CFN's The Working Space | January 30, 2023

Material Bank Expands Global Presence with Launch in Europe / Designing Office Environments That Evoke A Happy Work Experience / INSCAPE Announces Delisting of Subordinated Voting Shares from the Toronto Stock Exchange / Heller Partners with digby to Guarantee Design Legitimacy / The Value of the Invisible in Workplace Design / Offices valued as a place to get work done, not just connect / Logovisual feature-packed mobile walls designed to divide and connect / Unika Vaev Introduces its latest Acoustic Product Collection


The Working Space
Monday, January 30, 2023

Industry News

Heller Partners with digby to Guarantee Design Legitimacy

For the past 50 years, Heller has nurtured long standing relationships with its customers based on the trust that the brand’s products are authentically their own. With the world shifting to a more digital marketplace and design legitimacy more in question, Heller sought a way to find new and innovative ways to continue to build trust and preserve their proprietary design. As a result Heller is twill be the first furniture brand to partner with digital design innovation company digby on their blockchain-based token product designed to establish indisputable authenticity and protect intellectual property.

The new digby Design Authenticator (DDA) Product, will enable Heller to introduce an irrefutable digital token to solidify the authenticity of each Vignelli Rocker sold, offering a level of provenance not previously available to consumers, while connecting them with Heller's commitment to sustainability.

“We believe that it is our duty to do what we can to save the planet,” John Edelman, President and CEO of Heller explains. “To this end, the company has created a full circle program that breeds both longevity and active reuse. Heller will take back any of its products (and even pay for shipping) at any time during its lifecycle. They will then grind it into a powder and—without the use of chemical enhancements—make it into new product. The digby Design Authenticator is the ideal product to complement our process by allowing us to create an irrefutable bridge on the blockchain between us and our customers, empowering them to seamlessly participate in our mission.”

The DDA not only enables sustainability programs while combating counterfeiting, but also opens up additional opportunities for manufacturers like Heller to connect directly with consumers. This allows consumers to participate in loyalty-based programs that strengthen the value of their investment in authentically designed goods while deepening their relationships with the brand.

The iconic Vignelli Rocker will be the first product to feature the digby Design Authenticator.

The partnership with digby represents a bold step forward in the industry, one that Heller hopes others will soon adopt as well as the industry collectively looks to defend the value of authentically designed furniture.

Inscape Delisted from Toronto Stock Exchange

Inscape Corporation announced that following a delisting review by the Toronto Stock Exchange, the Company's class B subordinated voting shares will be delisted effective close of market on February 21, 2023.

Trading of the SVS Shares has been suspended since January 12, 2023 as a result of the company filing for protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act and this suspension will continue until the delisting takes effect.

Shareholders retain their legal rights and equity interest and are advised to contact their brokerage where SVS Shares are held regarding retention policies for unlisted shareholdings and potential for SVS Shares to trade in over-the-counter markets.

Material Bank Expands Global Presence with Launch in Europe

Material Bank, a marketplace for searching, sampling, and specifying architecture, design, and construction materials, announced its plans to launch in Europe in Q2 of this year.

Since its US launch in 2019, Material Bank has grown to more than 500 brands and over 100,000 highly-vetted members, including users at more than 90% of the top 200 largest architectural and design firms and 20% of Fortune 1000 companies.

Material Bank Europe, led by Philippe Brocart, will launch with more than 100 brands spanning all material categories. Their logistics facility, strategically located near the Roissy CDG airport in Paris, is already receiving inventory in preparation for the launch.

Brocart, who was previously Managing Director of Maison&Objet fair and digital platform said, “Material Bank has received incredible feedback from the design community in Europe. It is a significant advancement for the architecture and design industry, and we are beyond excited to bring about positive change to this market.”

Framery Partners with Logitech

Framery announced the launch of a partnership with Logitech, a manufacturer of conference room solutions and computer peripherals. 

Framery products can be paired with the Logitech product family through a plug-and-play, all-in-one virtual meeting solution to ensure optimal audio and video quality. From Framery O and Framery Q to Framery 2Q and Framery One, each pod can be equipped with Logitech webcams, control panels, and docking stations.

