Category: Commercial Design Specifications

July 23, 2023

Making Work Look And Feel Like Home

The majority of the population is vaccinated, Covid restrictions are mostly lifted, and companies are having people come back to the office. Or they are trying to. Although many offices have reopened and are welcoming workers back, a large number of employees are pushing back strongly against the return-to-office. After so much time at home, a lot of workers just don’t want to go back. Remote workers have become accustomed to the comforts of home at work — and they don’t want to give ithem up. What are employers doing to lure them back, even if only part-time?

Companies that are asking people to come back are trying to make the transition as smooth as possible via employee perks and amenities, and beefing up their offices to make them more appealing. Even offices that offer remote work still need to consider how those employees will connect with others at the office, either through online meetings, phone conferences, or occasionally visiting the office in person.

Employee Perks

Some of the perks employers are offering to lure workers back are

The ultimate corporate-America perk: wearing jeans to the office (yes, even at law offices!)
Dog-friendly policies
Personal assistants
Free parking
Flexible hours
Happy hours monthly or biweekly
The classic lure: free lunches and beverages
“Elevated” office parties at fun venues with high-end food and drinks

Workplace Amenities

Rooftop decks
Outdoor spaces
Fitness centers
Yoga rooms
Communal spaces with “hangout areas”
Lounge spaces with games such as cards, board games, table tennis, video games, pool table
Daycare for children and pets
Pods or booths for privacy

Office Designs With the Comforts of Home

The “Resimercial” design trend has been on the rise for the past few years now because it is believed that home-like environments in the office can lead to more comfortable, and, presumably, happier workers. And happy workers, according to current theories, work harder.

But since the pandemic, resimercial design has new significance and is more important than ever. Bosses are designing offices that look like your living room to get you back at your desk. These designs that look like home are often complete with sofas, fireplaces, and TVs. In addition to the perks and amenities, a home-like workplace environment could be appealing to remote workers reluctant to come back to the office.

Merging Residential and Workplace Elements

When merging residential and workplace elements, it’s important to understand that office still has to function primarily as a workplace. Residential aspects of design that are incorporated into the office must be flexible enough to be comfortable but should satisfy ergonomic needs as well as the integration of technology. And furnishings and surfaces that feel like home must be able to withstand the wear and tear of a demanding commercial environment.

Here’s a look at some of our tile collections that will lend a residential feel while offering low maintenance and durability for the long haul.

The Warmth of Wood

For injecting a homey feel into an office environment, wood surfacing is probably one of the top choices. But who wants or needs the upkeep to maintain them? We offer a range of wood-look porcelain tiles, from authentic wood looks to more artistic incarnations, all designed to deliver warmth and inject a home-like vibe into commercial spaces.

Umber

Umber porcelain tile offers wood’s classic look in four fresh tones interpreted in powerful porcelain planks and exterior paver–always on trend, inside or out.

GIO Umber in Bianco 8x 48 Rectified

Barnwood

Barnwood porcelain floor and wall tile offers all of wood’s appeal and all of porcelain tile’s advantages in a trio of weathered timber with colors–rich details.

GIO Barnwood in Bianco 6×24

Modern

Minimalist style meets sleek wood grain our Modern porcelain floor and wall tile. This contemporary collection of porcelain tile planks is offered in four gorgeous, go-anywhere colors and designer herringbone accents.

GIO Modern in Charcoal 8 x36

Char

Our Char collection’s Porcelain planks & rectangles echo the look of singed timber awash in a subtle metallic sheen. The wall and floor tile line is offered in four authentic hues and three generous sizes.

GIO Char, Auburn 12 x 48 Rectified (Wall) and Vintage, Petals Dark Grey (Floor)

See all of our wood-look porcelain lines here.

Bring Nature In

Residential designers are always bringing nature and the outdoors into interiors, and the commercial workplace should be no different. Biophilic design elements, which replicate the sensations of the natural world, also contribute significantly to productivity.

