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Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of witnesses.

Margaret Millar

Full Story, page 3 Full Story, page 10 Full Story, page 14

Interview with Kass Bradley

Kass Bradley recently retired as Presi-dent of Knoll North America. Recently, she agreed to a parting interview with me for offi ceinsight. The night before the interview – in their country farm, comfortable, welcom-ing, eclectic, knock out tranquility center home – the three of us, cooked, sipped and laughed.

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Cont’d on page 4, Bradley. . . .

Interview with Kass Bradley

by Peter Otterstrom

Kass Bradley recently retired as President of Knoll North America.

Recently, she agreed to a parting inter-view with me for offi ceinsight. The night before the interview – in their country farm, comfortable, welcoming, eclectic, knock out tranquility center home – the three of us, cooked, sipped and laughed. OK, Ms. Bradley and her husband, Lynn, did the cooking…I just sipped. It was a fi ne tune up for the interview. Ms. Bradley is candid, extremely sincere, a focused listener, a passionate believer and is sparklingly modest. She is a master-craft people person who shares with us the wonders of what design responsible peo-ple do to enhance and improve the lives of the customer and the greatness of Knoll.

Here is some of what we learned.

……………...............................……………

OI: Who were the powers at Knoll 30 years ago, when started?

KB: That’s a good question. When I started at Knoll as the receptionist in the Atlanta showroom, the powers were very regional. Atlanta has always had a very tightly knit group of people who worked well together and who had enormous pride in what they did. To me, that was Knoll. The fi rst person I became aware of outside of that group, was Beau Geno-vese the Divisional Vice President, a very stylish sort of man with a lot of in-fl uence and power in the company. He had just won the Coca-Cola account, which was the largest project that Knoll had ever done at that point. He was very good to me, helping me understand what was special about Knoll.

OI: Were Florence and Hans Knoll still a major presence or infl uence?

KB: Oh absolutely. In Atlanta and throughout the company, people talked about the ideals, the guiding principles of Hans and Florence Knoll – modern de-sign and timeless, classic design, were just part of the language, it was part of what we all believed in and it was some-thing we rallied around. Designers fi rms would come in to the showroom and

point out the details. Many knew more about what was behind the Knoll designs than I; and I learned as much from them as I did from our own company training. It was magical to listen to them and see the reverence they had for the products they would specify on a project.

When I fi rst went in to sales, I called on accounts and heard stories from the architects about Hans and Florence Knoll calling on and presenting to them. I was supposed to be selling furniture, but I sat while they told me stories about Hans and Florence, how dashing Hans was when he walked through the door and how men and women alike were just speechless when he was there, and how elegant Florence was and what a great couple they were and what an impres-sion they made on everyone. Hans had an incredible sales talent and Florence was the incredible design talent.

At Surber Barber and Mooney, an ar-chitectural fi rm in Virginia Highlands, we sat around a little wood burning pot bel-lied stove, drinking coffee in the morning. I don’t know why they bought from me; I just went in to hear the stories and in the end we would do business. That ex-perience changed my idea about what I was doing. I wasn’t just selling furniture; Knoll was a special place, an incredibly special place.

OI: So, there was a special joy as-sociated with the product because customers liked the people as well as the design?

KB: Absolutely. Today that’s still very true. People buy from people. Knoll has great designs, but who would know about them without the people who sell them and the people who build relation-ships? That’s what the Knoll sales force does incredibly well. And it just doesn’t stop at the Knoll sales force – the cus-tomer service organization, the entire organization – understands relationship-building with customers. And customers speak to our associates to help them un-derstand what matters to them.

Mark Nichols, the Senior Vice Presi-dent of Real Estate from our largest cus-tomer, Bank of America, spoke to our associates right on the factory fl oor. His comment afterwards was that you would almost think their questions had been planted because the questions were so relevant to satisfying a customer. They wanted to know how a customer perceived us and whether we are do-ing what that customer needs. He was very complimentary about the fact that the entire organization was focused on relationships with the customer. This is something that we value and matters to every associate at Knoll.

I was impressed with the questions, but not surprised. Those were the sort of questions that I’m asked when I walk through the factory or at the end of a cus-tomer tour. Our associates care about what the customer thinks; they know that’s what makes us special and that’s what makes us different.

OI: How do you inform new hires about the Knoll heritage?

KB: It is part of our new-hire training program, after an associate has been with us for around three months. We start in the museum. Carl Magnusson did a terrifi c job creating a beautiful time-line of Knoll and it’s a wonderful way to walk through what we do and what we believe in. For our own associates, we do the long in-depth walk through the timeline so they get a real sense of Knoll. And there are several other elements to it. For example, we may go to the Bertoia Barn to see the beautiful sculpture that Harry Bertoia created.

Kass Bradley


. . .Bradley, Cont’d from page 3


Dick Shultz has come to speak to us from time to time or we’ve gone over to his Palm factory. When people leave they have a sense of two things: the heri-tage, the rich history of Knoll, and also the people at Knoll. Our new hires are, very touched by the warmth and the genuineness of the people here, juxta-posed with the big image of high design, and beautifully crafted furniture. The new hire training ends in New York, where they see the splendor of the public face of Knoll just after the wonderful Penn-sylvania Dutch, East Greenville side of Knoll. These two things come together to make the warm heart and soul of a great high profi le design company. It’s a terrifi c combination.

