Cost Management Courses from Autodesk

Would you like to get concise easy to follow courses that will coach you as you develop your cost control and learn at your own pace?

How about offering a series of free cost management courses delivered to your inbox weekly from Autodesk?

Learn how to get ahead of the competition in construction projects today through the Effective Construction Cost Management Ecourse.

Each course is presented by an industry expert coach focusing on helping to understand what we need in order achieve cost management success at any level. You’ll discover a multi-dimensional approach to cost management in 4 lessons covering:

[Lesson 1] Effective Construction Cost Control: The Ball is in Your Court with Esteban Corrales

[Lesson 2] Standardization: The Cornerstone of Construction Cost Control with Jake Williams

[Lesson 3] Optimization: The Construction Cost Management Superpower with Josh Cheney

[Lesson 4] Your Mission: Transformation through Business Intelligence with Chris Fish

After receiving the courses, you’ll get the Effective Construction Cost Management Playbook -- all the lessons in one, easy-to-use PDF

sign up for the ecourse to refine your cost management skills today

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Considering installing solar panels? Our ultimate Guide is available for you!

 

Are you considering installing solar panels?

Well, solar systems are becoming more valuable with the high increase of electricity bills and the power shortages some countries are facing like Lebanon.

We got you covered with our expert Engineers. Their advice can pack a punch quite like today’s post.

For most people in Lebanon, Getting a solar panel is a financial decision. Knowing that the benefits of solar are many including reduced electricity costs, avoided carbon emission, and increased home value, it’s also important to talk about the cost of installing it as well as the factors that can affect the price you pay.

So How much does solar cost?

The short answer? It may cost you in Lebanon an average gross price of $10,000 but it depends on several factors:

the quality of the solar equipment you use, where you live, and even where you find that installer.

The cost of solar panels and solar inverters may vary depending on the quality of the equipment. Some have more efficiency, meaning more production per square meter of roof space.

Higher quality panels provide more efficiency when you have space restrictions on building rooftops.

They are priced 20% more than lower efficiency panels and they come in general with longer warranties which mean peace of mind for more than 20 years and better performance regardless of temperature limitations.

It’s important to compare prices by requesting multiple quotes the same way you compare when you purchase a car, a new HVAC system, or any home appliance. Price can differ from country to country depending on the amount of competition they face, the availability of labor, the cost to obtain a permit and equipment availability, and shipping costs.

Get in touch with ZPMEngineers for your free quote.

Below, we’ll present a summary of solar panel systems, as well as the equipment that you’ll need to produce power using the sun.

What are the basics of a solar panel system?

Solar panels are usually made of solar cells (made from the element silicon), wiring, a metal frame, and a glass cover

Solar panel systems work very simply: 

·         During the day, solar cells in your solar panels absorb the energy from sunlight; 

·         Circuits within the cells collect that energy and turn it into direct current (DC) energy; 

·         The DC electricity is passed through a device called an inverter to convert it to the usable alternating current (AC) electricity that comes out of your wall outlets; 

Can I store energy using a solar battery?

The primary function of solar energy storage is to store energy produced by solar panels for a later time as a backup source of power in the event of a grid outage.

The main advantage of installing a solar-plus-storage energy system is that it gives you the ability to use your solar electricity even when the sun isn’t shining. 

The four components of a solar panel system are:

1.    Solar photovoltaic panels

2.    Inverters–to convert DC electricity into AC electricity

3.    Racking and mounting systems–pieces of hardware that affix your solar panels to your roof.

4.    Performance monitoring systems–to track and monitor the output and health of your solar panels and inverters

What is the difference between String inverters and Microinverters?

A single inverter is the least expensive inverter option and is a very durable technology. Multiple strings of panels can be connected to each inverter; however, if the electricity production from one of the panels in a string drops (due to shading), it will reduce the performance of the whole string.

In the microinverters option, one is (usually) installed at each solar panel, which allows each panel to maximize production. If some of your panels are shaded at different times, microinverters will minimize performance issues. The cost of microinverters tends to be higher than the cost of string inverters.

How can we optimize the performance of our solar panel system?

To perform at their best, solar panels should face south and be installed at an angle between 30 and 45 degrees (depending on how far you are from the equator).