Slab_48

A hot design trend that started in the residential realm favors big, bold stones that act as statement pieces. These bold natural stones in exotic species, unique or bold colors, and often with dramatic veining take center stage. For commercial interiors, of course, it’s much more practical to turn to the fabulous porcelain bold stone lookalikes for durability, ease of maintenance, and cleanability. Our Slab_48 is an extraordinary natural stone look proceklain with vibrant visuals, ready to enrich any style of space.

GIO Slab_48 in Onyx Green 48 x110 Polished

Mural

Mural brings the bold art of nature to interior designs with this daring collection of polished, 24×48 tiles in two stunning groupings–sumptuous marbles and two animal-inspired styles.

GIO Mural in Aqua Onyx 24×48 Polished & Rectified

Residential Hues

Remember when offices were mostly beige? Not anymore. Injecting color into an office design scheme is a great way to amp up the residential feel, and we have the tile collections to do just that.

Freestyle

Freestyle lets you freely stylize your walls with dimensional decoration in a rainbow of cosmopolitan colors. The wall tile line comes in ten fashion-forward hues and 22 decorative patterns in bright and matte finishes.

GIO Freestyle in Violet Bright and Violet Bright Decoria

Colori

The rainbow reigns in this colorful collection of porcelain primary hues. Colori offers the ultimate palette with a spectrum of options for any fanatic of chromatic design.

Colori Red 24×24 Matte Rectified

Companies have stepped up their game when it comes to getting workers to return to the office. Making the workplace feel like home is a big step in the right direction for luring and transitioning employees back to the office while increasing retention, happiness, productivity, and creativity in the long term.

GIO is your gateway to beautifully designed, strategically selected collections of floor and wall tile sure to fit your demanding specification requirements and unique style. We look forward to working with you!

October 30, 2022

A Look at GIO’s Latest & Greatest Tile Collections

Here at GIO, we’re always on the prowl for the most advanced, sophisticated tile products for commercial interiors. We’ve recently returned from the 39th edition of Cersaie, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings, which takes place in Bologna, Italy. Cersaie is the foremost international event for designers of ceramic tile and other surface coverings. The 2022 show recorded over 90,000 attendees from all over the world during the five days of the exhibition. The fifteen pavilions of the Bologna Exhibition Centre (140,000 square meters of surface area!) were fully occupied by 624 companies, including 354 from the ceramic tile sector.

It was thrilling to see some of the world’s most innovative ceramic surfacing products. Shows of this caliber inform and inspire so we can bring you the finest commercial-grade tile products the world has to offer. Always assessing our offerings to ensure we’re bringing you the best of the best, we’ve retired a few lines to make way for fresh options that are sure to inspire upcoming tile specifications. We’re proud to continuously offer a range of on-trend, sophisticated products to transform your commercial design projects. Here’s a look at what’s new and now:

MURAL

Mural floor and wall tile brings the bold art of nature to your interior designs in a daring collection of polished 24×48 tiles in two stunning groupings —sumptuous stone looks and two animal-inspired styles.

Mural, shown here in Aqua Onyx, Azul, Leopard, and Snake

STATUARIETTO BIANCO

Statuarietto Bianco for floors and walls offers a big, bold marble look with luxurious veining and a large format up to 60″ x 120″. The line is available in honed or polished finishes.

Statuarietto Bianco, shown here in 30″ x 30″ Polished & Rectified

ZELLIGE

Inspired by Moroccan tile, Zellige wall tile comes in a beautiful array of nine colors, brilliantly glazed for vintage variation.

Zellige, shown in Suk Black, 5″ x 5″

AGATA

In polished or matte finishes and large formats, Agata for floors and walls celebrates onyx inspiration in an expressive dance of swirling blue hues.

Agata, shown in 24″ x 48″ Polished & Rectified

LINEA

Linea floor and wall tile offers the timeless style of vein-cut stone in enduring porcelain with palatial sizes, two finishes, and four neutral hues.

WORKSHOP

Workshop floor and wall tile isn’t new; it’s an old friend that’s been with us since the beginning. But we’ve recently refreshed the line to bring in new finishes (honed, linear, and flamed) and some gorgeous on-trend hues that you’re sure to love.