"Our customers and system integration partners are looking for solutions that seamlessly blend physical spaces and technology components. We are thrilled to partner with Framery via the Logitech Collaboration Program (LCP) to integrate the Framery pods with Logitech's meeting room and desktop products to simplify the deployments and enhance the user experience," says Sudeep Trivedi, Head of Alliances and Go-to-Market for B2B at Logitech.

Framery and Logitech have been exploring device configurations and compatibility since the beginning of 2022. The buying process will include a product page on the Framery website that showcases all of the Logitech setups, configurations, and links to resellers so clients can easily choose suitable devices for their existing and/or future Framery pod purchases. All device configurations for the Framery product family will be Microsoft Teams Certified.

Workers aren't in the office on Fridays, hotel operators say - because they're working out of hotels. The hotel sector may finally recover this year from the beating it took during the worst of the pandemic, industry figures say.
The tech sector, driver of the US economy for much of the past decade, and—along with life sciences—an oasis fueling growth in an otherwise crippled office sector during the pandemic, is now the poster child for the economic downturn.

As a wave of massive layoffs continues to impact tech companies across the spectrum, tech’s US office footprint—which expanded in leasing velocity as it entered 2022 to more than 8.5M SF—collapsed to barely a quarter of that in Q4.

It takes a degree of desperation for an industry to hope for a recession as a way out of a business jam. That is where at least some of the office market currently stands. With occupancy rates down — Deloitte Consulting has told GlobeSt.com that nationwide they are 40% to 45%, compared to daily rates of 61% to 65% before the pandemic — owners and operators see a potential for the foundation of their businesses to crack.

The hope many have expressed is that a recession would result in large numbers of layoffs and reductions. The expected result would be employers gain significant leverage over employees, who would then return to offices en masse from fear of job loss.

Working from home is saving commuters around the world 72 minutes a day, time they’re splitting between their jobs, leisure and caregiving, a new study shows.

Remote staff are saving the most time in China, where forgoing the trek to and from one’s workplace is freeing up 102 minutes a day, according to the study published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Serbian workers saw the smallest savings of 51 minutes, while those in the US also saw a comparatively low 55 minutes spared.

One of the most compelling claims about working from home — that it is more productive than working from the office — has been challenged by new data from the UK's official statistics body.

The UK’s Office for National Statistics has had a second look at the productivity data for the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 and 2021, and decided that far from showing rapidly accelerating output per hour, the figures show the reverse.

Tech's turbulent relationship with the office market took an abrupt turn at the end of 2022 as economic pressure prompted the industry to lease the least space it has in the last five years.

For the past decade, tech companies have played an outsized role in office leasing. But the sector leased just 2.2M SF in Q4, a 57% drop in volume from Q3 and a massive decline from the more than 8.5M SF leased a year prior, according to a new report from Savills.

Features

As companies try to navigate the hybrid work model and their office space needs, it’s been a case of executives and employees trying to find their way and a new balance. The pandemic seems to be slowing — although on January 23 there was a running daily average of 46,418 cases and 36,650 hospitalized, according to the New York Times, and the CDC still lists Covid-19 and the third leading cause of death in the US.
The good news is that modern office furniture such as various-sized soundproof office pods, complete with a full suite of online meeting technology, could reboot workplace facilities. And these products provide useful clues on how the office of the future may look.

Workspace News

The world is a noisy place, and it’s getting louder. At the same time, people may be less tolerant of noise in the post-pandemic work world. As employees head back to the office, 52% of office workers say they are concerned that noise levels in the office will make them less productive, according to a recent survey by HR Magazine. Nearly two-thirds of those people say they fear they’ll get fed up if their noisy coworkers break their concentration, and 42% worry that they’ll slip into “noise rage” if colleagues become too loud. 
The latest Workplace Survey from the Gensler Research Institute sets out to explore how employees are spending their time as they return to the office, how offices can more successfully support them, and the strategic design interventions that will have the biggest impact on the workplace experience. As companies consider the future of their workplaces, the new data suggests that U.S. employees are looking for offices that are both highly effective and offer a desirable mix of experiences. The highest-performing workplaces are those that support all modes of work, offer a wide range of experiences, and are located in amenity-rich buildings and/or neighborhoods.
The December 2022 LinkedIn Workforce Report noted that people are now leaving smaller and mid-size cities, while places such as Austin, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area are growing.