Panels facing east or west and at a pitch angle of five degrees or more will produce 20 percent less electricity than those installed under ideal conditions. You can use racking to incline your panels at an angle that is best for capturing the sun’s rays.

Whether your motivation to go solar is economic, environmental, or both, the Benefits are Endless! It’s time to take a serious look at solar.

Do not hesitate to get in touch with our experts today and request your free design and installation quote.

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Top 10 Mobile apps to improve productivity and efficiency

 

Do you start your day with a plan to achieve a lot and soon find yourself distracted and managing tasks uncontrollable and outside your scope?

Have you tried all kinds of productivity techniques to your working style including setting to-do lists, multitasking, time management , and got no results?

Are you looking to increase the work efficiency in your firm? 

While Mobile devices were considered a distraction for most employees, the digital mobile world has brought many advantages like quick and daily access to information, and many applications were developed to boost productivity.

Upscale your productivity and increase your efficiency level with these 10 best mobile apps:

1.     OfficeSuite

2.     PDF Extra

3.     Evernote

4.     Notability

5.     SlideShark

6.     Slack

7.     Krisp

8.     Flexibits

9.     Asana

10. Xtensio

OfficeSuite is a complete solution that combines 5 + 1 premium products: documents, sheets, Slides, PDF, drive, and mail with the calendar. You can work with any document and format, anywhere. Supported on Windows 10, 8, 8.1, and 7, Android and iOS tablets and smartphones.

OfficeSuite pricing starts at $29.99 as a flat rate, per year. There is a free version and it works very well also. You can transfer from pc to tablet and phone very easily.

Reasons for Switching to OfficeSuite:

OfficeSuite has more features on Android than Office Mobile, you can switch between windows and mobile very easily.

It has full compatibility with all popular formats including Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Txt), Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides & Adobe PDF.

PDF has scan, signature, file conversion, and file browser.

Additional features: 

·        Spell check: all errors are automatically underlined in red color to help you make corrections.

·        Dictionary: There is an embedded dictionary for an instant definition of your new words.

·        Conditional formatting (on excel). OfficeSuite has almost everything you need from a computer version when it comes to conditional formatting. Other android excel apps don't give you much or they don't have the feature at all.

·        There is a freehand feature where you can scribble naturally with a stylus or finger.

·        Very handy: You can also add your hand signature to your files. The signature will be automatically applied on any document you choose to sign for, you won't have to literally sign on every file, or print a document, just to apply a signature on it.

·         There is a Text to speech feature to read you aloud.

PDF Extra

A free downloadable version for PDF Extra is available and the personal yearly plan is priced at $49.99 -  $4.16 per month.

Reasons for Switching to PDF Extra :

PDF Extra has more features on Mobile than Other pdf apps. You can easily:

·        fill in forms digitally. 

·        Signify vital document status & details by inserting checkmarks or stamps to your pdf

·       Add, resize, arrange or rotate any local image. You can even insert pictures from the web.

·       Have access to 50 GB MobiDrive storage at your disposal as a Premium feature offered in the subscription plans.

·        Control the flow of ideas and teamwork by using our powerful annotation features.

·        PDF to word & excel conversion available

·        Enjoy ebooks articles and catalogs with a simple conversion from PDF to ePub

·        Secure important work and personal PDFs with passwords, encryption, and digital signatures.

     PDFExtra is ideal for Employers, Teachers, Technicians, Inspectors, Contractors, Researchers, Writers, Editors, Engineers, Bloggers & Business Owners.

 

Evernote & Notability

Two of the best note-taking and organizational applications. While they have a different user interface, they can be both used to brainstorm and document projects from beginning to end.

Both apps allow using of Sketches, quick photoshoots, and pdf files that can be integrated with google drive or dropbox.

Evernote allows group chats and project communication.

SlideShark

SlideShark is an application that allows showing your PowerPoint presentation from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. It can be integrated into your dropbox account which makes creating and sharing presentations easy.

You can broadcast over the Web in real-time and share your slides online via email or social media.

Sign up for a free SlideShark account on their website or register on the login page when you launch the App. A single SlideShark account can be used for all your iOS devices.

