FRIDAY MAY 14, 2021

The Upfront

Art Gensler, architect, businessman, and founder of the largest architecture firm in the world has passed away

M. Arthur Gensler Jr., the founder of Gensler, has passed away at the age of 85. A talented architect who turned his humble San Francisco practice into the largest architecture firm in the world with 50 locations across Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Gensler founded the practice in 1965 and has worked on several remarkable projects along with running one of the most successful architecture firms for the past 65 years.

According to the SF Chronicle, Gensler was battling lung disease for the last 18months and passed away in his sleep. Gensler's son David shared with Sam Whiting of the SF Chronicle, "he had a real passion for San Francisco and the Bay Area. My dad was a regular guy, respectful and friendly and never pompous. He loved serving clients through the power of design."

Born in New York, Gensler studied at Cornell University and received his B.Arch in 1958. In a conversation with Gensler Principal Maddy Burke-Vigeland, he attributed architecture critic Henry Hill for encouraging him to move out to California. "When I graduated, I spent six months in the ROTC, and then I took a military flight out to California. Henry was a wonderful mentor to me. He couldn't hire me, but he helped me make connections and launch my career. I'll never forget his influence. I'm forever grateful to him," shared Gensler.

Beyond the countless projects and extensive design portfolio Art Gensler was committed to fostering a "one-firm firm" culture. In an Instagram post shared by the firm they expressed, "his gift to the firm was not a vision for what it could be, but rather an ethos that allowed it to grow and prosper against all odds. That ethos was distinguished by a belief in collaboration, support of design education and career advancement, respect for individuals, dedication to clients, and endorsement of sustainable design [...] Art embodied core values of mutual trust, respect, empathy, and team spirit and nurtured a collaborative culture that continues today."

Ergotron, Inc. Announces Settlement of Patent Infringement Dispute Against Innovative Office Products, LLC

Ergotron, Inc. announced an agreement to resolve a patent infringement dispute against Innovative Office Products, LLC (“IOP”).

To settle this dispute, IOP and Ergotron entered into an agreement addressing past and future sales of certain IOP products with respect to Ergotron’s patents covering adjustable workstation technology.

“We’re pleased with the outcome,” said Chad Severson, chief executive officer at Ergotron. “This settlement demonstrates that Ergotron will continue to protect its industry leading patents from infringement.”

Keilhauer Releases Swurve as Carbonfree® Certified Product

Carbonfund.org Foundation is proud to announce with Keilhauerthe Carbonfree® Product Certification of the new Swurve conference chair. Through Carbonfund.org's product certification program, the Swurve chair's Product Carbon Footprint was determined through an ISO-compliant Life Cycle Assessment. Keilhauer then worked with Carbonfund.org to select three third-party validated and verified voluntary carbon offset projects to support in order to neutralize the carbon emissions associated with each Swurve chair. The projects selected include the Aqua Clara Water Filtration Programme, the US Truck Stop Electrification Project, and the Minnesota Forestry Improvement Project.

Carbonfund.org Foundation is proud to announce with Keilhauer the Carbonfree® Product Certification of the new Swurve conference chair. The Carbonfree® Certified Products Program is proud to be part of Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly Program.

"We are thrilled to be working with Keilhauer on this partnership to reduce carbon emissions," says Carbonfund.orgPresident Eric M. Carlson. "As more of us work from home, it is important to have quality office furniture that is good for our health while also doing our part to help the environment and fight climate change. Keilhauer's offsetting their emissions from their manufacturing processes is taking an important step to a more sustainable future for all of us."

Why Office Density May No Longer Matter Post-COVID

Office density—defined as the average square feet per worker—will likely increase post-COVID as employers dedicate more space to collaboration, community, huddle rooms, and employee amenities. 

A new report from Cushman & Wakefield shows that pre-pandemic, the square feet per worker was about 193 square feet, with a typical range of 150 to 250 square feet. The amount varied significantly, C&W notes, depending on geographic location and industry. 

But as the country climbs back from the pandemic and employers adopt more flex work and WFH strategies, the metric of square feet per worker will likely be less important.

“Post-pandemic, many companies will be reconfiguring the balance of office, with a decreased emphasis on individual workstations and an increased priority for flexible communal space,” the report notes. “In many cases, the square footage per employee will remain the same or shrink slightly as an increasingly agile workforce takes advantage of multiple work locations in a given week (e.g., core office, home office, third place, etc.).” 

