PRESENTED BY

 TUESDAY MARCH 30, 2021

The Upfront

the unfocused vision of the future office

There are great days ahead for the contract furnishings industry. Exactly what that means today is a little hard to tell. There is SO MUCH conjecture about will there or won’t there be an office, a workplace, anyplace to go and get work done. But NO MATTER WHAT people, by which I mean employees, will still need a desk/table, chair and some comfort seating. I hope at least.

Answering the Billion-Dollar Question: Why Do I Need an Office? by Propmodo is typical of they types of stories circulating today. As businesses across the country start to have more clarity on the timeline for returning to work, they are able to turn their attention to different questions. How much office space do we still need? How will their workforce normalize the use of the office in the seasons to come? The hybrid work model that many companies are adopting has already had a major impact on the office market. The sublease market across the country is up 50 percent, to almost 50 million square feet, according to JLL. Markets like New York City have been even harder hit: in Midtown Manhattan, often thought of as the most competitive office market in the world, subleases are up a whopping 80 percent and unleased inventory is at an all-time high.

Many companies already know that fewer of their employees will be coming into the office every day. Plus, what those workers will do, or want to do, with their time while in the office is yet to be determined. This has left a question mark hanging over decisions around signing new long-term leases. While reducing space can save money, there is emerging concern about the decreased productivity of the workforce that comes with working exclusively in isolation. Decreased engagement, lack of collaboration and knowledge share, and higher turnover could have a significant impact on an organization’s performance and the outcome could deliver far greater negative financial implications to the bottom line. Helping companies understand what the right amount and mix of space is for their unique workforce will be one of the most important services commercial property firms will need to provide—both for their tenants and their survival.

Meanwhile, Another Survey Says Companies Won’t Be Scaling Back Their Office Space, captures a growing sense that companies will not be scaling back their office footprints as much as feared.

A couple of days after KPMG’s 2021 CEO Outlook Pulse Survey said that only 17% of respondents said they will downsize their company’s footprint, the first-quarter AICPA Economic Outlook Survey says most businesses haven’t planned for a reduction in their traditional brick-and-mortar office space. The AICPA survey polls CFOs, controllers and other senior-level CPAs and management accountants in business and industry.

While office landlords may applaud this shift in sentiment, it’s not happening because companies are having a change of heart about remote work or optimism about the economy. Instead, according to the AICPA survey, the reasons are more likely to be that many companies are locked into long-term leases and lack escape clauses. Also. landlords have become unwilling to make additional concessions.

Seventy-two percent of respondents to the AICPA survey indicated that their organizations had no plans to shrink their office footprint over the next 12 months, which is a five percentage point decline from Q3 2020. Nine percent of respondents said they were planning to reduce traditional space by 10% to 24% over the next 12 months. In Q3, only 5% of respondents were planning to reduce traditional space by 10% to 24%.

In Q3 2020, 18% of executives said their companies expected some downward revision in office space in the coming year. In Q1 2020, that number increased to 21% of business executives. By comparison, 69% of CEOs said they would reduce their office footprint in KPMG’s August 2020 survey before that number recently fell to 17%.

Finally, there is some flat-out denial concerning shrinking offices. The Tide Is Turning Away From Shrinking Office Footprints, an article in Bisnow says multiple surveys conducted in the past month indicate that office-using companies do not intend to shrink their footprints. Only 17% of CEOs surveyed by KPMG reported any intent to cut back on office space, down from 69% in August, Reuters reports. A survey of accounting firms by the American Institute of CPAs found that 72% plan no change in their office usage against 20% that plan some sort of reduction, with 7% planning to grow their footprints.

Part of the increase in the share of companies not planning to shrink their footprints could stem from such companies having already executed givebacks. Net absorption fell to its lowest annual total on record in 2020, according to Colliers' national fourth-quarter office report.

Well, like I suggested, it’s pretty much a “win win” for the industry no matter what happens. Happy Days ahead!

ABI February 2021: Architecture firm billings return to positive territory for the first time since the start of the pandemic one year ago

Architecture firm billings returned to the positive side in February for the first time in a year, with the AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score climbing by more than eight points from January to a score of 53.3. Hopefully, this is the start of a more sustained recovery, however, it is possible that scores continue to bounce above and below 50 for the next few months, as recoveries often move in fits and starts. Indicators of future work also returned to the positive side this month, with inquiries climbing above 60 for the first time in nearly two years, and the value of new design contracts returning to growth for the first time since February 2020. All of these indicators are encouraging signs that business is beginning to return to many firms that had been struggling, and should continue to improve as the pace of vaccinations accelerates and the impact of the latest government stimulus continues to spread.