Slack

Slack is a business professional platform made for communication between working teams. It includes chat rooms organized by groups and by topics and can provide direct messaging and video calls

The free plan is sufficient if you own a small business. It includes access to 10,000 of your team’s most recent messages and integrations with other apps like Google Drive, Office 365, and many more...
It also allows one-to-one voice and video calls between teammates. Premium and business versions are priced starting at $6.67 /mo**Per active user. 

Krisp

Krisp is a noise cancellation app for remote workers. You can remove the hassle of dealing with background noise from kids playing, watching tv, or dogs barking through Krisp.

By using Krisp noise-canceling app together with Zoom or any video conference, you can enjoy more productive and efficient conference calls.

It also works well for call centers and can suppress the noise also for the one calling from a noisy location so it can work on both incoming and outgoing audio.

Flexibits

Flexibits offers best-selling productivity apps Fantastical and Cardhop for Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad that are enjoyable and flexible. The Flexibits Premium subscription combines the value of these two award-winning apps.

• Fantastical: a beautiful, clean, and easy to use calendar app that allows users to manage events, share calendars, and stay organized
• Cardhop: an incredibly intuitive contacts app that lets you search, add, edit, and interact with your contacts
• 
  

Both are available with a 14-day free trial and subsequent subscription to Flexibits Premium. A single subscription unlocks all features in both Fantastical and Cardhop across your devices. Your calendars, tasks, and contacts will be more powerful, more productive, and more fun.Sign Up for Flexibits Premium with Fantastical today

Asana

Asana is a web and mobile work management platform designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. It has a free plan very functional for small businesses and project management. It can support unlimited teams, projects, messaging, activity logs, file storage, multiple project views, and more. If you have less than 15 users and manage basic projects, you can stay on the free plan forever.

Xtensio

Xtensio is a platform developed for teams to create, share, and manage all of their business documents. You can manage your business by creating sales sheets, reports, case studies, agendas, and more, with no design experience. Xtensio is ideal for consultants, Agencies, startups, sales teams, educators, and students.

A free plan is available on their website with free demos to help you get started.

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Elements to consider in decorating your space

A sense of comfort is all that you have to achieve in the decorative scheme of any space. You can do a lot to make a room look more spacious such as playing with colors, texture, and lighting – natural and artificial – as well as using reflective and transparent surfaces.

Color

The points given below will help understand how color can be used to break up an area, to define certain parts, unify a space, and to also add ambiance. It can make a space feel larger or smaller.

Warm and cool colors

Colors such as green, blue and purple are cool colors while red, orange, and yellow are warm. You can sense a warm cozy room just when you walk into it. A warm red can be cooled if you add some blue and a cool green can be warmed if you add some yellow. Walls painted in blue make a small space look larger and the reverse is also true.

Lights effect on colors

The quality of light may affect how the color appears in a room. A room facing the sun for instance will look warmer than another room away from the sun. You can use a cool color such as blue if your room is naturally exposed to sunlight, and artificial lighting also affects color. Ordinary incandescent bulbs will make the colors in a room look warmer and more yellow than they are. They will also make blues look more green and reds look more orange. Fluorescent makes colors look colder while halogen gives out a closer effect to sunlight. Taking into account your artificial lighting when planning your color scheme is therefore very essential.

Color can appear different depending on the color that is next to it and the larger the area that is covered by color, the more that color will take the lead in a scheme. 

Tints & shades

A Tint is made when u add white to a color and a shade when you add black. Lighter colors reflect light while darker colors absorb it.

 White and pale colors

What works best in your designed space are in general the white and pale light-reflecting colors as they have a space-defying effect. Be careful a warm white can make a sunny room feel uncomfortably warm. Instead, try cool neutrals such as cool off-white, pale grey, green-grey, and lavender greys or any pale cool green, blue, or mauve. These colors look best in rooms with good natural light. Please bear in mind that the white scheme is high-maintenance and not ideal for a family with children and pets.

Using strong Colors, Patterns & Texture 

Strong colors can be used and textures can add interest to what are essentially monochrome schemes.

You can introduce an accent color in the form of accessories like for example a collection of vases or some cushions. A fabric panel or a two-tone wallpaper can also do the trick.

A strong color can be used also to paint one wall or to divide a panel and can be employed in the form of a brightly colored rug and perhaps a red chair in a pale grey room.

The pattern most commonly appears in textiles, flooring, and wallpaper. If you want a narrow room to feel wider, a few boards, contrasting horizontal stripes painted on the wall will do the trick.