Workshop, shown in Sage 12″ x 24″ Linear Rectified

GIO Tile is committed to being at the forefront of commercial design, bringing you only the finest commercial-grade products, hand-picked from global sources based on our focused knowledge of what you need to transform commercial spaces. We hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the latest and greatest of the finest commercial-grade tile products available! Samples for these lines, in addition to all our tile collections, are available free to the trade. Contact us anytime – we’re here to work with you!

September 11, 2022

Understanding Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (DCOF) – Updated

When specifying flooring materials, slip resistance is an important safety measure that all tile specifiers must be aware of. We are concerned about slip resistance in areas where ceramic tile floors can become wet in both residential and commercial applications. The measurement related to traction and slipperiness on wet, level floors when walked upon is called the dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF). DCOF testing helps determine the likelihood of whether or not a tile surface could contribute to someone slipping or falling. When it comes to choosing the right tile for an area, DCOF is a major consideration, especially when selecting tiles for areas that may be subjected to water, oil, or grease exposure.

If you are confused about the DCOF, you’re not alone. This measurement evokes questions about the methods for measuring it, what a DCOF measurement actually means, how to compare DCOF values and what the DCOF requirements are. DCOF is now the primary product performance measure used by the North American tile industry, so it’s important to understand what it means.

A Short History of DCOF

Before 2012, slip resistance, or the coefficient of friction for ceramic tile, was tested using the method specified in ASTM C1028, which provided the Static Coefficient of Friction (SCOF). But a new and better method for determining COF emerged, allowing project specifiers to choose the right tile for the job more easily. The new measurement, developed by the Tile Council of North America (TCNA), is called Dynamic Coefficient of Friction or DCOF.

What’s the difference between SCOF and DCOF test methods?

While the old test method determined the static coefficient of friction or SCOF, the new testing standard determines the dynamic coefficient of friction. In the context of people walking on floors, static friction is the frictional resistance one pushes against when starting in motion. Dynamic friction, on the other hand, is the frictional resistance one pushes against when already in motion. With both types of friction, a slip can occur when you push with more force than the surface can resist. The DCOF test relates better to slips occurring while a person is walking. Additionally, the newer test method uses a slightly soapy solution (water with .05% Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, or SLS) that is more slippery than the de-ionized water used with the old test.
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What is the required minimum DCOF value?

The American National Standard Test Method for Measuring Dynamic Coefficient of Friction of Hard Surface Flooring Materials, ANSI A326.3, requires tile flooring products to have a DCOF of 0.42 or greater when recommended for use in a level interior space intended to be walked upon when wet. Keep in mind that not all tiles with a wet DCOF of 0.42 or greater are necessarily suitable for all projects and that this is a minimum level of slip resistance for level interior floors that are wet with water. Other situations, such as standing water, oil, grease, or other slippery substances, may require higher DCOF numbers. Specifiers must also consider the type of use, traffic, expected contaminants, expected maintenance, expected wear, and manufacturer’s guidelines.

In addition to describing DCOF test methods of hard surface flooring materials in the laboratory and in the field, the ANSI A326.3 standard includes DCOF specifications, product use classifications*, and guidance on specifying hard surface flooring materials. This standard is intended to guide the general public, manufacturers, distributors, specifiers, architects, contractors, testing laboratories, building owners, and other businesses and professionals.

*Earlier this year, the TCNA announced the addition of a five-category “product use classification system” in ANSI A326.3. For the first time in the tile industry’s history, the TNCA, in collaboration with the American National Standards Institute, now requires tile manufacturers (as well as other hard surface flooring manufacturers) to provide “product use classifications” based on the properties of slip resistance. The ANSI A326.3 standard for measuring the DCOF is now the only ANSI standard for measuring floor traction.

GIO Architectural Tile + Stone is committed to the simplification of tile and stone specifications. Our products are marked with DCOF ratings presented in a clear fashion so you can easily identify the technical characteristics you require.