Firms located in the South region of the country reported billings growth for the second consecutive month in February, while firms located in the West and Midwest saw only small declines, and look likely to return to growth soon themselves. Conditions remained softest at firms located in the Northeast, but the pace of the decline in firm billings slowed for the third month in a row. And firms with a commercial/industrial specialization, among the hardest hit by the pandemic, reported a very modest improvement in their business conditions this month, as industrial activity remains strong, and some restaurants and stores began to reopen. In addition, the pace of the decline in billings slowed at both multifamily residential and institutional firms.

Encouraging signs in architecture and the broader economy

Conditions continued to improve across much of the broader economy in February as well. Nonfarm payroll employment grew by 379,000 new positions, with employment in leisure and hospitality adding 355,000 positions alone. However, construction employment declined by 61,000 positions, likely due to the severe winter weather across much of the country. Architecture services employment added 700 new positions in January (the most recent data available), and has now regained 45% of the jobs that were lost during the pandemic. Overall, the architecture industry is faring modestly better in their recovery than overall national employment – employment for the sector is currently 4.4% below its pre-pandemic peak, while national employment is still down by 6.2%.

The University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment also showed encouraging signs in its latest release in early March, rising to its highest level in a year. Although the index is still 6.8% below its level a year ago, consumer optimism about prospects for the national economy increased, and strong growth in consumer spending is expected in the months ahead. The one lingering issue is personal finances, where ongoing consumer concern did not improve in this release.

A changing work landscape

This month’s special practice questions asked architecture firms for an update on their post-pandemic office space needs and plans for remote work for employees in the future. Overall, responding firms reported that a broad majority of their full-time professional staff (74%) worked in the office basically every day pre-pandemic, with only occasional ad hoc remote work. Firms expect this share to decline dramatically, predicting that just over half of their employees (57%) will work in the office every day post-pandemic. In addition, firms expect that the share of staff working in the office 3–4 days a week will increase from 5% to 20%, and the share of staff working in the office just 1–2 days a week will increase from 3% to 11%.

Following these expected changes, firms indicated that they plan to be broadly supportive of remote work requests in the future. Only slightly more than one quarter of firms (28%) anticipate that they will limit or restrict remote work post-pandemic, with just 7% indicating that they will completely prohibit it in most cases. On the other hand, 62% of firms say that they will be flexible with remote work requests based on individual employee needs, while 4% will encourage remote work, and 3% will require it in most cases.

Based on these projected new work patterns, just over one third of firms (34%) anticipate that they will need less office space post-pandemic, with 6% expecting that they will no longer have any permanent office space and their entire staff will telecommute permanently. This share was highest for small firms and for firms with a multifamily residential specialization, where 20% and 13%, respectively, expect staff to work from home permanently post-pandemic. But by and large, most firms (56%) anticipate that their office space needs will remain the same, and that even with fewer employees in the office on a given day, they will need the extra space to maintain social distancing practices. In addition, 7% of firms plan to increase their office space post-pandemic.

9 Great Workplace Ideas, as Imagined by Kids

As many of us rapidly approach our year anniversary of working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jellyfish Training has been reminiscing about office life.

With this in mind, they have teamed up with Jellyfish, a digital transformation agency, and asked Mark Deprose, VP of Real Estate & Facilities, to provide actionable tips and insights. He discusses how employees can improve their at-home setups and gives tips for how employers can adapt their office environments to aid in returning to office life.

In addition, they asked children what they think offices will be like in the future after COVID-19. They were tasked with drawing their own ideal office and brought the designs to life in the drawings below. From breakout beaches to hover robots, the designs show how children think adults deserve some futuristic fun when offices return to normal.

Remote Work Is Here to Stay. Manhattan May Never Be the Same.

A year after the coronavirus sparked an extraordinary exodus of workers from office buildings, what had seemed like a short-term inconvenience is now clearly becoming a permanent and tectonic shift in how and where people work. Employers and employees have both embraced the advantages of remote work, including lower office costs and greater flexibility for employees, especially those with families.