OI: Is there also a philosophy that comes probably more from Florence than Hans about furniture function, about it impacts the user, physically and emotionally?

KB: Yes. I think she would say, beauty probably trumps everything, but not to the exclusion of function. I had the honor and pleasure of meeting with Florence in her condominium in Coral Gables, and of course I was a nervous wreck. She was just absolutely lovely and the most interesting thing was that she designed every single thing in that condominium. The design was beautiful, simple and classic but when you talk about function, it was perfect.

Behind the beautiful, clean, slick walls, she stored all of her china and crystal but you would never have known that they were anything but walls. There was no detail that would indicate that they were sliding doors. The function of the small condominium was absolutely incredible and she was very, very proud of it. And that’s exactly what she did when she designed furniture – the result was gor-geous but the function was incredible; her place was beyond anything I had ever seen.

OI: How did you start your selling career?

KB: I mentioned that I was answer-ing the phone and probably not doing it as well as they would have liked, so they thought, let’s see if she can sell. And of course the training then at Knoll was, essentially, here’s a price list, here’s a catalogue, tomorrow go make some calls. You get two accounts and you get a dealer.

At the time “my” dealer sold Herman Miller, Haworth, Knoll and I think had just lost Steelcase. It was around the time some manufacturers began to align with one dealer in a market. I got one design fi rm and then I got some architectural fi rms, and I was told to call on them the next day. So I went home, I stayed up all night studying the products. It was easier then, we didn’t have eight systems. Plus I was doing student tours of the show-room so I pretty much understood the

Kass Bradley with Burt Staniar, Knoll Chairman and Andrew Cogan, Knoll CEO. Establishing the Kathleen Bradley Scholarship at Cranbrook

products. However, somehow I thought I had to memorize every price. So I was up all night with my price list, memoriz-ing the prices.

I got to the dealership around 7:30 am, before they opened so I went around to the back where the guys were unloading trucks and working in the warehouse. I asked what time the dealership opened, and they said, “Oh salespeople; they don’t get here till nine o’clock.”

They asked who I was, and I told them I was the new rep for Knoll and they said, “Oh, you’ve got an uphill bat-tle.” I thought that was a horrible thing to say. They invited me into the warehouse and told me to look around, and asked, do you see many Knoll boxes? There were a million Herman Miller boxes, and that’s where I started many of my days. They had a ping pong table and they told me who the infl uential people were upstairs –and who I should call on and who I should talk to. They told me that Madeline was the librarian and she would help me understand what’s go-ing on.

That’s where I started my selling ca-reer. That dealership is now Corporate Environments of Georgia and a very large Knoll dealer, not because of me, but because of the people in Atlanta who have really made it all work.

OI: How did you get a million Knoll boxes in there?

KB: Well fi rst of all, Herman Miller’s had AO2 and we had not done Morri-son yet but, at some point I think, Miller began to really require exclusive align-ments with certain dealerships, and I think this dealer had to make a decision. They decided for Knoll. But what did I do…? I just spent a lot of time there, I don’t think there was any brilliance in what I did. I listened to what they needed and wanted and I tried to provide it; I got to understand a lot of the customers. I just dealt with the people they said were infl uencers.

OI: What did they need and want?KB: Responsiveness, somebody

who would respond to what they needed when they needed it; they wanted mate-rial for a customer; they wanted someone who would go shoulder-to-shoulder with them to the customer. And design fi rms




wanted to use Knoll; they loved Knoll. So if we could listen to what they said they needed and solve their problems, that’s all anybody wanted.

Before we spent a lot of time as a com-pany with this dealership, we’d get maybe the lobby furniture. The reason a lot of Knoll boxes fi nally started appearing in the warehouse was Charlie Roser’s work along with Andrew Morrison on the Mor-rison System. Suddenly, Morrison put us in the general offi ce part of a design, not just in the lobby and conference rooms and seating areas. It wasn’t anything that I did alone; it was an evolution at Knoll at that time, and I was the benefi ciary of it. We could do really great designs for the general offi ce with Morrison.

OI: What did you look for in a new Knoll dealer candidate?

KB: Entrepreneurs who really under-stood and care about design, and who could build relationships, especially with designers. The most important infl uence for Knoll is the design industry. We are very, very fortunate, when we help them solve the customer’s problems; they have been absolutely incredible to us and supportive of us.

OI: Do dealers make a big deal about the closeness of the Knoll rep with heads of design fi rms?

KB: Rarely. There may have been a time before we had a strong trust rela-tionship with our dealers, I don’t think we were always great at understanding the needs of distribution years ago. Once we understood them as a customer and their needs and we trusted each other, that issue went away. Now we regionally understand who has the strength and who the design fi rms want to see, and we’re very comfortable with that relation-ship. We can’t have ten people going into a design fi rm. We have Knoll Studio, KnollTextile experts, we have Knoll of-fi ce; there are so many different faces of Knoll. We want to be sure we don’t over-burden a design fi rm by having too many people calling

OI: How is this trust affected when there are multiple dealers in the same town?