Design

SmithGroup's Dennis Daisey and Nancy Kohout explore the invisible elements and their value in healthy workplace design. The business of commercial real estate is obsessed with efficiency, and that's bad for our health. Of course, business efficiency isn't limited to commercial real estate.
According to the survey, when asked what they most needed from an office environment, 48 percent of the digital nomads in our survey chose schedule flexibility. The discrepancy between the regular open hours of traditional offices and the newfound schedule flexibility that came with remote work was highlighted by this metric.
Creating a happy and healthy work environment is of paramount importance to employers, designers and architects who have witnessed employees’ uneasy transition to the office after months, or even years, of working from home.
When implementing modern tools for a hybrid workplace, policies should be established to cover who has access to the metaverse, how it will be used and the type of data collected.

Trends

LinkedIn has had a generous return-to-the-office policy since the end of the pandemic. Companies like Apple have battled employees, sometimes publicly, but LinkedIn has kept a consistently softer tone. Part of this may be because the professional social media network has benefited from the pandemic-induced shift in working patterns. LinkedIn has become an essential connectivity platform for remote-job-hungry employees and, like its parent company Microsoft, conducts extensive research on the workplace.

Latest Products

Unika Vaev announced their latest Acoustic Product Collection.

“This latest collection of versatile decorative acoustic products continues to reinforce Unika Vaev’s commitment to offer an extensive range of beautiful products for a wide range of applications.” Says C. Wick Wolfe, President, Unika Vaev. The collection includes 5 wood finished products for ceilings and walls, and a low profile panel designed for ceiling use. 

The iconic Vignelli Rocker was the last chair designed for Heller by the late Lella and Massimo Vignelli. It is now back in production by Heller, ready for indoor and outdoor use in homes, hospitality settings, and commercial applications.
Landscape Forms introduced Backdrop, a system of modular panels and accessories. Designed by Landscape Forms in collaboration with KEM Studio, Backdrop offers a new and uniquely versatile way to create welcoming outdoor destinations. It is ideal for campuses, streetscapes, residential communities, and retail and hospitality locations.
Merging beauty and function in his philosophy of organic architecture, Wright's unique furniture for the SC Johnson building's Great Workroom pioneered a new way to work. As part of the Frank Lloyd Wright Racine Collection, select Signature pieces will faithfully match the style and finishes of the original furniture, with subtle adjustments to the collection’s proportions and scale to support modern living.
Scandinavian Spaces introduces a modern modular sofa system, Crest, to the curated furniture line. Designed for the radical, changing workplace, Crest encourages intimate conversations with just the right amount of privacy. The upholstered back and side panels paired with padded cushions lend Crest its tailored look of luxury. The modular sofa system, developed for both casual and formal work settings, is flexible, comfortable, and extremely good-looking.
KFI Studios starts the new year with the launch of the award-winning Willow table. Designed by Union Design, Willow is a mobile table perfectly aligned with today's focus on flexible workspaces, encouraging people to move around and work anywhere. Its smart and innovative design has earned Willow accolades including a HiP and iF award.
The ThinkingWall Divider range from Logovisual is a collection of sleek, stable mobile dividing walls featuring web connected AV technology, drywipe surface and storage. The units are large enough to work alone or in pairs as a divider, but easy to move around to reconfigure space. Learn more here.
From tubular seats to chubby ceramic lamps, the neotenic furniture movement is showing no signs of slowing down. Its latest entry comes from Dutch studio Raw Color, who teamed with Spanish furniture mainstay Sancal on the joyful Link & Loop furniture range.

Other News

Without a doubt, 2022 was the year of the rug. You might have noticed it—in recent months, a striking number of heritage design brands and emerging names alike have entered the rug arena, while a vast array of interior designers, artists and influencers have flooded the sector with their own, often first-time, rug collaborations.

Trends in Commercial Projects from Around the Globe

In 1893, Arthur Sanderson & Sons unveiled its first wallpaper factory in West London's Chiswick district, but by the 1970s, the elegant five-storey brick building had morphed into Barley Mow Centre, a pioneering innovation hub where small business owners and craftspeople commingled.
When it came time to design their new office in Poznań, Poland, FORMSON hired Polish design studio SPACELAB, led by architect Agnieszka Deptuła. The main source of the design’s inspiration came about on a visit to the company’s headquarters where they spotted bins of silicone spatulas that FORMSON manufactures. Seeing the identically shaped kitchen utensils all together gave them the idea of mounting thousands of them on different walls as three-dimensional advertisements using their own products.
American studio ZGF Architects has adapted a historic Ford Motor Company factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania into a biomedical research laboratory by renovating existing structures and creating a cantilevered terracotta-clad addition.