Beyond New York, some of the country’s largest cities have yet to see a substantial return of employees, even where there have been less stringent government-imposed lockdowns, and some companies have announced that they are not going to have all workers come back all the time.

In recent weeks, major corporations, including Ford in Michigan and Target in Minnesota, have said they are giving up significant office space because of their changing workplace practices, while Salesforce, whose headquarters occupies the tallest building in San Francisco, said only a small fraction of its employees will be in the office full time.

But no city in the United States, and perhaps the world, must reckon with this transformation more than New York, and in particular Manhattan, an island whose economy has been sustained, from the corner hot dog vendor to Broadway theaters, by more than 1.6 million commuters every day.

Commercial landlords in Manhattan entered 2020 with optimism, riding a steady demand for office space, record asking prices in some neighborhoods and the largest construction boom since the 1980s. But that collapsed overnight. Property owners suddenly found themselves chasing after unpaid rent, negotiating repayment plans with tenants and offering deep discounts to fill empty space.

Travel Companies Selling Their Offices Reinforces Remote Work's Staying Power

More travel executives get their mission-critical industry news from Skift than any other source on the planet.

It’s not just the big technology companies like Microsoft, Salesforce and Twitter adopting permanent remote work policies; the travel industry isn’t far behind either.

British Airways is now considering selling its Waterside headquarters in the UK, which is located next to Heathrow Airport. There are also reports Amadeus has put its data center in Germany up for sale, while Accor is still hunting for a buyer for its iconic Paris HQ.

British Airways’ decision to look at selling the 9,000-square-metre site comes as carmaker Ford prepares to redesign its own offices for a mix of hybrid workers. In North America, its 30,000 employees will be given a chance to work remotely if they don’t have site-dependent work to complete.

IAG, the parent company of British Airways, has been dealt a devastating blow by the pandemic. On March 18, it said it planned to raise about $1.2 billion through a bond issue, strengthening its finances to help it survive the pandemic in case the travel downturn lasts longer than expected.

But the official line for the HQ disposal is a shift towards flexible working.

Welcome To the Distributed Age: How To Make Remote Work, Work

The new Distributed Age is one in which commuting to an office is largely optional, where workers are able to take advantage of their ability to live in communities that are more appealing and not solely dictated by their jobs, and where distributed teams are the norm. O’Duinn asserts that society is at a tipping point and on the verge of making this transition to the Distributed Age driven by a combination of several socioeconomic changes.

For one, the length of time people stay in a particular job has shortened to 1-2 years for high paying tech companies like Google or Apple, with a national average of just over 4 years, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The expectation that workers will move that frequently for new positions is unrealistic, particularly when people begin to settle down with partners, start families, or otherwise become integrated into a particular community.

Remote working one year on: three-quarters of employees feel worse

Remote workers are still struggling with distracting working environments, stress and an ‘always-on’ culture after a year of working from home. Egress’ Remote working: one year on report claims that three-quarters of remote workers reported feeling worse as a result of long-term working from home, with almost over one-third (39 percent) feeling more stressed.

The research also claims a significant generational divide, with 66 percent of millennial and generation Z workers reporting feeling either tired, stressed or under more pressure at work, compared with 34 percent of baby boomer and Gen-X employees.

The study, independently conducted by Arlington Research on behalf of Egress, interviewed 500 IT leaders and 3,000 remote-working employees in the US and UK across vertical sectors covering financial services, healthcare and legal.

Key findings

• Three-quarters (73 percent) of respondents report feeling worse overall as a result of long-term remote working. • 66 percent of millennial and generation Z remote workers feel more tired, stressed or under more pressure, compared with only 34 percent of baby boomer and generation X employees. • Almost half (48 percent) of millennial and generation Z remote workers are still working from a shared space, compared with 33 percent of baby boomers and generation X. • Employees’ communication habits have changed, with 85 percent of employees sending more emails and 77 percent using video conferencing tools more frequently than before the pandemic. • 43 percent of respondents were full-time office-based before the pandemic, and just 28 percent plan to return full-time once the pandemic is over. • 68 percent of workers plan for some degree of flexibility, with just 5 percent of current remote workers planning to stay permanently remote once their office reopens.

Coworking Spaces Need To Spend Even More To Fill Them Again

Last year, one in five North American coworking locations either closed down or changed hands, according to a January report by coworking listing site Upsuite, leaving landlords to deal with a 25M SF fallout.

