10.31.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS At Orgatec 2016 The conventional wisdom as to why Orgatec, held each October in Cologne, Germany, is important for North Americans to attend has always been something like, “We go to Orgatec to see the trends in Europe because we know we’ll be seeing those things here in a few years.” As with much conventional wisdom, it no longer applies. There have been and still are significant cultural differences between the way we work on this side of the Atlantic and that side. But this year at Orgatec, there was significant evidence that the trends are now starting over here and migrating that way. FULL STORY ON PAGE 3… Alexander Girard, Shown and Documented In the middle decades of the 20th Century, Modern design was in danger of becoming too austere, too dominated by the expression of structure and rugged materials. Alexander Girard, in his wide-ranging design accomplishments, made sure that visual stimulation beyond the dictates of functionalism – bright colors, ornamental patterns, expressions of whimsy – could figure significantly in Modernist environments. His extensive accomplishments are now the subject of an exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany, and an accompanying catalogue, both entitled “Alexander Girard: A Designer’s Universe.” FULL STORY ON PAGE 17… IIDANY 2016 Color Invasion: Carnevale di Venezia While the annual IIDANY Color Invasion is mostly a party, at its heart it is a fundraising celebration of creativity, inclusiveness and charity. The Color Invasion gives design professionals a CITED: fabulous night out in Manhattan, and a chance to do some good “SCIENCE DOES NOT KNOW for design students as well as children in need. This year, the ITS DEBT TO IMAGINATION.” sold-out event boasted more than 1,500 attendees, many of —RALPH WALDO EMERSON whom arrived in costume, aligned with the theme of the carnival of Venice. FULL STORY ON PAGE 25… 10.31.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 2 OF 47 The Artisan Collection (from top) Geostitch, Tritik, Loara, Ombre Petal, Brayer Flower 100% Recycled Solution Dyed Nylon • Bleach Cleanable 800-223-5466 • arc-com.com/artisan 10.31.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 3 OF 47 events Photos: officeinsight staff At Orgatec 2016 by Bob Beck From October 25th to 29th at Orgatec in Cologne, Germany, 665 companies from 40 countries presented their new- est products and best interpretations of how to respond to the current trends in workplace design. The event orga- nizers were expecting about 50,000 people to attend the show, and judging from the crowds on Thursday (my last day and the show’s third day of five), I’d say 50,000 was easily within reach. The conventional wisdom as to why Orgatec is important for North Ameri- cans to attend has always been some- thing like, “We go to Orgatec to see the trends in Europe because we know we’ll be seeing those things here in a “Stands” as booths are known to be large and elaborate. 10.31.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 4 OF 47 events few years.” As with much conventional wisdom, it no longer applies. There have been and still are signifi- cant cultural differences between the way we work on this side of the Atlan- tic and that side. But at this Orgatec, there was significant evidence that the trends are now starting over here and migrating that way. With the exception of designing for sustainability, where Europeans are still way ahead, the big trends in planning workspaces have started here. The idea of making the office more residential in feel and softer in func- tion was clearly being adopted in a “the smart coworking lobby” big way by exhibitors. So too was the idea that serendipitous meetings and casual interchanges can improve employee engagement and foster corporate innovation. Coworking was sometimes being interpreted in rather odd ways, such as the stand that was labeled, “ The Smart cowork lobby” but appeared to be nothing more than a café-type space. A number of stands featured live plants and made the case that a healthier office and employee well- being can be enhanced if not fully achieved by introducing some carbon Indoor planting schemes espoused plants for wellbeing. dioxide using and oxygen emitting liv- ing things. Orgatec wouldn’t be Orgatec without buildings full of new and old chairs of every stripe. Some exhibitors took ad- vantage of the high ceilings and went up – with walls of chairs rather than choosing the more expensive route of renting more square footage. I couldn’t help thinking of the old chair-maker’s saying: “The world doesn’t need an- other chair – but we do.” And tables too, thousands of tables with every imaginable surface material and bases ranging from concrete to carbon fiber. There were folding and non-folding tables with and without acoustic panels attached. Some had elegant solutions for attaching screens Chairs still dominate the show with displays running both horizontally and vertically. and some had hardware-store quality 10.31.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 5 OF 47 events An example of myriad “acoustic” treatments on display. L-brackets. Desking solutions were in company had its reasons for skipping design. Michael Vanderbyl turned in evidence everywhere, and as if tacitly the biggest show in Europe. his usual stunning design and accord- acknowledging that desking solutions On the other hand, Teknion had a ing to Terry McAllister, Teknion’s head generally create acoustic issues, there very large space and a stunning set- of Sales for everything outside North were tons of companies displaying acoustic and space dividing products. The most obvious takeaway if you step back and try for a high level overview is that ancillary furniture is no longer ancillary. The replacement of miles and miles of systems furniture with acres and acres of soft seating, occasional tables and little private areas is hard to miss. Given the overwhelming number of exhibitors and seemingly endless rows of stands, I tried to concentrate on the brands that are familiar to officeinsight readers (as represented by me!). For starters I should point out that Steel- case, Herman Miller and HNI compa- nies were not present. I’m sure each Teknion returned to Orgatec as an exhibitor with an outstanding stand designed by Michael Vanderbyl and realized by the European staff of Teknion. 10.31.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 6 OF 47 events America, the realization of the design was accomplished by a small team out of Teknion’s U.K. office. When we visited, President and CEO David Feldberg was greeting visitors and the place was humming with activity as Euro visitors got their first chance to experience Zones, winner of Best of Competition in the Contract Best of NeoCon product awards contest. We were greeted at the entry to the Haworth stand by a platform of Fern chairs, extending its launch to Europe. The display motif was similar to the one used at NeoCon, although less extrava- gant. The design and development of the back was again the focus of the presentation and Fern chairs were used in settings throughout the showroom. Teknion President & CEO David Feldberg greeted visitors. Haworth introduced its Fern chair to the European market. 10.31.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 7 OF 47 NOVEMBER 9–10, 2016 ADVERTISEMENTPennsylvania Convention Center NeoConEast.com The premier design expo and PRODUCED BY conference for commercial interiors on the East Coast. 10.31.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 8 OF 47 events Patricia Urquiola was present and her influence was quite evident throughout the display. Many of the products on display have been designed by Ms. Urquiola over the last three or four years. Interface Deutschland GmbH was positioned well in a high traffic aisle not far from Haworth. Its stand was open and inviting with a “worktable” area where designers could pick, mix and match colors, textures and patterns. Andreu World stuck close to its brand image of simple elegant prod- ucts displayed simply and elegantly. Italian manufacturer, Arper has entered the North American market The focus on the back design mirrored the NeoCon Fern launch but on a much smaller scale. Arper launched a high quality speaker system that doubles as wall “art” Those flyaway Drum chairs got a lot of attention. Andreu World’s clean lines and classic modern aesthetics Interface 10.31.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 9 OF 47 events in the right way with manufacturing can counterparts at NeoCon. and larger applications. Now it has established in North Carolina and Framery continues to stick to its added small table and chair arrange- an extensive line-up of seating and knitting, expanding its eerily silent ments to allow for more than just the meeting products. I was very taken sound booths to accommodate more odd phone call. with a high quality speaker system that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes for mounting on the wall in a large conference/meeting room. Perhaps my own difficulty in hearing well in some presentation rooms was the key influ- ence, but I also liked to idea of highly functional “wall art.” BuzziSpace seems to me to be the Belgian mouse that roared. This small company continues to act like a very big one.