Duraglas Launches the Chrysalis HD Design Cafe Forums

The forums are now fully online!

The Chrysalis HD Design Cafe is the spot for designers, architects and panel manufacturers to come together and discuss industry related issues; such as where resin panel designs are headed in the near future, how practical is it to specify resin panels in my next or current project, and what are the benefits of using recycled or recyclable panels and how do they improve my LEEDS credits? At the Design Café you can communicate directly with other professionals and find out what they have to say about these issues, or share your own experiences and help out others looking for guidance.

The Design Café provides all the tools necessary for you to network and interact with other resin panel using professionals. You can post images, take polls, upload a custom avatar, private message other members and more. So if you would like to connect with a totally free community of other industry professionals where you can ask questions, give answers, share ideas and find out what’s new and hot in resin panel designs; come join us! It only takes a minute, and it’s completely free!!

Chrysalis HD Design Café - Design. Communicate. Grow.

Chrysalis HD on Stylepark.com

Stylepark AG, based in Germany, and apparently a major influence in design culture throughout Europe, has decided to add Chrysalis HD to its online database. With more than 180 participating manufacturers and over 100,000 users per month, stylepark.com is a provider in the area of integral architectural communications and offers architects, designers and individuals interested in design a quality filter, metatool and working tool for the search of creative and functional high-quality products. You can see ours here.

Stylepark has developed a set of tools which provide a vital communication link for manufacturers of premium design products by integrating on-line, print and event components. The core component of Stylepark, its product database, is different from traditional online databases because the Stylepark editorial staff analyses the vast offerings of the design-focused market segments and selects a number of renowned manufacturers of innovative high-quality products that meet the requirements of the target group of architects and designers. This is where the central approach of Stylepark comes into play: the database as quality filter. The high level of recognition of Stylepark in the European design industry and the brand values of the participating manufacturers have a potent effect and create a network that represents the premium segment of today’s design industry.

They definitely have a lot of cool features on their website, including various articles, Material of the Day and a very cleverly displayed Top 50 link section. So what are you waiting for? Go on and have a look.

Chrysalis HD Makes Architectural Products Magazine's Annual TOP 50 List

As many of you may remember; last december I posted an article about Chrysalis HD being featured in the Product & Material Breakthroughs section of Architectural Products Magazine's september issue. Well, we've just received news that we've now been awarded a high-ranking place in their seventh-annual TOP 50 Products list. This is a very prestigious honor. Architectural Products' TOP 50 represents those companies whose products attracted the most interest from their professional readership during the last 12 months. Apparently Chrysalis HD was far and away a favorite of the readers and is going to be featured in a special edition of their november issue. This is really great news, and everyone at Duraglas should be very proud of the work they've done to get us here.

Duraglas Aquires New VP of Global Sales

This month, Duraglas is pleased to announce that is has tapped John Hohne, currently Director of Sales, for the position of Vice President of Global Corporate Sales. John has been with Duraglas since 2007, and has been integral in growing the company’s distribution network, both within the U.S. and internationally. “John’s insightful and motivational management style has won Duraglas many new clients, and we look forward to seeing John continue his out-of-the-box leadership within the design community” said Duraglas co-founder, Joanna Jorgensen. We all wish John much good luck in his new position and congratulate him for a job well done.

Chrysalis Panels Expanded Lineup To Debut At NeoCon 2009

Duraglas Inc. is pleased to announce that 22 new Chrysalis designs and colors and 3 new thicknesses are now immediately available, and will be making their debut appearance at this year’s NeoCon Show in Chicago. Five spectacular new transparent metal designs have been added to the HD line, and seventeen classic woven colors have been added to the studio line. Additionally, the entire Chrysalis line is now available in thicknesses of 1/8”, 3/16”, 3/8” and 1/2". Stop by to see all the new things Duraglas has to offer while you’re at NeoCon. You can find us at booth 8-3130C.