Many coworking and flex office operators fill their spaces with large, open floor plans, surrounded by offices as small as 80 SF. Their build-outs can cost up to 25% more than a traditional office takes to construct, experts say. The money landlords spent to attract Regus, WeWork and others, only to have them give up their spaces, has turned into a sunk cost.

“Truly the build-out, in my opinion, is a complete loss unless you’re able to find that one in a million tenant who wants to sort of take over the existing design and make it their own,” said Jeff Garrison, whose company, S.J. Collins Enterprises, is developing an Atlanta office building that includes coworking space. “That’s very difficult to do because [each company’s offices] have their own personalities that they try to reveal through their design.”

Coworking space can average between $135 and $150 per SF to build in most major markets, according to Heather Stanley, the manager of asset design and support for Boston architectural firm Dyer Brown, which has an office in Atlanta. Traditional office build-out costs range from $110 to $120 per SF, she said.

“It's so tough because every tenant's program is so different,” Stanley said. “I don't think you'll ever get a tenant to take it as it is.”

WeWork To Go Public At $9B Valuation In Starwood-Backed SPAC Deal

Coworking company WeWork announced Friday that it is finally expected to become a public company in a Starwood Capital-backed special-purpose acquisition company deal that will see it initially valued at about $9B.

WeWork said it would merge with BowX Acquisition Corp., a SPAC founded by the owner of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, Vivek Ranadivé. BowX and a group of other investors, including Starwood, Insight Partners, Fidelity, Centaurus Capital and BlackRock intend to buy a total stake of 17% in WeWork for about $1.3B, valuing the company as a whole at about $9B, including debt.

The transaction is slated to complete in the third quarter, when shares in WeWork will begin trading.

Bye Forever to the Office. Hello, Drop-In ‘Collaboration Spaces.’

Downtown San Francisco’s existence today is a shell of the life it previously lived.

It used to be: Traffic. Noise. People rushing to the office, to BART, out for food, all running past each other, often into each other, buried in their phones. I’d frequent the streets of the Financial District often to work from the now-fallen Wing co-working space, strolling past the Blue Bottle bursting with groggy office workers and past the Mixt where lines of techies clad in Everlane, North Face, and Rothys queued up for overpriced salads.

It’s no longer about any of these things. Rather, downtown San Francisco, like most large cities, feels like a scene from an apocalyptic movie. The proud lion sculptures on the entrance to Equinox are still there, but everyone else is gone — the entrepreneurs discussing the next round of funding, the tourists hopelessly searching for good lunch options in the urban jungle of fast-casual, and many of the businesses that used to serve the area’s daily comings and goings.

Sure, yes, this reality is because of the pandemic. But even once vaccines are in our arms, will any of this neighborhood’s past life come back?

It’s a question worth asking. The physical workplace might be one of those everyday aspects of 2019 that may never return to the old normal — perhaps because it wasn’t so great to begin with. In fact, Bay Area CEOs, co-working entrepreneurs, and real estate developers I’ve spoken with are certain that things will change. When local tech leaders such as Salesforce are shouting “9 to 5 is dead” from the rooftops — and cutting down office spaces — it’s hard to argue otherwise.

But how exactly will things be different?

Why flexible space is making a comeback

Flexible office space has had quite a ride.

The coworking boom that sat hipsters and bankers on adjacent stools at office coffee bars ended abruptly last year when the pandemic emptied out offices across the globe.

By the second quarter last year, flexible space leasing activity was down 92 percent from a year earlier, according to JLL. The flexibility that made such spaces so attractive to companies also meant that in times of crisis it was one of the hardest hit.

But just as quickly it’s making a comeback, spurred by landlords adjusting to preferences for hybrid work environments, a nod to the work-from-home policies adopted in 2020. A JLL survey of 2,000 office workers revealed that two thirds want to work from different locations post-crisis.

“This is more meaningful than a shifting of deckchairs,” says Ben Munn, managing director of flex space at JLL. “Companies and investors are taking a different view on flex space entirely and are willing to invest because they see this as a bigger proportion of the overall office market than it is currently.”

How the 3-2-2 workweek will impact commercial real estate

It seems like every day a new company announces that they will be returning to the office. But even when they do return, it is becoming clear that the workweek will continue to look different from the old model: the Monday to Friday 9-5. Harvard Business School professor Ashley Whillans suspects that in 2021, the workweek won’t be completely remote or completely in person. It’ll likely be a mix of both, in the shape of a “3-2-2” week. That’s three days in the office, two days of working at home, and two days of rest.