Complicating the issue is that demand for flex space is also expected to pick up this year: a recent JLL survey of 2,000 office workers showed that two-thirds want to work from different locations post-COVID, and office owners are responding by “actively increasing” the space in their buildings devoted to flex work.

Workers dreading dressing smartly on their return to the office

A new survey has suggested that people’s reluctance to head back into the office has much less to do with the risks of COVID-19 or other germs and more to do with the dress code of the company they work for. According to the poll from Airdri, as organisations across the country begin to welcome staff back from working from home, it seems many Brits are not looking forward to dropping the leisure wear and returning to a more formal attire needed when working amongst peers.

The survey asked workers across the UK what they were not looking forward to when they returned to their place of work. It claims that over half of the working adult population was most concerned over having to look smart on their return (58 percent) rather than being worried about the potential risks of picking up germs (just 18 percent). The commute also played a huge part in lack-lustre attitudes to returning, with 68 percent saying this was one of the main reasons they did not wish to get back to normal routines.

Steve Whittall, group director of R&D and operations at Airdri said: “The results of our study show that thousands are feeling significantly more anxious and concerned over how they look than they are about risks of germs, illness or COVID-19 for that matter.

A Realistic Timeline for Office's Recovery

Despite bleak forecasts from some experts, the office sector will return to pre-pandemic levels—it’ll just take time, according to analysts from Cushman & Wakefield. 

The firm’s baseline scenario presented in a recent report on the asset class, has US office vacancy reaching an inflection point and beginning to improve in the second half of 2022, after which point it will “fall precipitously downward.”

Vacancy has increased significantly over the past 18 months, driven partly by the pandemic’s push to remote work and also by a glut of new office stock. About 14 million square feet of new office space was delivered in Q1, with a total of 64 million square feet expected by year’s end. 

Effective rents, which were down in Q1 2021 12% year-over-year in major markets and down 5% in non-major markets, will likely rise again by the second half of next year or the first part of 2023, Cushman & Wakefield experts predict. Rents generally follow vacancy, so vacancy begins falling, rents will follow.  

But there’s a caveat in the form of the usual “pandemic disclaimers”: as the country recovers from COVID, there’s a much smaller sample size of deals to draw from and an “abnormally high percentage” of short-term renewals). In addition, while starting rents are holding well, concessions are way up, with average tenant improvement allowances in some major markets rising approximately $70 per square foot pre-pandemic to $85-$90 in Q1. And there’s the issue of location: “real estate is an intensely local product,” C&W notes in the report, “and not every city, every submarket, every building will follow the same glide path.”

Organizations are finally getting their heads around what the office is really good at

As 2020 came to a close, there was a palpable sense of hope that 2021 would bring with it a fresh slate with the horrors of COVID behind us. Alas, that has not happened and it seems we have more of the same, certainly for the next few months and with that the speculation about the ‘future of the office’ will no doubt continue.

If we rewind to March 2020 when there was a phenomenal amount of knee-jerking rhetoric from all quarters; was this really the great and unplanned working from home experiment? Death of the office? Perhaps the start of a new normal even? I think not and there are a number of factors why it isn’t; firstly, children aren’t at school, secondly the bars, restaurants and shops are closed and thirdly, even now, we are only as far as the autumn of a global pandemic.

With so many unknowns, the urge to predict the definitive future of the office seems futile but that doesn’t seem to stop some commentators. Let us not forget that right up until the moment of lockdown, the majority of businesses struggled to get their heads around the concept of agile working at all – so to conceive that organisations suddenly developed the cultures, organisational structures, property strategies and wellbeing programmes to support employees for an entirely different approach to work in a matter of weeks is disingenuous.

New Workplace Kit Of Parts: Active Spaces

As we return to the office, we emerge with a fresh perspective on workplace priorities. The pandemic has shown businesses and workers the tasks that can be done well remotely but also those that are better performed in the office. We’ve also experienced a lacking connection to community and culture, which has significantly affected employee wellbeing and retention. Over this time away from one another, we have explored this transformational opportunity and have created the New Workplace Kit of Parts – a suite of 12 reimagined spaces to support and enhance new ways of working for the post-COVID-19 workplace.

As we introduced in Part 1 of this series, our Kit of Parts strives to prioritize collaboration, serendipitous encounters and connection to community and culture. Developed as a framework to adapt to business needs and constraints, these 12 spaces highlight how the human experience of work will change in the long-term post-COVID-19 office. They are a starting point to build from, and a complete workplace will have a variety of additional spaces unique to each organization.