KB: It can change the way we go to market somewhat, but I think what works are different strengths and different rela-tionships. We’re stepping all over each other the way we used to. We’ve care-fully selected dealers that have different strengths in most cities and are going

to different places to get the business. That’s been a benefi t to all of us and we’ve all been able to grow without get-ting in each other’s ways.

OI: Do most Knoll dealers have a design department?

KB: Most Knoll dealers have technical support, but Knoll dealers do not have a design department that competes with design fi rms. We do not go after projects with customers to do the design. In some very small towns, some of the tertiary markets, there may be more of a design department in a dealership where there aren’t the design fi rm infl uences. But we never solicit a customer’s design work as a dealership, and as a manufacturer, we act more as technical advisors and proj-ect managers.

As you know, not every design fi rm can know every system, even every Knoll system. They need application sup-port; they need someone to help deter-mine the best way to solve a customer’s problem, the best way to use our product lines, the best sustainability solutions. That’s what those technical support and application specialists do.



Then we have our Technical Re-sources Media and TR Media groups. If a design fi rm says I need a rendering of your product and how it’s solving this customer’s problem, can you render this for me so I can look at it and see where the details come together, where I might have a problem. That’s what our TR me-dia and technical resource staffs do; and our dealers have a very large project management service rather than design services.

OI: Many of the people who work in these areas are trained designers, but their role is support not competition?

KB: Yes; that’s right. dealer principals with whom we’ve built a relationship un-derstandit works, and they aren’t going to risk the relationship with the design industry that has served us well forever for one job.

OI: “Good Design is Good Busi-ness.” Where did this tag line come from?

KB: Florence Knoll. Truly, that was a Florence Knoll quote and it’s as true to-day as it was when she originally said it. Isn’t it a wonderfully descriptive way to think about it? Ten or eleven years ago we looked at service and we said, “You know, I can stand in front of a custom-er, and I mean any one of us, and fl at out say we can deliver the design, the quality, and craftsmanship that makes Knoll design good business.” Our people never had to fl inch when we talked about any of that. And it occurred to all of us that our next mountain to climb was, how can we say we can be reliable, repeat-

able and that we’ll continuously improve to the point where you can count on us day-in and day-out.

We could do major projects pretty spectacularly because we had a lot of time; we could organize teams around it, we could deliver. We weren’t as good on day two, we weren’t as good on day-to-day business. If you’re a salesperson and you’re out there making promises, you want to be sure you can deliver. So we hired a gentleman named Steve Gro-ver, who has a background with General Electric. He recognized that we already had a culture of improvement at Knoll; it was called Knoll Continuous Im-provement. The associates get together and fi nd better ways to do things. Steve brought to us a rigor and a structure and tools that have allowed us to perform re-liably, day-in and day-out.

It was very important to Andrew Co-gan and me to round out our offering to our customers by investing in service and continuous improvement for Knoll. Now when we do a presentation, any one of us can stand up and say the de-sign and quality are great. We can also say that we can service our customers for their large projects and their day-to-day business equally as effectively and profi tably. We can deliver what we say we’re going to deliver.

OI: How do you monitor the skills of your sales reps?

KB: The thing about sales is you’re judged daily, our in-house attorney, at one point said to me, “Think about it, ev-ery single morning the sales results are on a screen; they have to look at them and everybody else in the company

looks at them. The rest of us are kind of over here doing our work and we’ve got days and days and days until it’s done.”

I thought it was wonderful, coming from the attorney, recognizing that we’re very much a sales culture at Knoll, a sales and marketing driven company. There’s an appreciation for the sales force here that I think is rare. Most com-panies, have misunderstandings about salespeople, they think they make too much money, that they’re going out to eat all the time, they’re on airplanes and having a big time.

At Knoll there’s a clear understand-ing of the value of a sales organization and the pressures that a sales organi-zation is under; and we know that our sales organization is a core strength. It’s our job to make sure that the sales organization has confi dence and pride in the company they represent. David Bright leads our communications effort, he also has taken on the responsibility to lead not only a monthly call with our A&D representatives. Benjamin Pardo, who leads our design effort and David Schutte, who leads the marketing effort, both deliver frequent, passionate, heart-felt, informative messages of this great design company to our divisions.

OI: How does it feel to work with An-drew Cogan, the “Energy Man?”

KB: Andrew and I communicated through email and by phone no fewer than eight or ten times a day. There is a real bond there and sort of a short hand we have developed. I would say Andrew is more the visionary for Knoll; he has an

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absolute uncanny ability to choose the right next few things for this company to do. And he grew up in this company, his father (Marshall Cogan) owned Knoll when I started here. Andrew worked here when he was a young man, or a young child I should say, sorting slides and doing things like that, plus he has a deep understanding of art and archi-tecture.