As employers evaluate the costs and benefits of office space and employees demand long-term remote work options, this middle ground could be a compelling option for many companies. The commercial real estate market, meanwhile, is due for a reassessment of existing portfolios. As companies search for office space solutions that better serve the workforce’s productivity, flexibility, well-being, and digital needs, investment strategies must respond accordingly. Here’s a deeper look into how the 3-2-2 trend will transform commercial real estate.

Workplace Designers Ted Moudis, Jamie Feuerborn On Enticing Office Tenants Back

Is the office as we have known it going to survive the COVID crisis?

After more than a year of working from home, that’s what a lot of real estate aficionados have been asking themselves. How are you going to keep them going into Paree after they have spent a year surrounded by the wonders of the farm?

Fortunately, while the exact circumstances were not predictable, the tension between staying at home and going into the office has been manifest for several years now. Technology enables us to do our basic jobs from anywhere, so the office has become more a place where workers need to want to be rather than have to be.

Hence the proliferation of gyms and lunch places and bench seating and so on. If you have to entice your workers to come in, it’s going to be reflected in the workplace. And, in the financial world, where meeting face to face with a coterie of rich clients is the heart of the business, there’s no choice but to make the office as enticing as you can.

At Manhattan-based Ted Moudis Associates, a client list from the financial industry runs longer than 90 and goes from Ameriprise Financial to Wellspring Capital Management, with stops at Blackstone, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs. That means that servicing the financial world’s office needs is more than just guesswork. They managed to do most of the redesign of Mizuho Bank’s Midtown offices before the start of the COVID emergency, for instance.

Perkins&Will Washington Studio Commits to Designing Net-Zero Interiors by 2030

The Washington, D.C., practice of global architecture and design firm Perkins&Will has pledged to eliminate embodied carbon in every commercial interiors space it designs by 2030.

“We’re setting this ambitious benchmark as a necessary response to the global climate crisis,” says Perkins&Will architect and sustainability expert Jon Penndorf. “We believe the District of Columbia and surrounding communities can lead the way for the rest of the country.”

Embodied carbon is the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions that a material, system, or assembly represents over its life cycle. It’s an aggregate of all emissions released during ingredient extraction, product manufacturing, transportation, and end-of-life reuse or non-use. Statistics suggest embodied carbon is responsible for 11% of all global greenhouse gas emissions annually. In the building sector alone, it accounts for more than a quarter of emissions, with the design and construction of interior spaces acting as a major contributor.

“We know carbon emissions are a key factor in the degradation of our planet, including severe weather patterns and public health challenges,” says architect Rod Letonja. “And while it’s been ingrained in architects and designers to think of heating and cooling as the biggest culprit, some of the worst climate change offenders—our building materials—are hidden in plain sight.”

The problem is compounded by interior renovations and new tenant fit-outs. Old interior building materials frequently get discarded rather than reused, and with large leases turning over every 10 years, on average, the emissions impact increases over time.

“What this means is, in the end, all of the emissions released into the atmosphere during the materials’ manufacture and transportation were for nothing—it’s all a big waste,” says interior designer Brittany McNairy. “Subsequently, even more carbon is emitted through the use of new, replacement materials. Once the tenant lease is up, the cycle begins all over again.”

One Goal, Many MilestonesTo ensure all of its interior design work is net-zero embodied carbon by 2030, Perkins&Will’s Washington D.C. studio will work toward achieving a series of milestones over time:

• Starting immediately, design teams will prioritize materials that have low or zero embodied carbon.

• Design teams will also make it a priority to plan for end-of-life use for all materials—recycling, reuse, reconfiguration, and biodegradation.

• By the end of 2021, every project team will research and specify at least one interior product or system that can help reduce the project’s overall embodied carbon.

• Starting immediately, the studio will partner with product manufacturers and design engineers to make adjustments to the supply chain that reduce carbon emissions.

• The studio will report its progress every six months for accountability.

• By 2025, design teams will reduce embodied carbon in their interior design work by 50%.

• In cases where design alone cannot ensure net-zero embodied carbon, design teams will work with clients to choose carbon offsets.