ZGF – working with development group Wexford Science & Technology – reimagined the 224,866-square foot (20,890-square meters) factory to house state-of-the-art research labs, collaborative spaces, and community amenities.

Upcoming Industry Events

NeoCon 2023
June  12-14, 2023 | Chicago, IL
 
NeoCon has served as the world’s leading platform and most important event of the year for the commercial design industry since 1969. A launch pad for innovation—NeoCon offers ideas and introductions that shape the built environment today and into the future.  

National Ergonomics Conference & ErgoExpo 2022
November 8-10, 2022 | Paris Las Vegas Hotel, Las Vegas

National Ergo 2022 returns November 8-10 bringing the Ergonomics community together for the industry's longest running conference and trade show. Learn from the Nation's top Ergonomic and Safety executives with over 40 educational sessions, keynotes and workshops.  

Milan Design Week 2023
April 18-23, 2023 | Milan, Italy

Milan design week is the biggest annual design event in the world and takes place from 17 to 23 April 2023. The week includes the furniture fair Salone del Mobile, which takes place at the Fiera Milano exhibition centre and is the largest event to take place during the week. The selection of fringe events collectively named Fuorisalone also takes place across the city.

hd expo+conference
May 2-4, 2023 | Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

HD Expo + Conference is the largest hospitality event of its kind in the country, showcasing the latest products, services, and innovative developments from the industry’s leading manufacturers.  

Clerkenwell Design Week 2023
May 23-25, 2023 | London

Clerkenwell is home to more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else on the planet, making it truly one of the most important design hubs in the world. To celebrate this rich and diverse community, Clerkenwell Design Week has created a showcase of leading UK and international brands and companies presented in a series of showroom events, exhibitions and special installations that take place across the area.

Orgatec 2024
October 22-26, 2024 | Cologne, Germany

Orgatec is the International trade fair for office and property equipment. Held in Cologne, Germany.
Find the best Contract Furniture Industry jobs and hire the best talent.
When you feel connected to your work, you feel more engaged. At Haworth, you can pursue a career that offers you ample opportunity to build your portfolio and expand your skillset in an exciting and inclusive environment. Join a company that values innovation, inspiration, and you!
As a world leader in the manufacturing of height adjustable bases and desks Conset America is looking for independent representatives or an independent representative group covering the following states: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa,...
CWC is based out of Atlanta, GA and we are celebrating our 94 th year as a premier office furniture dealership! We offer either a local in-office workspace or 100% remote work for non-Georgia residents. CWC Provides: Competitive Pay Excellent Health Benefits We are an Employee Stock Ownership Plan...
Indoff is expanding and in need of experienced outside sales professionals in your area. Indoff Offers: 50% commission on the gross profit - This is a straight commission position, and right now Indoff offers 70% commission for your first year with us.
TGEG Seating a Southern California based seating company is searching for independent sales representation. The territories available currently are Nevada, Northern California, and Arizona.
Global Furniture Group, a leader in the workplace, education, healthcare + hospitality furniture industry has an immediate career opportunity for a Territory Manager for Richmond, VA. This candidate will increase awareness and interest among dealers, designers and end-users of Global’s brand, product and capabilities. 
Barbican Architectural Products enters it's 35th year of business looking to find the right partners for it's Architectural Wall Division. Organizations should provide an established network of Architects, Interior Designers, General contractors and end users. Due to the overwhelming response and the utilization of our Architectural Walls, we need solid business partnerships to support the growing demand.
NDI Office Furniture LLC, one of the nation’s largest stocking office furniture importers and distributors, is seeking an individual or group for Sales Representation in the South Florida territory. NDI is based in Nashville TN with warehouses in FL, AL and TX. We utilize our own fleet of trucks and drivers to provide industry-leading service to our customers.  The successful candidate may be either an employee or an Independent Representative.
WIELAND is a leading provider of patient room and seating products to healthcare facilities across the country. We are seeking a sales professional to represent our healthcare products Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Alaska. Our continued growth provides significant income potential for the right individual. This is an employee position with full benefits. 

News, Insights, Research, Trends and Products for Working Spaces.