Andrew led our Participation Clin-ton Global Initiative and through that we ended up joining the Chicago Cli-mate Exchange and making a legally binding agreement to reduce our carbon footprint, our greenhouse gas emissions and by 10%. We have exceeded our fi rst year target. That’s his vision that that’s the right next thing for this company to do. He’s taken an aggressive approach. We didn’t just say by 2020 we’re going to be carbon-neutral, we said we’re go-ing to join a cap and trade system, we’re going to reduce our carbon footprint, and we’re going to pay for it if we don’t. And in the end it’s saved us money in the side benefi ts of doing this.

And when we do things it’s cultural. Every single level of the organization

knows why, understands why, partici-pates in the idea, participates in how we get it done, and it becomes part of the fi ber of Knoll, part of what matters be-cause it is the right thing to do. Andrew’s vision to do that kind of thing at the right time for Knoll is incredible. The Cur-rents offi ce system was his vision, his idea that it was time and right for Knoll. Then there’s Dividends Horizon, the Life chair; he’s comfortable doing those things and setting the time for us to ex-pand our global reach. His ability to know how much we can digest and when and what the right next things are, is remark-able. I’m more of the supporting player. I’m more the OK, how do we organize a team around some of this, how do I help support this.

I have enormous respect for Andrew. We come at things from a different way. There’s no question that we may have a healthy debate about things, but never have we gotten to a point where there’s a loggerhead where we just can’t agree on something. We both want the same things for Knoll. There’s a deep caring for the people as well as for the future of the company.

You should also look at some of the other visions Andrew has had for Knoll,

such as the World Monuments Fund, an organization dedicated to preserving endangered architecture. For Knoll, that’s an important thing to do. And Andrew has the vision that that’s the right thing for Knoll to be a part of, the right thing for Knoll to lead, the right thing for Knoll to invest in. So it’s a combination of all these things that he does that guide this company beautifully. I’m going to miss him a great deal personally and profes-sionally. I’ve learned a lot from him. We’ve had lots of things we’ve laughed about together; we’ve gone through the worse possible economy this industry has ever gone through together and some how doing it with him made it tolerable.

OI: Andrew has brevity; he can ex-plain his view succinctly and without repetition. Are your meetings with Andrew shorter than they are with other executives?

KB: Yes, but Andrew has an enor-mous respect for others’ points of view as well. He does get the point quickly, but he also understands that there are other elements of thinking and decision making that are valuable. For example our monthly meetings that look at how


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we’ve done and where we’re going, in excruciating detail involves 35 people. it’s a rigorous process, and Andrew gets every single line of every single discus-sion in a remarkable way that all of us have come to respect and admire. But he knows there are people in that room who understand it at another level, and he respects and solicits what they have to say about what we are talking about.

OI: You said earlier that Knoll is a sales and marketing driven company while many describe Knoll as design-driven?

KB: Well, we just assume that design is the price of entry. Certainly design is a guiding principle – clean, classic, mod-ern design I would say is the guiding principle for everything. But if you say what drives this company, you’d have to say the sales and marketing of that great design.

OI: Is Knoll a “custom product” company?

KB: Knoll is a very practical company; we don’t do a lot of trendy crazy stuff that doesn’t stand the test of time. We say, “OK, what is our job here?” Let’s use the resources we have, let’s understand

from the design fi rms, the customers, let’s understand all their operating con-ditions and expectations and then let’s solve the problem.

We constantly search for ways that our furniture can be a supporting player. We don’t want to be the fi gure, we want to be the ground; we want our furniture to support what the company’s trying to project and what the design fi rm is try-ing to do. And I think that’s what Knoll has always done so beautifully and it’s why people come to us to solve their problems, and it’s why the results look as good ten years from now as it does today.


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Cont’d on page 11, Kimball. . . .

Hum. Minds at Work

by Brad Powell

Kimball Offi ce just might steal the show this year with its launch of

Hum. Minds at Work.™ O.K., you have to like cute to clap with glee for the name, but the concept, execution (as far as we can tell from images), and underlying re-search move Kimball Offi ce up with the leaders of the class in the North Ameri-can contract furniture area. With its strik-ing showroom at 325 North Wells, de-signed by TVS Interiors, and its relaxing views overlooking the Chicago River, the short trip across the street from the Mart is an essential stop. But, Kimball Offi ce is suffi ciently self-aware of its prize that it took a temporary space (Booth # 7130) on the Mart’s 7th fl oor (which, by the way, is surely another important NeoCon fun place to spend time, with surprising de-lights sprinkled among the varied offer-ings displayed there) and entered Hum in the Best of NeoCon Competition.

Many still associate Kimball Offi ce with wood casegoods featuring excel-lent fi nishes, and this remains a Kimball Offi ce strength. But it has been several years since Kimball Offi ce threw some

spice into its product offerings when it launched the Aspire™ table and the Skye® chair (a licensed Red Dot award winner). This new direction was affi rmed with the subsequent launch of the Xsite® frame-and-tile system. With Xsite, and the approximately concurrent establishment of its Select Dealership Program, Kimball Offi ce threw down the gauntlet, signaling that it intended to join the ranks of full-line, full-service contract furniture manufacturers.