Donated Chrysalis HD Art Piece Helps Raise Funds For Children's Art Program

The College School, an independent private school for children ages 3 to 14, have had to find alternative ways to keep their art programs funded due to cutbacks in Federal funding. One way has been to hold an auction featuring unique art pieces made by the students themselves with the assistance of Ahmed Eldarrat, an artist whose daughter Khadijah is enrolled in the program. Ahmed graciously donated his own services as an artist to insure the project’s success, and after searching for a suitable medium, made the decision that Chrysalis HD panels would be ideal for the piece. “The project would not have been the same on any other product”, explained Ahmed. “Glass would have been a hazard, and Plexiglas has a ‘cheesy’ quality that cannot impart the same quality and seriousness that your product can. And Plexiglas is simply not available in the textures that you offer.”

But the visual attractiveness of Chrysalis isn’t the only reason for his choice. Chrysalis HD panels meet all the requirements for safe indoor air quality set down by the Greenguard Environmental Institute and can be ordered in up to 98% recycled material. Chrysalis panels themselves are also 100% recyclable. “The fact that it (Chrysalis) is a green product adds to the overall meaning and attractiveness of a piece that uses your product,” Ahmed says.

Because we believe in protecting and investing in the future of our planet, which includes our children, Duraglas gladly donated a full-sized 4’x8’ panel of Chrysalis HD Studio ‘Cloud’ (S-1135) to the school. The panels were then cut into sections and attached to a tri-fold Japanese screen using brass bolts and nuts. The children from the class made drawings of bugs and insects of their choice using whatever medium they were comfortable with and Ahmed transferred them to the panels using oil based permanent paint pens. The result is an adorable, yet elegant, shoji screen with a finished quality fine enough to adorn any business or home. We’re glad Ahmed was pleased with the performance of our panels. In the end he added that: “As an artist I will be adding Chrysalis HD panels to my toolbox for any future projects that it would fit into.” Thanks, Ahmed!

Duraglas Inc is pleased to be a part of such a worthy cause and wishes Ahmed and the students of The College School the best of luck in securing the remaining funding for their programs. Please be sure to visit The College School and help them win the battle against funding cuts. Art is something we can’t afford to lose.

It's not easy being green (but it sure is important).

Our company, Duraglas, is committed to complying with and often exceeding all applicable environmental, safety, and health regulations and other requirements to which we subscribe. In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and be environmentally responsible, we have introduced a new sample portfolio to help conserve our planet’s precious resources. This new portfolio will make a major difference in the amount of energy required to produce it compared to our previous full-line sample boxes. By reducing the number of Chrysalis samples included, we have eliminated the need to produce thousands upon thousands of samples, reducing the amount of energy required for manufacturing, as well as reducing the amount of natural resources taken from the earth to make the actual samples. We’re still happy to provide our customers with samples of any designs they want; all they need to do is ask for them. In the meantime, Duraglas has allied with companies that have invested heavily in the newest and cleanest technologies, and we’re doing our part to help insure our planet is left in a better state for future generations.

While we're talking about reducing environmental impact, it's very important to point out that the entire Chrysalis line of resin panel products are made only with PETG and not acrylic or polycarbonate. As such, all Chrysalis panels are MMA and BPA free. What does that mean? MMA is the main ingredient for manufacturing acrylic, and is a toxic material linked to endocrine disruption. Heating or cutting acrylic can release MMA depending on the heat and pressure applied. BPA is an ingredient in polycarbonate and has become controversial because it mimics estrogen and can induce hormonal responses. Yikes!

And as if that weren't bad enough, Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC’s) are hazardous chemicals which can be released from furnishings common in the indoor environment, and are on the punch list for designers, architects and specifiers. These folks want assurances that what they are buying has low or non-detectable amounts of these chemicals. Chrysalis panels are made from Eastman Chemical’s Spectar Copolyester brand of PETG, which is fully certified for indoor air quality by the Greenguard Environmental Institute. (For you techies, Chrysalis is made at five thousandths of an atmosphere and elevated temperatures; which assures an undetectable amount of VOC’s are present.) So architects and designers can breathe easy knowing that the Chrysalis HD and Chrysalis Studio installed in their indoor environment is not only VOC free, but also MMA and BPA free as well.