Our first category along the energy spectrum includes the most “hot” or active spaces in the workplace. These high energy spaces are the primary gathering and collaborative areas – Plaza, Multipurpose, Pitch and Team Rooms.

EisnerAmper's New York City Headquarters Wins 2020 IFMA Award

Architecture and design firm FCA announced that EisnerAmper won an award from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), a facilities industry organization in New York City. EisnerAmper’s headquarters received the prestigious honor in the “Top New York City 2020 Design & Construction of a New Facility Over 100,000 Square Feet” category. FCA collaborated on this award-winning project alongside construction managers VVA and JT Magen. IFMA’s Awards of Excellence have been around since 1983 and recognize the outstanding achievements of IFMA’s members, chapters, councils, communities, and partners.

“FCA has been collaborating with EisnerAmper for many years, and it was wonderful to be part of another successful undertaking with their team,” said Anthony J. Colciaghi, principal at FCA. “This project presented an exciting opportunity to push the envelope in design and create a unique space that enhances the overall user and client experience.”

EisnerAmper’s state-of-the-art headquarters was completed in December 2020 and is located at 733 Third Avenue. FCA worked in tandem with EisnerAmper to conceptualize a “workplace for your day” built on four pillars: flexibility, collaboration, wellness, and sustainability. Driven by input from the firm’s colleagues, the new office supports a more flexible, hybrid way of working with the freedom to choose the best workplace for your day in or out of the office. It encourages social interaction and collaboration as well as promotes the physical and mental well-being of EisnerAmper employees.****

Spread across 125,000 square feet, FCA’s collaborative and agile design scheme aligns with EisnerAmper’s vision for expansion while also adhering to emerging workplace trends within the current environment. The resulting headquarters is a creative and comfortable workplace that is equipped to help EisnerAmper continue paving its path as a leader within its industry.

An Oversaturated Flex Space Market Could Easily Deflate

The flex office market already looks like it will see a comeback. Indicators range from the resurrection of WeWork into a publicly held company through a SPAC to a deal with JLL to market and lease co-working spaces in 38 locations across seven U.S. cities.

A JLL survey of 2,000 office workers showed that two-thirds want to work from different locations, suggesting that after a pandemic, there may be multiple places as good as, or better sounding, than another day at home.

According to a CBRE analysis, “Occupiers are increasingly demanding flexible space options, shared meeting space, indoor air quality, connected building apps and touchless technology when considering new leases.” Flex space needs will likely increase “as occupiers shift their strategies away from long-term capital-intensive commitments.”

In addition, workers feel like they can insist on new solutions. According to the ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View, two-thirds say they “feel more empowered to take advantage of flexible working arrangements,” up from 26% just before the pandemic hit.

But even if the demand is clear, there is still the question of how much inventory can the market support. “Anyone who says they know exactly what will transpire is lying through their teeth,” Charlie Morris, practice leader for the flexible solutions team at Avison Young, tells GlobeSt.com. “Every single company is different.”

About 2% of office space is currently flex in some fashion, according to Morris. “We’re talking about a 7-to 15-fold increase over the next decade,” he says.

How remote work, visas are changing life for digital nomads

In April, a radio DJ, a marine ecologist, a water polo player, and a migrant studies scholar flew to idyllic Dubrovnik, a seaside city in Croatia with a vast labyrinth of medieval architecture that formed much of the backdrop for the cult fantasy TV show Game of Thrones. Hailing from Finland, Japan, and the United States, the travelers were among 10 winners of a newly unveiled, first-ever digital nomad residency contest, for which the prize was a month-long stay in the so-called “Pearl of the Adriatic,” with complimentary meals and lodging. The residents ate, drank, networked, and day-tripped to the cliffs of Konavle—home of 2020’s most beautiful beach in Europe—and the island of Mljet, which is shrouded in dense forest that features exciting hazards like venomous snakes and wild mongooses. Ostensibly, they were there to brainstorm how to design Dubrovnik as a nomad-friendly city in the digital age.

But for Croatia, the real goal was to market its own image away from a “holiday playground,” as program director Tanja Polegubic calls it, to a serious long-term destination for remote workers. You could think of it as striking while the iron is hot—or really, while Croatia is hot: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the country saw an influx of workers fleeing expensive cities in western Europe.