Teknion Introduces POD (Privacy on Demand)

POD supports technology and helps shape an environment where people want to work and where they feel comfortable and connected. Its freestanding design enables relocation and independence from building architecture. Consisting of Tek Room and Tek Booth, together they create a diverse range of small-scale private environments.

Tek Room, the newest addition to the POD series, is designed to support the individual or small groups when focus, privacy and comfort are needed from the open plan environment. Its universal approach to planning works with a wide variety of freestanding furniture and allows for easy reconfigurability.

“We’ve seen increased demand for smaller scaled private areas in the open plan,” says Michael Laudeman, Vice President, Architectural Interiors. “Tek Room responds to the need for private meeting or working spaces that feel comfortable and welcoming while providing a high degree of planning flexibility.”

Tek Room technology is designed for adaptability, incorporating vertically integrated central power to accommodate various ergonomic settings as well as secondary communication and technology devices. An infinitely dimmable lighting system provides a high degree of environmental control and a more personalized work experience.

Accessibility and Safety are also incorporated into Tek Room’s design. Accessible room and door sizing support a variety of end users, while fire suppression systems can be seamlessly retrofitted when needed. Tek Room can respond to different regional requirements to ensure successful integration into any building or project.

Tek Room incorporates features that provide privacy and comfort for extended periods of use. Fascias are configured to provide sound blocking and sound absorbing properties while achieving a balance between visual privacy and light transmission. Ventilation intake is provided by two pairs of low noise fans integrated into the micro-perforated back ceiling fascia. The fans work in tandem with the base fascia, which acts as an exhaust, enabling full air exchange.

Tek Booth is designed to support the individual when focus, privacy, and comfort are needed from the open-plan environment. Hard external surfaces ensure sound isolation, while fabric and microperforated fascias on the interior minimize sound reflectivity. Tek Booth’s interior fully integrates power, technology, and ergonomics for an overall intuitive experience. Equipped with an angled worksurface, powerreceptacles, and a motion sensor that activates a dimmable task light and ventilation fans, Tek Booth is a space to feel comfortable and connected.

POD is backed by Teknion’s impressive finish program to allow endless color palette combinations that suit any environmental aesthetic. Tek Room’s exterior dimensions are 90” high, 96” wide, and 70” deep. Tek Booth measures 90” high, 48” wide, and 48” deep allowing for the seamless dimensional combination of 1 Tek Room and 2 Tek Booths back to back.

Loll Designs introduces recycled plastic Outdoor Porch Swings to Expand Popular Collections

Loll Designs is expanding both their Adirondack and Lollygagger collections to include single- and double-seat outdoor porch swings.

Made from recycled and recyclable plastic, the two swings are durable, low-maintenance options for outdoor gathering, lounging and hosting. With marine-grade rope and available in nine bright colors, the two swings are a lounging choice for decks and porches everywhere.

The Adirondack Porch Swing features an integrated bottle opener in the arm, while the Lollygagger Porch Swing, as a piece in the Lollygagger collection, donates 1% of the gross sales from the swings annually to charitable groups.

Loll Designs is a made in the USA company which aims to improve the planet and people and inspire others to appreciate the outdoors.

Magis reimagines flexible workspace with new range Bureaurama

Inspired by the ever-changing world of work, Bureaurama – conceived by German-Canadian designer Jerszy Seymour for Magis – is the Italian firm’s newly updated collection of stools, tables and storage which explores the creative working arrangements of tomorrow.

The range comprises various contemporary pieces that allow flexibility in home office configurations to address the change in the ways of working at home and in the office. Magis has now added an additional bookshelf to its collection, made of steel and available in two heights. Its bold appearance injects vibrant character into coworking spaces, offices and homeworking environments.

Coalesse's Newly-Expanded Rapid5 and Rapid10 Quick Ship Programs Support the Future of Workplace

Coalesse expands its Rapid5 and Rapid10 quick ship programs, offering a selection of its most popular seating, tables, accessories and outdoor products to ship within 5 or 10 working days. Today, architects and designers are pivoting more quickly than ever, and the extensive Coalesse quick ship program offers immediate solutions, responding to this market need.

The program includes 58 product lines, in over 100 styles and a range of surface material options. Favorites such as SW_1 lounge and conference seating, Millbrae lounge, Enea collection, and LessThanFive chairs bring thoughtful design, refined craft and essential function in quick fashion. The newest collections to the Quick Ship program also include Coalesse partner products from EMU, nanimarquina, Carl Hansen & Son and Viccarbe Imports Collection.