Large patterns in small spaces work better than small-scale patterns. You can use large tiles laid in a diagonal way which will give your space a stretching effect and a feeling of liveliness, unlike small patterns that look too busy.

Ensure always to use patterns of similar scale and tone. So if you have a collection of objects, avoid displaying them if they don t form a unified pattern such as their shape or color. You can instead use a single over-scaled piece and light it well.

Textures also add variety and depth without creating fussiness. Soft textures are essential to provide comfort to your home like for example, thick wool throws, fluffy towels, and large squashy cushions.

Lighting and Windows

Lighting should form an integral part of our planning whatever the size of the space is. the first and most important is the access to natural light from windows, doors, and other openings.

Increasing the size of windows and openings as much as possible will bring more natural light into your space. You can also consider removing internal walls and doors to provide yourself with a greater sense of space and more exposure to natural light.

Avoid using a solitary ceiling light, it leaves the corners of the room bathed in gloom. Use recessed downlights instead they make the room look larger. Add decorative lighting through the use of spotlights, strip lights, or wall washers. Those are usually used for illuminating paintings, houseplants, bookshelves. The directional lighting can be used in the form of downlights fitted beneath a wall cabinet for working or reading.

Backlight a bathroom mirror or cabinet and set light flush in the treads of the stairs or in the wall flanking the stairs so that they help direct the eye from zone to zone.

Create a sense of movement through the space via lighting by adding a row of spotlights for example along a corridor floor or ceiling to lead the eye away from the narrowness of the corridor and into the next space.

Reflection and transparency 

Use Reflective surfaces such as mirrors and metals, they will give a sense of spaciousness by bouncing the light around.            

Work with see-through surfaces such as glass and Perspex, they also let the light flow in the room.

Employ materials with a reflective quality on your walls and ceiling for example high-gloss paints, lacquers, and varnishes. When applied to the ceiling with good lighting it can be particularly space-enhancing.

Wallpapers with a light-reflecting metallic finish as well as mirrors can be also used on walls. Mirrors with good lighting can provide a better effect, locate them opposite a window or door and try using them for example with decorative lighting in bathrooms or behind a shelf that holds a display of your favorite objects.

Tiles are another option to be considered for your walls. Glazed ceramic tiles are available in a wide range of colors and formats, the white or fairly neutral ones often work in any space especially small spaces.

Glass tiles are better employed in bathrooms and have a watery look whereas metal tiles in stainless steel and copper come with a textured finish that can be used on walls and countertops.

Glass wall panels can also be incorporated in your design in different patterns like the sandblasted design, etched, textured and screen printed glass, for example, the latter offering interesting design and color opportunities.

Be aware of the structural quality installed since safety is always an issue with sheet glass, make sure to hire professionals like ZPMEngineers.

Whether you are a contractor or you’re decorating your home, I advise you to seek help by consulting our Homepage. Our experts can bring everything together to make the entire job successful. Managing projects, organizing your crew on your own can get messy, and it takes valuable time out of your day. Our Engineers will help keep all of that on track, so your project runs smoothly.

Reflection in floors

The first and most common option is to use quality glazed ceramic tiles for floors and avoid the slippery finishes in areas that get wet.

Stone is a more costly alternative that can be used on floors and walls. A highly polished finish most commonly found in granite can have higher reflecting qualities. Stone can come in a huge range of types and colors but its weight can cause a problem if the floor structure is weak.

Metal flooring or stairs are also reflecting surfaces and are worth considering. They are structurally tough available in different styles and are easy to clean. Polished concrete became also a luxury material used in galleries shops and restaurants giving a cutting edge industrial look and can be colored or laid in panels. Poured Resin is also durable and offers a highly glossy surface that can bounce light and color and can be used in treads or floor panels.

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Tips to address challenges faced in Engineering jobs.

Getting a job in Engineering can be very tricky these days. Whether you are looking for a remote Engineering job, hybrid, or on-site many challenges may face you and you will have to pass several assessments and a face-to-face interview. Employers will always want to hire the best engineer, usually because the jobs are limited and require a lot of skills and specific experience that a recent graduate may not have. Many Engineers may face challenges while building their careers, they try to learn new ways to solve problems and sometimes they find themselves in a profession that is not a good match for them.