“Asia wasn’t an option, so a lot of people were looking to the Balkans because the further east you go, it’s a lot cheaper,” Polegubic says.

Croatia’s not alone: Countries spanning the Caribbean isle to the Arabian desert are suddenly pivoting to court digital nomads in the post-coronavirus era, advertising everything from free vaccines, to tax breaks, to the chance to live in tropical paradise. Call it a new global arms race, where the weapon in question is an arsenal of highly skilled remote workers—ones that were trapped in their homes during the pandemic, but could now be untethered by it from their offices forever. With a new class of human capital up for grabs, countries are looking to stockpile talent, and digital nomads are living a new reality: They’ve become a hot commodity.

Stefano Boeri named curator of "unmissable" Salone del Mobile

Milanese architect Stefano Boeri will curate this year's Salone del Mobile, where members of the public will be able to buy discounted products for the first time.

Boeri will deliver a revamped format for this year's fair, which is anticipating fewer exhibitors and professional visitors than previous years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The event we are working on will in effect be an unmissable event, open to both operators and the general public," said Boeri.

"In addition to the recent and best innovations of the companies, high-quality design products will be hosted for sale at prices dedicated to the occasion, to respond to the desire expressed today by thousands of families and companies to rethink the spaces of the home and work."

Salone del Mobile, the world's biggest and most important furniture fair, usually only allows public visitors on the final weekend, with the stands presenting products for a professional audience.

Public will be able to buy from brands

This year, the public "will have access to the fairgrounds for the entire duration of the event," Salone del Mobile said.

"As well as the opportunity to admire the latest products and creations issued by the brands over the last 18 months, there will also be a chance for visitors to purchase goods showcased by the companies at exclusive prices," it added.

"The 2021 event confirms, once again, the centrality of Milan as the world capital of creative innovation and social generosity," added Boeri, who will work with a team of "internationally renowned architects and professionals" to deliver the revised format.

However, the event was thrown into uncertainty last month when president Claudio Luti resigned saying his vision for the September fair "had failed" amid rumours that key brands had refused to participate over concerns that visitors would stay away.

Organiser votes for event to go ahead

Federlegno Arredo, the Italian timber-trade body that owns the fair, later voted to press ahead with the fair and yesterday announced the appointment of Boeri as curator.

Cancelling the fair would have been a huge blow to Milan's economy and prestige, with the city fearing it could lose out to rival European cities.

Tangram Announces Eric Lockwood Has Been Promoted To Director of Design

Tangram, a curator of highly creative commercial interior environments and workspaces, has announced Eric Lockwood has been promoted to Director of Design for Tangram Technology.

Eric Lockwood has over 27 years of experience in technology consulting, design and integration for the built environment. Lockwood has worked in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and previously served as a senior account executive for Tangram Technology where he successfully led complex technical designs and oversaw enterprise-wide system implementations for his customers.

In his new position as Director of Design for Tangram Technology, Lockwood will focus on design innovation and customization to address new technological challenges, many of which have been accelerated by the pandemic.  These challenges – or opportunities – arise not only from the evolving technologies themselves but also from changing work modes such as flexible or hybrid models as defined by a given organization, and from understanding and predicting the work of the future not just the future of the workspace.

Lockwood will also drive new initiatives to harmonize technology integration with architecture, interiors and furniture to promote a seamless, blended experience that generates value and ignites potential for users while enhancing an organization’s brand and culture.

Welcome Back, Chiclet Modular Sofa!

We LOVE a good reissue! Herman Miller regularly revisits its furniture archives for inspiration, and sometimes even decides that a piece deserves another go around based on relevancy. This month, the Wilkes Modular Sofa Group – also known colloquially as “Chiclet” for its rounded edges that resemble the gum – is having another moment in the sun.

Designed by Ray Wilkes and first introduced in 1976, the sofa was retired in 1986. Since then, it’s become a hot commodity on the vintage market. While it may have been a bit ahead of its time in ’76, with a radical shape and rounded-edge cushions, Chiclet stands out against today’s bold and trendy sofas to make a statement of its own.

Steel brackets join together the seat and back, allowing for a surprising level of comfort. Injection foam molding was used in the original sofa and is used again in the reissue, creating smooth uniform shapes without any waste.

The rerelease of Wilkes’ postmodern design introduces new fabrics and hues, and is available in a chair, 2-seater and 3-seater sofa options. As timeless as ever!

Leland Furniture Introduces the Mass Chair: Less chair, but more value, the highest state of high-density seating.