The Rapid5 and Rapid10 programs are ideal for small and mid-market customers whose business needs require fast delivery. This focus on broad product offerings and extensive finish options, delivered quickly, provides a crucial service to companies as they rethink and reconfigure their workspaces for the future.

Firmspace’s Latest ‘Proworking’ Space In Atlanta Provides Privacy And Security

Firmspace is a private office space for discerning, achievement-driven professionals and executives. Founded in 2016, it served as a response to the growing demand for office space that caters to the needs of the modern executive. Private offices are designed for the needs of achievement-driven professionals with a focus on security and privacy – what Firmspace calls proworking. Executives in law, finance, real estate, consulting, and other industries trust Firmspace to provide an environment that helps them perform their best and excel in their careers.

Firmspace Atlanta opened in September 2020 in the heart of Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. The 27,000-square-foot space was designed by Page and is located on the eighth floor of Buckhead’s Sovereign Tower at 3344 Peachtree Road. Firmspace has other locations in Denver, Houston, and Austin. Firmspace plans to open a Chicago location in 2021.

Designer Joey Ruiter leaves minimalist mark on vehicle, furniture industries

Not many designers — if any — feature a portfolio of work quite like Joey Ruiter.

From award-winning office furniture designs to a project he calls Snoped, a reimagined, black aluminum snowmobile that rides like a cafe racer, the Grand Rapids-based Ruiter is not your typical nine-to-five office furniture designer.

In fact, it’s his work with cars, motorcycles, boats and other transportation elements that has grabbed attention from nationwide media and enthusiasts alike.

“Some of my work is provocational,” Ruiter said. “It’s a piece of art. People will look at it and I want them to ask questions and for it to raise emotions.”

With his studio located in Ada, Ruiter’s bread and butter might be lending designs to some of West Michigan’s top furniture manufacturers — names like Steelcase Inc., Herman Miller Inc. and Nucraft Furniture Co. — but he has turned heads over the years with his transportation curiosities.

Salone del Mobile "waiting for certainties from the government" before confirming September fair

Milan's Salone del Mobile has revealed plans for a digital version of the fair amid rising concerns over whether the rescheduled September event can go ahead.

Fair organisers last week called on the Italian government to give a series of assurances that will allow the event to take place from 5 to 10 September.

"Everyone wants to go to the Salone for business but also to rediscover that socialisation which has been lacking so much in these very hard and painful months of the pandemic," said Salone del Mobile president Claudio Luti.

"But it is essential that the institutions give us precise answers. We are waiting for certainties from the government."

Go-ahead dependent on government decree

In a press release published last week, Luti urged the government to set out a path that will allow the event to go ahead when it issues its next ministerial decree on the pandemic, or DPCM, on 6 April.

He asked the authorities for clarity on the vaccination programme, health passports and the resumption of international flights, as well as the holding of trade fairs, which are currently banned.

"We will only be able to confirm [the fair] if the DPCM on 6 April gives a green light for fairs to take place," Luti said.

"It is essential we get a certain date for the restarting of trade fairs in the next DPCM, but also a definition of the vaccine plan and a realistic timetable to achieve levels of vaccination that will allow Italy to be considered a safe country to welcome foreign visitors," he said.

He sought clarification of the EU's proposed "digital green certificates," which could be used to ensure that fair visitors are virus-free.

He also called for a major international campaign to promote the fair, which has in the past attracted over 300,000 people to the northern Italian city.

Digital fair platform under development

Luti's plea came as a surge in coronavirus cases in Italy together with delays in the country's Covid-19 vaccination programme cast doubt on the viability of holding the giant fair, which is the world's biggest and most important furniture show.

Traditionally held in April, the 2020 fair was cancelled due to the pandemic while the 2021 event was postponed until September in the hope that Covid-19 restrictions would have been lifted by then.

Hundreds of fringe events collectively known as the "fuorisalone" have been planned for September to coincide with the rescheduled Salone del Mobile. It is expected that these will go ahead even if the main fair is cancelled.

In an interview with Interni magazine, Luti revealed that Salone del Mobile is working on a digital version of the fair.

"After months of analysis and comparisons – which saw both the internal structure and the best professionals in the sector work closely together – we are developing a new digital platform capable of supporting the event and the companies that will take part in it," he said.