Hum represents the next step, and a very signifi cant one. It is not just a tag-along product. Hum was developed by Kimball Offi ce in conjunction with Form-way Design – who created the Life chair for Knoll – and is the result of three years of research. In the end, Kimball Offi ce correctly determined that the evo-lutions that have occurred over the past decade were not really about lowering panel heights. Instead, there has been a fundamental shift in thinking about how work can be done most effectively. On a personal level, the research confi rmed that for most people a workday compris-es a variety of tasks and activities cov-

ering the spectrum from concentrated individual work to collaborative tasks. Hum is the furniture analogy to a good chair: it adapts to the needs of the body and mind as work demands. “Hum is a fl exible and adaptable solution,” says Kimball Offi ce, “that can be confi gured to fi t the needs of individuals, small groups and whole organizations.

“Business success,” says Kimball Of-fi ce, “depends on getting the best out of people – the best individual work, the best teamwork, the best idea and the best performance.” One major factor in achieving this, according to Kimball Of-fi ce, is appropriate offi ce design and fur-niture that “fi ts people’s minds as well as their bodies.”

Kimball Offi ce’s answer, Hum, moves us toward this goal because its design is “modeled on the cognitive processes people use to organize, concentrate and collaborate. Hum environments “work the way minds work.” With Hum, Kimball Offi ce has shown us that the net result of the past 30 years of learning about work-place behavior is that workers – instead of facing back-to-front with fi xed storage and separated workspaces – now work face-to-face, with adequate but fl exible storage, and in close proximity. In short, traditional thoughts of keep your head down so the boss can tell you are work-ing have given way to the encourage-ment of communication and collabora-tion. Work has shifted from the no-mind, mechanistic model and the uni-minded, biological model to the multi-minded, so-cio-cultural model.

Hum has several noteworthy ele-ments that make for a very useful and accommodating work arrangement, but we cite the See Me™ Screen as being in the vanguard of thinking in the offi ce area. The See Me screen is, of course, about privacy. As other manufacturers have also noted, a large part of privacy in a communal or collaborative setting is psychological, because privacy, in the traditional sense is not only unfeasible, but also presents a high barrier to com-munication.

Moreover, while privacy of some sort is essential, it must be designed to per-mit easy communication. It is the effec-tive pairing of these opponencies that Hum tries to achieve. Accordingly, See Me creates a “visual boundary that fi lters (L to R) Leslie Jones, IA; Julian McMichael, Workspaces LLC; Tori Simms, Kimball

Office; Tom McGuire, Workspaces LLC; Elizabeth Hafner, IA; Gregory Buja, Work-spaces LLC; and Kyvonne Coleman, Kimball Office, review entries for a custom See Me screen for IA’s new offices in Washington DC’s famed Watergate build-ing. The winning concept, a rectilinear design called Telescope, was created by

Jessica Appeldoorn.


Cont’d on page 12, Kimball. . . .

. . .Kimball, Cont’d from page 10

distractions without isolation.” Commu-nication or visual contact is thus largely a question of focus – visual, audio and mental. The additional benefi t, and one not largely touted, is that there seems to be ancillary advantages that arise when we are generally aware of those around us. Hum is among the furniture develop-ments that allow for this.

See Me’s original, openwork design, made of laser-cut steel, uses random patterns from nature and provides natu-ral gaps, small and large, that permit interpersonal contact. Additionally, the See Me screen tapers off at the end, facilitating normal extended face-to-face conversations. The initial round of screens has four designs – Gem, Foli-age, Terrain and Wave – in 16 colors op-tions, such as cloud blue and goldenrod. Kimball Offi ce will also prepare custom See Me screens that may, among other things, carry corporate logos or specifi ed designs. In fact, IA Interior Architects – which is using Hum in its new offi ces in Washington DC’s famed Watergate building – recently held an internal de-sign competition to create a customized See Me screen for the fi rm. The winning design, a geometric concept of various sized rectangles aptly named Tele-scope, was created by Jessica Appel-doorn.

Other features of Hum include:Meet Me™ Space: The Meet Me

Space, sits at a slightly higher level than the primary work surface and is posi-tioned in the “neck” where two work zones abut, thus creating a natural gath-ering point for two-, three- or four-per-son meetings. The thought is that work-ers using the Hum assembly can con-verge for a short meeting without mov-ing to a new area. This encourages a natural ebb and fl ow of individual work and collaboration with the least amount of disruption.

Personal Workspaces have a height-adjustable, convex table top designed to facilitate both individual and group work. Hum’s somewhat unusual form defi nes an individual’s space, as opposed to shared, and also enables workers to huddle, for example, around a monitor or at the ends. These elements also help workers move to and from concentrated

Kimball: Hum


. . .Kimball, Cont’d from page 11

and collaborative work. Table tops come in a range of shapes, sizes and material options, including grey or white straight-grain oak and Manhattan walnut com-posite veneers, as well as 10 solid-col-or and two – amber cherry and mocha cherry – wood-grain laminates.