The Mass Chair is all about community – the engagement it fosters and the joy it brings.

From a distance, the Mass chair seems simple and straightforward. But look closer and you’ll discover subtle nuances that make it different from other chairs of its kind – including the gentle curves that make separate parts feel like one. The mass chair does the same for teams, making different people feel an integral part of the whole.

Mass has almost no mass physically – its true weight lies in its functionality. With a stacking space less than ¾ of an inch, and a height of just 5ft 6in for 40 chairs on a dolly, the act of stacking has never been easier. Weighing in at just 12 lbs, Mass exceeded Leland’s signature 500+lb testing.

MASS achieves a new coexistence of design and functionality: taking up the minimal amount of space even when stored, smooth planes with no ribs or slots to trap dirt facilitate cleaning, a large backrest with flex provides greater comfort with just the right amount of clean-out space between it and the seat.

Designed by Javier Cunado of ITEMdesignworks and licenced by Sellex, Mass is available with or without upholstery as an arm or armless chair, along with a barstool version that can also stack.

Lightweight and effortless, strong and space-efficient, Mass is a fitting place to share, create, communicate and become a part of something bigger.

Casala teams up with Favaretto&Partners Design Studio to launch collection of breakout furniture

The result of a two-year-long collaborative relationship between Padova-based design studio Favaretto&Partners and German design brand Casala, Tonica provides creative and flexible seating (or table) solutions for offices, schools and learning spaces.

Adapting to spaces as a personal focus nook or informal meeting area, Tonica can be used individually, or arranged in multiples as required. Alternatively, the plywood ottomans can be combined with other furniture or used to create one larger seating area that perfectly complements lounge, social, and waiting spaces.

With a thick cushion top providing comfortable seating, the Tonica one-seater also doubles as a practical and movable storage function for tablets and magazines. Providing convenient storage without using additional space, the collection is ideal for smaller spaces and home offices.

Boasting equal measures of storage and seating, Tonica offers a practical and reconfigurable workplace solution that’s designed for dynamic and collaborative teams of tomorrow.

Deem Offices – Oakland

HGA was engaged by Deem, a business travel booking and management technology company, to design their welcoming, inspiring workplace in Oakland, California.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Enterprise Holdings, Deem seeks to make travel better and more economical for businesses through its managed-travel platforms that integrate intelligent solutions and easy-to-use technology for travelers. True to the company’s focus, the new, journey-inspired office aims to replicate the entire travel experience through design. The end result is a space that elevates productivity and mimics the excitement of going on a trip by encouraging exploration, promoting collaboration and creating opportunities for spontaneous conversations between coworkers.

Each area in Deem’s new office serves a distinct role in the overall travel experience—the front door, lobby and break area are the “home;” the circulation paths and portals are the “journey;” and the conference rooms and desks are the “destination.” Design features such as conference rooms named after international destinations, portals leading to collaboration areas and city map wall art reinforce the theme. As the “home” part of the experience, lobby and break areas were designed with a residential vibe that transports employees to a relaxing environment. Additionally, the use of linear lighting, inspired by interior airplane lights, guides the “journey” throughout the workspace. At the “destination,” desks are laid out in a pinwheel formation as a nod to a plane’s propeller and a metaphor for employees as the driving force behind Deem’s success.

WeWork Rolling Out Hologram Tech For Conferences, Panel Discussions

WeWork is introducing new technology to its network of locations to split the difference between business travel and videoconferencing.

The international coworking operator announced Tuesday that it will introduce holographic technology at 16 locations by the end of the third quarter for meetings, panel discussions and other events, Fast Company reports. The tech will be provided through a partnership with Canadian company ARHT Media and could eventually be introduced at up to 100 locations.

On one end of a holographic interaction will be speakers set up in front of a green screen, looking into a device that both records them and shows them the audience in another location so they can approximate eye contact. The "capture studios" for speakers will be in WeWork locations, just as the projectors — called HoloPods — will be set up in WeWork event and common spaces.

The terms of WeWork's deal with ARHT were not disclosed, but a direct purchase of a HoloPod from ARHT costs into the six figures, and a one-time rental can cost thousands of dollars, Fast Company reports. 

"As the world increasingly craves the energy and productivity that in-person interactions deliver, we believe this technology will play a critical role," WeWork Chief Product and Experience Officer Hamid Hashemi said in a statement released as part of the announcement.

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