When you look around at the things around you or think of new project ideas, consider Sing Core to make it the best it can be!