Terrace: Hum uses horizontal planes or Terraces to give workers a means of sorting their work in their own way as they naturally use various surface levels and breaks to arrange their work. Ter-races provide raised surfaces for open storage and display, and free up the Personal Workspace and increase the overall desk space. Terraces are made of powder-coated steel in titanium or de-signer white.

Hum is fl exible and can be confi gured for open areas and private offi ces. It routes wires through a central channel at the back of worksurfaces. Pre-punched

knock-outs allow power/data outlets to be positioned on the face of the wireway for easy access. Hum has customizable storage modules, and a broad variety of material options, including premium wool felt, composite wood veneers, la-ser-cut metal, and solid and wood-grain laminates.

We were impressed with Kimball Offi ce’s research-based approach to Hum’s design. While we have been en-tering the era of evidenced-based de-sign, particularly in heath care, not many interiors participants have R&D budgets of the size to support serious research beyond the usual focus groups, etc. That Kimball Offi ce joined the game with Hum is another positive indicator, and the company will be posting its research for everyone to examine on a website, www.humoffi ce.com, which goes live on June 9. We also understand that there will be a book published with the research.

Following their conclusion that most of us play a variety of roles at work and oscillate somewhere between isolated work and joint efforts, the design team set about creating a workspace that would:

Provide a clear defi nition of personal spaces.

Mimic the way the mind organizes and prioritizes information.

Create three levels of individual orga-nization.

Allow for fl exibility in the way people organize work.

Create space for personal display and shared display.

Ensure clear sightlines to make sig-nals visible.

Create proximity for those who work together most often.

Allow for seamless movement be-tween work modes.

All with the end in mind that these features would enable work to just hum along like a fi nely tuned machine . . . or, er, mind.

In a ‘living lab,” the Kimball Offi ce/Formway team created a constant cycle of concept generation, rough prototyp-ing and evaluation (sounds like a system to me) to get a better idea of how their designs would play from a user’s point of view. Various benchmark iterations were reviewed by “industry experts” and prototypes were cast away or adopted and refi ned based upon the evaluations. And, to our surprise and delight, voila: Hum. Minds at Work.

Hum is also designed with an eye on the environment. Kimball Offi ce says that Hum is strong and durable for a long life, meets LEED indoor air quality stan-dards, has signifi cant recycled content, uses rapidly renewable materials and plantation-grown wood, features low-energy consumption LED lights, and is easily taken apart for recycling.

Hum is clearly a watershed product for Kimball Offi ce. It would be an excel-lent launch by any manufacturer, but it is especially heartening to see Kimball Offi ce sticking to its strategic goals and allocating signifi cant resources toward research. The proof is in the pudding; but Hum, at this stage, is very promising.

Kimball: Hum


www.humoffice.com

Furniture has always beenmade to fit our bodies.Why hasn’t it been designedto fit our minds?


A View from the InsideThe Interior Design at One Haworth Center

by Laura Smith

After years of experiencing the building through AutoCAD layers and end-

less combinations of PowerPoint slides, I was fi nally walking through the door of Haworth Center in Holland, MI. I fl oated past the greeters in a stupor, and felt my knees go weak. Is this waking life, or am I trapped in a Perkins+Will rendering?

The building looked and felt exactly like our architectural drawings. Haworth dreamed it, Perkins+Will/Eva Maddox Branded Environments brought archi-tectural, interior and branding expertise…and Turner Construction pulled it off. The energy in the room was palpable.

Though I left Perkins+Will ten months ago, I had spent the last two years of my P+W life working on the interiors team for this project. My focus was on interior fi n-ishes for both architectural surfaces and furniture, and for a facility of 300,000 sq. ft., this was no simple task.

Looking around the facility, it was easy to forget the messy stuff: the tedious day-long meetings in windowless rooms, the logistical design challenges, the aesthetic disagreements, the budget crunches, the endless discussions about “process”

improvement (which, to my knowledge, no design team on the planet has per-fected). The fi rst look on opening day at the realization of our ideas washed away these memories. This was a day on which all who participated could smile and gra-ciously accept compliments, and outward-ly pretend that we snapped our fi ngers, sprinkled some fairy dust and just made it happen.

Entering the building, I turned left and looked over the glass bridge to the main building to discover a most unexpected presence: the ebony oak cladding - re-claimed bogwood from the bottom of the Great Lakes - milled and fi nished in ele-gant variation. (I only say “unexpected” be-cause this fi nish material was originally a target for value engineering. I soon learned that the Haworth team was smitten with the wood concept, and shifted priorities to make it happen.)

The joy from my perspective is watching material samples blow up – from four inch squares on a material palette to architec-tural fi nishes across an entire facility. Yes, the terrazzo aggregate mix looked right, the carpet fi bers benefi ted from our last

minute tweaks, and the punches of color elicited the desired emotional response.

The interiors of this building are the brainchild of Eva Maddox, who was the design principal, and Rod Vickroy, who drove the interiors workspace planning component – both of Perkins+Will at the time of this project (though Vickroy is now with Smithgroup). Instead of the standard architecture fi rst/plug in interiors second, their collaboration with architect Ralph Johnson started early in the process and informed key elements of the interior ar-chitecture. The success of this inside-out approach is clear.

