Category : NeoCon

Over the past few weeks, we’ve taken a look at several types of space dividers that were featured at NeoCon 2013. There are also a couple of award winning designs in the seating categories that incorporate privacy screens. It seems that the office environment (and the individual workstation) isn’t the only place where more privacy is desirable.

Even in reception and casual gathering areas, people are drawn to furniture that makes them feel more secluded. In these spaces, there isn’t necessarily a table, desk or bench to hold a privacy screen. A full-height mobile divider might seem like too much separation. So, office furniture manufacturers are mounting panels and screens on the back of lounge and bench seating. Steelcase is leading the way in this area with two designs that won gold at NeoCon.

Holding Privacy in High Regard

The Regard lounge seating from the Nurture collection is designed for use in healthcare settings. This is where patients may be sitting full of the jitters in anticipation of their turn in the doctor’s office. Or, family members may spend time here waiting anxiously for good or bad news. This isn’t necessarily a time or place where people want to chat with others. So, the Regard sofas can be equipped with dividers to give visitors some personal space.

Little Lakes of Privacy

The “Lagunitas” in Steelcase’s Coalesse collection is a new kind of workspace. Much like the “Gesture” chair, this seating is intended to support the way the younger generation likes to work. These benches provide a place for employees to lounge as they operate a tablet or other mobile device. The pillows on each bench can be configured for alert or relaxed work postures. The benches can be grouped together to create a collaboration area. Or, they can be spread further apart and equipped with privacy screens for solitary enclaves that provide solitude for concentration.

What other non-traditional ways can you think of to mix office furniture with privacy screens? Let us know your ideas in the comments.

This week, we’ll be looking at a big name in the NeoCon 2013 competition hosted by Contract Magazine. Herman Miller earned an innovation award for its Metaform Portfolio. The recognition is for the lightweight polypropelene that makes up the modular blocks in this systems furniture. Because each “block” weighs less than 20 pounds, employees can actually reconfigure their workspace on the fly. That’s a massive shift in thinking about office design. Instead of providing different spaces for head down and collaborative activities and having workers move from one spot to the next, employees can move the furniture around them. Facility managers may not think this “no tools, no rules” approach is necessarily a good thing, but it will certainly open up new possibilities.

One of the configurable features of Metaform is the addition of privacy screens that can be slotted into the top of each block. It’s a pretty sweet furniture system. Of course, you’re looking at a price of several thousand dollars per unit. So just adding OBEX privacy panels is going to be a lot more cost effective unless you plan to replace all your current workstations.

It’s time to look at another entry in the Best of NeoCon 2013 competition hosted by Contract Magazine. This entry is from Peter Pepper Products, a company that’s well known for its trendy and eye-catching office furniture accessories.

From the Ski Slope to the Workplace

For this year’s NeoCon, the firm is entering the Slalom EcoFlex Partition System into the competition. It appears that PPP is the US distributor for the product. This particular piece is by designer Elettra de Pellegrin from Italy. The Slalom is named after the type of ski trail with poles placed close together for skiers to navigate between. In the same way, this flexible panel can weave its way between workplace obstacles to divide spaces in many different ways. Dividers can be connected in an intersecting fashion, in curves, or at right angles. The panels are modular (you can connect up to four in a row).

We see this product being useful as a temporary way to create collaborative environments in the open office or to make touch-down areas for mobile workers. They could also be used to manage the flow of traffic or keep noise levels under control in busy areas. You could even construct a maze!

Here’s What We Like About the Slalom EcoFlex Partitions

• They come in several heights to create a variable landscape
• They are available in many different colors to add visual interest to the office environment
• The surface can be customized with graphics for branding purposes
• The panels are finished with fire retardant, eco-friendly fabrics to comply with workplace safety and sustainability programs
• They boast a sound absorbent core to provide acoustic control (absorbency decreases the “leaking” of sound from one space to another)
• The products are recyclable at the end of their lifespan

Come to think of it, the things we like about these full-height freestanding panels are the same things we like about our OBEX panel extenders and desktop dividers. Maybe we should make a curvy desk divider next. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Here we are, a month after the biggest event in the office furniture industry. Everyone who attended has now had the opportunity to digest what they saw and experienced (and it was pretty mind blowing). That means there’s a wealth of information online about what NeoCon 2012 was like. Here are some of the most interesting perspectives:

BI Watercooler

Business Interiors offers a 4 part video highlights series that you won’t want to miss. Browse this collection of short clips to get clued into the latest and most innovative tech, trends, and materials on display at the convention.

Nurture

Get day by day coverage of NeoCon that focuses on the people rather than just the products. Here’s the scoop on what everyone was talking about in the healthcare sector of contract furniture. In the midst of a bustling event, Nurture provided an oasis of calm.

Architizer

This firm introduces you to a number of vendors and provides a peek at some gorgeous showrooms. This blog is all about the design and materials on display. They also clue you in to a contest about sustainability for the interior design and architecture community. Expect to hear terms like “leveraging the built environment” and “bio-mimicry” getting thrown around in the video about the contest.

Dream Walls Glass

This company blogs about the stuff you really care about – where do you get the best food while you’re at the convention? Oh, they also have some fabulous photos of their own products as well as the booths they found most inspiring.

ASID Live

ASID has a website set up solely for the purpose of live blogging NeoCon. Read feel-good stories about an outreach effort that put a smile on the faces of attendees. You never would have guessed that shoes would be the main attraction at an office furniture event. Don’t miss the slideshow – it’s beautiful!