NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

US Countertops Market http://www.reportlinker.com/p0703632/US-Countertops-Market.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Building_Material

US demand to increase 4.5% per year through 2017

US demand for countertops is forecast to increase 4.5 percent per year to 725 million square feet in 2017, an improvement from the declines of the 2007-2012 period. The residential market, led by single-family homes, is highly countertop intensive, representing 79 percent of total countertop demand in 2012. Thus, trends in countertop demand in the residential market generally dictate the direction of the industry as a whole. For instance, the number of new single-family homes built in 2012 was 40 percent of 2007 levels, severely limiting aggregate countertop demand. Over the 2007-2012 period, growth in aggregate countertop demand was also restricted by lower remodeling activity due to tougher financing standards, reduced existing home sales, and a slowdown in consumer spending during the 2007-2009 recession.

Strong growth in new housing construction to spur rapid demand gains

Going forward, aggregate countertop demand will be spurred by a recovery in the US construction market, as nearly two-thirds of additional countertop demand between 2012 and 2017 will be in new construction applications. With new single-family housing completions projected to register double-digit gains through 2017, countertop demand in new housing will see the most rapid advances.

A rebound in new nonresidential construction spending will further propel gains. Growth will also be supported by the remodeling market of the country's large stock of older homes, with gains benefiting from an improvement in residential repair and remodeling expenditures and the projected rebound in sales of existing single-family homes from the low 2012 base. Advances will also stem from improved financing opportunities, boosting homeowners who may have delayed countertop remodeling during the 2007-2012 period.

Nonresidential markets to offer fastest growth

Through 2017, demand for countertops in the smaller nonresidential market will find more rapid growth in new applications, primarily due to accelerating nonresidential building construction expenditures following the weakness of the 2007-2012 period. Approximately 70 percent of demand in the nonresidential market is from the institutional, and office and commercial segments. Thus, countertop sales will be promoted by the construction and renovation of locations such as offices, retail shops, hotels, restaurants, health care facilities, and schools. In the nonbuilding market, countertop demand will be boosted by rebounding shipments of recreational boats and recreational vehicles.

Historically, laminates were the countertop material of choice due to its favorable performance characteristics at a reasonable price point. While laminates will maintain a leading position in the aggregate through 2017, the share will continue to slide due to rising competition from a wider variety of surfaces.

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US Countertops Market

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Concept image of environment by Li Xiaodong, commissioned by the Royal Academy of Arts, London, detail.

The Royal Academy of Arts' lofty halls are to be transformed into a sensory architectural maze by seven firms from across the globe.

The exhibit, Sensing Space: Architecture Reimagined, has been brought together by Kate Goodwin, Drue Heinz Curator of Architecture of the Royal Academy and will open on 25 January, 2014. Rather than opening up the brief for the world's architects to compete for, Goodwinhandpicked the seven architecture firms based on how they embraced the exhibit's ethos of architecture as a very human, multi-sensory and evocative experience.

"I once spent an afternoon talking with an architect about his influences and references, and this was personally etched on my mind," Goodwin explained at the exhibit's announcement on 14 August. "He spoke about how haptic touch was central to his work -- the feel of a cool doorknob, a warm threshold under foot. A sense of atmosphere." Leaving that conversation, Goodwin says, she looked at everything with heightened senses, suddenly appreciating the way light would fall on the staircase she used everyday at work. "I felt very present and in the moment," she explained. This sense, of looking at and appreciating architecture anew for how it makes us feel, rather than its perfect lines and ratios, is what she hopes to achieve through Sensing Spaces -- to have the audience delight in and experience architecture in a totally new and visceral way.

The Academy will have just three weeks in which to make this happen, shutting down whole sections over the Christmas period to erect seven building sites within its walls. This is because, as Goodwin notes, the only way to get an audience to experience what she intends is to place them in "direct proximity with a space".

Architectural models and photos will be replaced with the real thing for the public to walk around, climb on and explore. "We're doing something we never do, which is encourage visitors to touch," said Goodwin.

Building a space specifically for the public to interact with and immerse themselves in issomething many galleries have already experimented with (notably the Light Show at the Hayward Gallery or the grownup playground that was Bodyspacemotionthings by Robert Morris at the Tate Modern). But for the RA this is an epic exhibit built on the shoulders of centuries of experience. Scottish architect Sir William Chambers was a founding member of the Academy in the late 18thcentury, and today it counts some of the biggest names in the business -- from Norman Foster to Zaha Hadid -- as members. The academy has also run a series of prestigious exhibits focused on architecture over the years, and has a series of ongoing architecture programmes.