It’s completely possible to change paths and below are tips that will help:

1 – Perform Self-assessment regularly to clarify your interests, skills, and values. It’s known that our interests may change over time. You might want to further your education in management. My advise is to check Brain Sensei they offer PMP and CAPM Exam Prep Free Trial.

2- Use Online platforms and resources to learn more about each discipline. Civil Engineering Jobs, Mechanical and Electrical engineering jobs may vary depending on the market, the country, and the demand and availability within the overall economy. For instance, the American society of civil engineers estimates that $3.6 trillion should be invested in the US infrastructure next year which means a higher demand for civil engineers specializing in infrastructure.

3- Research companies and industries that might interest you. Try to reach out and offer your services. “ In today’s job market, an undergraduate degree in engineering can take you down almost any career path.” Try to enlarge your network by contacting new persons in your field and enrolling yourself in mentorship programs for empowerment and self-development.

4- Benefit from the well-developed professional recruiting platforms such as linked in and monster to enhance your career search.  Be passionate and dedicate your time to building your career and Invest your time and energy in your professional life to be able to reach your goals.

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5 Useful Addresses for General Furnishings

Are you looking to furnish your home and need ideas?

Whether you have a classic, modern & contemporary or traditional style, I grabbed a list of useful addresses for your use. You may get inspired by the varieties of furniture offered and find what you’re looking for to get your own space designed.

B&B Italia

www.bebitalia.com

Various branches: contemporary living, dining and bedroom storage furniture.

Unique designs and ideas are offered to suit most of the needs creating special identities for each design in addition to breaking away the set patterns of the sector and merging new creative ideas.

John Lewis

www.johnlewis.com

Various branches: stacking and sofa beds, storage furniture and accessories, folding and stacking chairs, folding, extending, glass and nesting tables, kitchen appliances, freestanding modular kitchen units, Trolleys.

Habitat

www.habitat.net

Specialized in home improvement, Habitat brand is directed by a French designer Pierre Favress who is leading a team of designers in collaboration with external partners to produce more innovative and functional articles in order to create individuality for each client.

BoConcept

www.boconcept.com

Boconcept offers complete solutions for your interior space design. They have more than 260 stores in over 60 countries.  Check their online 2018 catalog for the latest trends.

B&Q

www.diy.com

B&Q is an international home improvement and garden living retailer with 1,100 stores across Europe. Their Orange brand is greenly awarded and they are committed to sustainability in design as well as execution providing the best eco-friendly designed solutions.

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9 easy steps to make your designed space feel bigger

Are you faced with a small space that needs to be made liveable?!
You will need to think about your priorities and follow these simple steps to make your living area more spacious. At the top of the list, of course, don't forget the basics - areas in which to sleep, bathe, cook and sit but it's not about that only, it's about relaxation and with that comes a wide range of stuff - books, CDs, DVDs, Sports gear, computer equipment and so on... And for this, you will need a lot of storage, a high priority in any small space.


follow these 9 steps to make your space feel bigger:

Choose space-saving, mobile or dual-purpose furniture wherever possible.

Put your TV on a wall bracket, or have a plasma screen that lies flat on the wall, and keep the tabletop free for something else.

Rethink your lighting (Nothing is worse than using a solitary ceiling light to provide your ambient lighting: it leaves the corners of the room bathed in gloom).  A better solution is to install lots of recessed downlights in the ceiling, they will make a low-ceilinged room look larger.

Devote more space to mirrors or other reflective surfaces.

Choose light-enhancing colors to decorate the space. A room with plenty of warm, natural lighting can take a cool color such as blue, while a room that faces away from the sun would feel chilly with blue walls. Artificial lighting has an effect on color, too, and you'll need to take that into account while planning your lighting, as well as thinking about a color scheme.

Use low-level furniture to keep sightlines free so that you don't feel closed in.

Consider using sofas and chairs with legs rather than those that come down to the floor. Being able to see the floor beneath them will give the illusion of more space.

Avoid furniture with fussy detail and trims.

Underlighting bulky pieces of furniture, such as beds and built-in storage, will prevent it from looking so heavy.

If U need to know more about tips and tricks to design your own living or working space don't hesitate to subscribe and receive our news feeds.

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