"The new digital platform will create a potentially infinite space and extend it beyond the fair season."

Most architecture and design events impacted by pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the global architecture and design events calendar. Most events have either been cancelled, postponed or dramatically scaled back.

Last month, Sanna Gebeyehu of Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair told Dezeen that the pandemic would have a long-term impact on large design fairs.

Milan's Salone del Mobile has revealed plans for a digital version of the fair amid rising concerns over whether the rescheduled September event can go ahead.

Fair organisers last week called on the Italian government to give a series of assurances that will allow the event to take place from 5 to 10 September.

"Everyone wants to go to the Salone for business but also to rediscover that socialisation which has been lacking so much in these very hard and painful months of the pandemic," said Salone del Mobile president Claudio Luti.

"But it is essential that the institutions give us precise answers. We are waiting for certainties from the government."

Go-ahead dependent on government decree

In a press release published last week, Luti urged the government to set out a path that will allow the event to go ahead when it issues its next ministerial decree on the pandemic, or DPCM, on 6 April.

He asked the authorities for clarity on the vaccination programme, health passports and the resumption of international flights, as well as the holding of trade fairs, which are currently banned.

"We will only be able to confirm [the fair] if the DPCM on 6 April gives a green light for fairs to take place," Luti said.

"It is essential we get a certain date for the restarting of trade fairs in the next DPCM, but also a definition of the vaccine plan and a realistic timetable to achieve levels of vaccination that will allow Italy to be considered a safe country to welcome foreign visitors," he said.

He sought clarification of the EU's proposed "digital green certificates," which could be used to ensure that fair visitors are virus-free.

He also called for a major international campaign to promote the fair, which has in the past attracted over 300,000 people to the northern Italian city.

Digital fair platform under development

Luti's plea came as a surge in coronavirus cases in Italy together with delays in the country's Covid-19 vaccination programme cast doubt on the viability of holding the giant fair, which is the world's biggest and most important furniture show.

Traditionally held in April, the 2020 fair was cancelled due to the pandemic while the 2021 event was postponed until September in the hope that Covid-19 restrictions would have been lifted by then.

Hundreds of fringe events collectively known as the "fuorisalone" have been planned for September to coincide with the rescheduled Salone del Mobile. It is expected that these will go ahead even if the main fair is cancelled.

In an interview with Interni magazine, Luti revealed that Salone del Mobile is working on a digital version of the fair.

"After months of analysis and comparisons – which saw both the internal structure and the best professionals in the sector work closely together – we are developing a new digital platform capable of supporting the event and the companies that will take part in it," he said.

"The new digital platform will create a potentially infinite space and extend it beyond the fair season."

Most architecture and design events impacted by pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the global architecture and design events calendar. Most events have either been cancelled, postponed or dramatically scaled back.

Last month, Sanna Gebeyehu of Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair told Dezeen that the pandemic would have a long-term impact on large design fairs.

Configura announces April CET Designer webinars

Configura, maker of CET Designer software, announced free April webinars highlighting tips and tricks for using Paper View in CET and how to get started with CET.

In the Paper View webinar, attendees will learn how to create presentation layouts for clients and installation drawings for installers. It will also cover how to navigate in Paper View, create title blocks to save and reuse for drawings, utilize 2D View Clips and 3D Viewports and use and set up visibility settings.

The Getting Started with CET Designer webinar offers an introduction to CET.

The free webinars, led by CET Designer instructors, are for anyone, whether a Beginner or Advanced CET Designer user, anywhere in the world.

Paper View

April 1, 11 a.m. – noon ESTApril 28, 8-9 a.m. EST (Swedish)April 29, 4-5 p.m. EST

Getting Started with CET Designer

April 20, 5-6 a.m. EST (Swedish) April 28, 4-5 p.m. EST

Delavegacanolasso creates prefabricated Tini home-office cabin

Spanish architecture studio Delavegacanolasso has created a modular, prefabricated cabin that can be ordered online and delivered on the back of a truck to act as a home office, weekend retreat or even a small dwelling.

Called Tini, the compact unit arrives assembled and ready to be placed into a prepared plot. Measuring anywhere between 20 and 102 square metres, the cabin is made in Spain and comes fully furnished.

Tini can be customised with a Corten steel shell

While the standard-sized cabins can be used as home offices, the studio envisions multiple units being connected to be used as homes.

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