The exhibit is also not designed for the sake of art or play, but aimed squarely at introducing architecture to a new audience or, alternatively, reawakening perspectives in an old audience. Describingthe exhibit's sentiment, Goodwin borrowed some words from composer and conductor Igor Stravinsky who said: "I haven't understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it". The hope is to give laymen and amateur experts alike a new and accessible way to experience architecture in their daily lives, by being reminded of what it was about it we once found so enthralling. As children it was easy to see a curve in the wall as an excellent spot to imagine a cave, or associate the hard cool wood of a stairwell handrail with being home -- it's this sense of possibility and familiarity the exhibit hopes to evoke.

Any information on the exhibits, which will not be mapped out for the public to explore in any specific route, was left deliberately vague by the curating team. It was noted though that it would be reflective of how the digital and virtual worlds increasingly influenceour lives, and how, though our lives have become more and more portable and our spaces have less need for distinct functions, we have a human reluctance to become homogeneous, and so architecture will come to focus on how a space makes us feel.

We do have some snippets of information of what to expect from the chosen architects, however.

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Seven global architects to build sensory structures inside Royal Academy of Arts

The new Lego Architecture Studio set doesn't come with instructions for any one building. Image: Lego

Instead, in the box is a guidebook outlining some basic architectural concepts with exercises for exploring them in Lego. Image: Lego

The idea is to give budding architects a more sophisticated platform to explore. Image: Lego

Here, a sample page from the guide book, on surface. Image: Lego

Real-world examples help bridge the gap between the plastic world and our own. Image: Lego

A sample building. Image: Lego

Seventy-three different kinds of bricks are included in the set. But bricks are easy to find. Its the guidebook thats truly new. Its pages offer accessible overviews of basic architectural concepts, along with illustrated exercises for exploring them in Lego form. Pages on negative space and interior sections, for example, encourage budding builders to think not only about how their miniature creations look from the outside but also in terms of what sorts of spaces they contain within them.

That, admittedly, is a bit headier than snapping together a castle for a smiling minifig army. And the set does come with a recommendation of ages 16 and up. But if Lego products have proven anything over the years, its that with simple tools, young kids can prove to be surprisingly proficient designers. For a 10 or 12 or 13-year-old whos just starting to get curious about some of the concepts involved in their structures, this could be an excellent stepping stone.

The guidebook features contributions from a number of acclaimed firms, including REX, Safdie, Skidmore, MAD, and Sou Fujimoto, among others. Their real-world projects are used to bridge the gap between the clean plastic world of Lego and the one we live in. A hundred and fifty bucks for a bunch of white bricks might seem steep, but its hard to get mad at a product aimed squarely at encouraging kids to nurture their innate creativity in imagination.

And if youre looking for slightly more profound way of putting that, this passage from the guide book does a fine job: It is no coincidence that Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, and Buckminster Fuller were all taught kindergarten in the school system that introduced building blocks into educational play. These simple forms reveal the first traces of modernismthe start of a relationship between architecture and creative childrens games that continues to this day.

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A Lego Set for Budding Architects, With No Instructions

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Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) August 13, 2013

Homeowners confused about when and if a contractor needs to hold a license, or if it really matters, are not alone. Each state has its own set of licensing rules and regulations.

Fortunately, Pennsylvania enacted the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act in an effort to thwart dishonest contractors and their fraudulent actions. In effect as of July 1, 2009, the Act requires all contractors who perform $5,000 or more in home improvements annually to register with the Attorney Generals office. Registered contractors must carry at least $50,000 of personal injury liability coverage and $50,000 of property damage coverage.

Why is this so important to residents in the Philadelphia tri-state region? There are several important reasons homeowners should hire a licensed contractor with sufficient insurance.

Why Licensing Matters

Using an unlicensed contractor can cost homeowners in a number of ways. Unlicensed contractors have not had to submit to any examination or review of their knowledge by a licensing board, therefore it is impossible to determine the quality of their work. In addition, licensing or registration protects the homeowner by helping ensure that contractors meet the minimum insurance requirements.

If a project requires a building permit but the contractor failed to obtain one due to being unlicensed, building inspectors can stop the work until they are satisfied a licensed contractor has obtained the proper permits. In addition, homeowners who use unlicensed contractors may find little recourse if a problem develops after the work is completed.

To avoid these potential hazards, Pennsylvania residents should check with the state licensing board before hiring any contractors to determine if their license is in good standing.

Why Insurance is Important

Liability insurance covers property damage and injuries caused by the contractor's work. When interviewing a prospective company, ask to see a current Certificate of Insurance then call the insurance company to verify that the policy is current and the coverage is sufficient for the project.

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Top Philadelphia Remodeler Explains Why Homeowners Should Hire Licensed General Contractors with Sufficient Insurance

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