Sunday, October 30, 2011

Cooking with Gas! (Liquid Propane Gas)

For those of us used to cooking with gas, it comes as a rude shock that industrial lofts don't necessarily have natural gas hookups. In an industrial zone, occupants may be expected to supply their own gas if  they require it to manufacture their goods. The industrial loft complex we moved into does not have natural gas supply lines so power for heating, hot water and cooking is provided via electricity. Since we prefer to cook over a gas flame instead of electric coils, the lack of natural gas posed a challenge.

After some research into alternatives to natural gas and electricity, we realized that denizens of high-altitude and remote regions generally utilize liquid propane gas (LPG) as a safe, effective source of cooking flames. We then discovered that there was a well-known, high-end appliance company in our area that was well-versed in manufacturing liquid propane-ready cooktops. Generally, LPG cooktops are hooked up to large propane tanks situated just outside the dwelling. Pressure regulators and reinforced gas lines and fittings ensure controlled and safe gas delivery. In our case, however, installing a big tank outside the loft wasn't an option, so we consulted with people familiar with LPG hookups and determined that there was no known reason why we couldn't connect the appliance to a smaller, portable, barbeque-style 20lb LPG tank. So we decided to take the plunge and purchase a beautiful LPG four-burner cooktop. The LPG cooktop comes with a factory-installed pressure regulator that automatically shuts off the gas supply if the gas force is too great. Furthermore, the propane supply tank - whatever the size - must be fitted with a second pressure regulator that also controls the force of the gas coming out of the tank. It is a fail-safe design that combined with the manually-controlled gas shutoff valve found of all portable tanks, is extremely safe.
Factory Regulator (connected to gas lines with "Pipe Dope" sealant)

Tank-Side Regulator
We drove a few miles to the factory to pick up the LPG cooktop and got to see the immaculate and very organized Japanese-style assembly facility where the cooktop was made. Once we got the cooktop home we examined the cutsheet (guidelines for the dimensions required to fit, install and power the appliance) and  fabricated a custom phenolic resin countertop to house it. Then we hooked the factory-supplied gas pipe and regulator to the propane tank line - the propane tank also had to have its own pressure regulator for the cooktop to work. A single pressure regulator won't allow the burners to ignite because the amount of gas pressure coming out of an unregulated propane tank causes the cooktop-side regulator valve to close. But with a pressure regulator attached to each end of the gas line, the gas flow is highly controlled and the burners light like a charm.
Easy Tank Storage

High-End Looks and Performance
Cooking with liquid propane has been fun and educational. At first, we anticipated the 20lb tank would run out of gas within two weeks or so. Thus far, however, one tank has lasted us over five weeks for daily teakettle heating, egg-frying and 4 nights-a-week dinner cooking. The little tank has not run out! In addition, we discovered that LPG burns hotter and heats faster than natural gas. Propane provides more energy per unit volume than natural gas -- propane will give you over 2x the BTUs as the same volume of natural gas. A kettle of water seems to boil in approximately 2/3 of the time and frying takes about 33-50%  less flame strength. It has been a rewarding solution to cooking with gas without a natural gas supply. As an added bonus, city folk who don't have experience cooking with LPG think it's a pretty clever and amazing setup.

Cooking with Gas!

Monday, October 17, 2011

LOFTwall Separation Wall

Several months ago when we moved into our work/live loft, we realized we wanted to screen off certain areas from the view of clients visiting the architecture studio. Since the loft is mixed-use and houses an office, a mezzanine live space, a storage area, and my pottery studio, we needed several walls and screens. We built walls around the storage room and we put up corrugated metal to screen the mezzanine 'live' space. 

We decided, however, that we only wanted to partially screen off the pottery studio. A pottery workshop shares some similar characteristics with an architecture studio and proximity to someone working on clay or tinkering in a workshop can be an interesting concept for visitors and a motivating force for employees. But workshops are often cluttered and can't always be cleaned up when an unexpected visitor arrives. The logical solution for a partition was a lightweight, partially translucent, room divider. While searching online for room partitions, we stumbled across LOFTwall - a company that makes mod-looking movable separator walls that could be customized through the selection of different color panels and wall sizes. The walls are also VOC-free and the frames are made from recycled content and the wall components are recyclable.

It just so happened that at the time we discovered LOFTwall, they were having a contest to design a wall - the winner would receive a free LOFTwall! After consulting the architecture firm's design team and being advised that people get excited by red, I submitted my contest entry - a red and black wall with a translucent white panel in the center.

The LOFTwall Design Contest Entry
Voting was conducted on LOFTwall's facebook page and, thanks to the support of friends and fans, my entry made it through three rounds of voting and ultimately won! Now I could design my very own LOFTwall to use as a partition between the architecture studio and the workshop. 

We knew that the LOFTwall might have to be moved in the future for use in a reception area or to screen the conference table during meetings. So we decided that the wall should blend in with the overarching grey and white color palette of the office, let light filter through to the workshop, and not clash with the red kitchen. So we designed a grey, black and white wall with translucent panels and a two-sided dry-erase board that can be used for doodles in the workshop on one side and to convey ideas in the conference area on the other side.
Drawing on the Wall is Okay!

The LOFTwall arrived in three boxes with simple instructions on how to assemble the rails and panels with the provided allen wrench and screwdriver.

Unpacked & Ready to Assemble
First Row of Panels & Rails

Assembled and Ready to Move
It took all of 10 minutes or so to assemble and tighten the entire wall. Then we placed it next to the workshop. The modern materials and neutral colors blend perfectly with the space and the clear textured panels allow light into the workshop without revealing exactly what's behind the wall.
LOFTwall view from Conference Table

LOFTwall view from Workshop