The interior materials were selected with ecological sensitivity, per LEED Gold standards; however, a major sustainable feature of this design is the adaptable in-terior confi guration, a plan we called the “chassis.”

The chassis plan is defi ned by a synco-pation of temporal and dynamic zones. The temporal zones were created with a dropped ceiling of high acoustic quality, designed to receive Haworth wall product. These zones contain high-tech confer-ence rooms, showrooms, closed offi ces, intermittent refreshment centers and lounge areas. Haworth team members have never before enjoyed access to such a quantity and variety of meeting and in-formal work spaces.

In between temporal zones are the dynamic zones – and it is in these zones that Haworth systems furniture are tai-lored according to the work style of each department. The furniture spines which carry overhead units were placed perpen-dicular to the windows, while side panels were lowered or stacked with clear glass. This design facilitates both an uninter-rupted view to the atrium windows, and simultaneously a whole new openness in Haworth offi ce culture.

In corporate interiors, we rarely work with companies that seek such a wealth of feedback from the end-users. At different points in the process, every single Haworth member was invited to participate – a tac-tic which not only adds relevance to the design, but also aids in the transition pro-cess between the old and new. The result is a furniture layout designed to enhance the way different groups work.

For more depth on the Haworth or-ganizational culture research, see the white paper released by Haworth in 2005:

Laura Smith and Eva Maddox Cont’d on page 15, Haworth. . . .


. . .Haworth, Cont’d from page 14

<http://www.haworth.com/haworth/as-sets/Four%20Organizational%20Culture%20Types.pdf>

Another unique planning feature was the integration of showrooms across the fl oor plate. The old building featured sym-metrical, vacuous showrooms that were held apart from the day-to-day buzz of Haworth offi ce life. The new design plac-es product showrooms throughout fl oors and temporal zones; this threads visitors through the working offi ce and, of course, provides an opportunity for Haworth to show a vast range of furniture solutions in use. As CEO Franco Bianchi notes: this building is a “living laboratory of how companies should conduct business,” and he smiles and pauses before adding “with our product, of course.”

The result of the thoughtful planning moves by Perkins+Will is a building inte-rior that is itself a product. Now, seeing the plan realized, it appears that a “good bones” approach has given Haworth a fl oor plan that they can use and adapt over time – and, just as importantly, they can easily do so without compromising the integrity of the interior design.

This is a concept that Haworth is now calling organic workspaces. And it is no coincidence that they sell almost all of the products that make such a workspace possible: raised fl oors, moveable walls, and, of course, systems furniture.

In the end, perhaps one of the grandest sustainable moves was made before the design team was even hired, and that was the decision to keep the original building. Despite the fi ve-year design process, the renovation can be succinctly described as this: remove north wall, add 3-story glass atrium, re-fi nish architectural surfaces and insert brand components and new furni-ture.

This may sound simple, but process has been a long journey, and the results dramatic. During his opening reception speech, Haworth chairman Dick Haworth underlined the key drivers behind the proj-ect. He reminded us that, in this renova-tion, Haworth sought to reinvent their customer experience in the building while simultaneously creating a place where employees want to be. World-class part-ners, high design and sustainable thinking had no small role in making these goals possible.

Office Floors

Dynamic Temporal Zones

Atrium


Carnegie (www.carnegiefabrics.com) introduced an exciting new Xorel product at the Hospitality & Design Show, and we

just couldn’t wait until NeoCon to get the details. What we discov-ered was, thanks to a newly developed process of embroider-ing, Xorel Embroider was born. It’s available in 8 patterns that include plaids: Axis Embroider and fl orals Laurel Embroider.

Taking its line couture, Carnegie also debuted an upholstery collection, Bijou: Dazzle (the luxurious plush in 9 colors), Gem (a fabulous tactile 3D), Bangle (stripe), Cameo and Bauble are available in 28 shimmering colorways for between $39 and $69 per yard.

During the course of our conversation we kept running into the term “cross-over.” Having used it ourselves any number of times, we thought we might dig a bit and get a little cross-over history from Carnegie’s experience. As legend would have it, the hospitality design community has always been enamored with residential textiles; the designers love the hand (the feel), the scale and the colors of residential fabrics. However, the maintenance, durability and fi re ratings fell far short and the costs were prohibitive.

With this background, approximately 10 years ago Carnegie approached the hospitality design community to see how it could help provide what was lacking in those residential textiles. And this is where its “cross-over” relationships began; commer-cial textile fi rms began to enhance their fabrics; color offerings expanded and became more “fashion forward”; design motifs and scale became more inventive – even fl amboyant; fi bers were manipulated to improve their “hand.” That collaborative ef-fort gave the corporate offi ce design community more options and pushed the limits of what a “corporate visual” could be; the hospitality design community obtained access to more durable, functional and cost effective products. Hence, a single product could “cross over” from corporate to hospitality design, serving both industries with equal aplomb.

Carnegie: Xorel Embroider

by Kathleen VickQuestioning vinyl?

SURFACE IQ IS THE ANSWER.

TM

carnegiesurfaceiq.comCarnegie: Embroider


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Cont’d on page 19, Coalesse. . . .

Coalesse™: Steelcase’s New Premium Brand

Coalesse (Mart Suite 1032), (an obvious play on the word co-

alesce, to fuse or unite into a whole) is the new name for Brand 3, and, in a sense, is a new guise for the now de-funct Steelcase Design Partnership, some of the products and parts of which transferred to Coalesse and other Steelcase divisions or reporting lines.

Coalesse, a Steelcase division, is Steelcase’s premium brand of furniture for the home and offi ce, bringing to-gether select products from three of the former SDP companies:

Brayton InternationalMetro FurnitureVectaThese select products have been aug-

mented by new collections from partners: Carl Hansen & Søn (Denmark), Walter Knoll AG & Co. (Germany), and Vicca-rbe (Spain). According to the company, the Coalesse brand encompasses “one of the most expansive premium furniture portfolios.” Called a live/work collection, the brand’s fi rst offering has more than 20 products that address the growing similarities between work and non-work life. Following this line of thought, the col-lection eschews harsh lines and glaring surfaces in favor of softened, contoured shapes.

The Coalesse team is led by Frank Merlotti, President, who is joined by Robert Arko, Creative Director of Coa-lesse, formerly with IDEO, and Jason Heredia, Marketing, formerly with Turn-stone. Jennifer Luce, of Luce et Studio in San Diego, designed the 23,000-square-foot showroom on the 10th fl oor of the Mart, as opposed to Steelcase’s new 3rd fl oor showroom; Laura Guido-Clark Design and Tolleson Design also helped with the design.

Coalesse stresses its focus on premi-um. It will feature products of the highest quality from world renowned designers, crafted to be comfortable and functional for work and living spaces.

“Our partnerships with Viccarbe of Spain, Walter Knoll AG & Co. of Germa-ny, and Carl Hansen & Søn of Denmark,” said Mr. Merlotti, “refocus attention on the craft, materiality and designs needed to create the inspired workplaces for today. “Idea-people,” he continued, “seldom recognize boundaries between personal and professional lifestyles. They seek style, authenticity and craft, whether at home or at the offi ce. More than a new brand, it is a new way of enlightening workplaces to inspire and reward ideas, with selections that fi t as naturally in the offi ce as the living room.”

Coalesse says that its sales process will feature rich interactive tools and a streamlined order fulfi llment process, bringing a more retail sensibility and ease-of-use to the contract furniture specifying and fulfi llment process.

Coalesse is committed to environmen-tally-responsible design practices and materials. Several products have earned SCS (Scientifi c Certifi cation Systems) certifi cation for indoor air quality protec-tion, while others are undergoing Cradle to Cradle (cm) Certifi cation analysis from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC (MBDC) for environmentally-intelligent design. Coalesse has also taken a stand on the materials it will apply to its products. It requires all wood veneers sourced from outside of North America and approved European partners to be FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certifi ed to ensure fair, safe and responsible methods are used to harvest and process the wood. In addition, the Coalesse NeoCon showroom has been designed to achieve LEED Cer-tifi cation for Commercial Interiors (certifi ca-tion pending).

The Coalesse collection will offi cially launch at the NeoCon World’s Trade Fair 2008 in Chicago from June 9-11, 2008. For more information, go to www.coalesse.com.

Coalesse, a new premium live/work fur-nishings brand, will introduce twenty new products to the North American market at NeoCon® World’s Trade Fair, June 9-11 2008.

Andoo Table & Chair CH100 Series Sofa


. . .Coalesse, Cont’d from page 18

Andoo Table & ChairsThe Andoo family of tables and chairs

is all about elegant proportions, materi-als and details. Designed by EOOS in Austria, Andoo is pure minimalism where fi ne details, such as joinery and materi-als, come together with engineered com-fort. The Andoo line is available in oak or walnut, with solid wood legs. The natural beauty of wood is highlighted through the use of a low sheen fi nish. The design challenges old-fashioned perceptions of what a “work” table should look like for the offi ce, while also crossing over into the home as a refi ned and comfortable dining option.

Holy Day Lounge & TablesDesigned by Jean-Marie Massaud,

the Holy Day lounge and tables offer a new take on classic design in two distinc-tive pieces. Massaud’s industrial edge offers clean lines that can complement any décor. A thin steel frame and saddle stitching enhance the elegant lines and showcase the designer’s attention to de-tail and use of quality materials. Frames are fi nished in trivalent chrome, which is an environmentally safer alternative to the traditional hexavalent chrome plating process. Tabletop fi nishings are offered in leather, veneer, and the new powder-coated colored glass palette by Laura Guido-Clark.

Ribbon TablesThe charming geometry of curved fl at

steel in interplay with the delicate table tops lends these occasional tables their own special style. Designed by Pear-sonLloyd of London, Ribbon tables are suitable for both commercial and residen-tial use. Tabletops are offered in saddle leather and glass, providing unconven-tional depth and character and a twist on the traditional side table. Ribbon comes in two heights and four diameters.

Together BenchIn pursuit of new solutions for sitting

together at a table, Austrian design team EOOS rediscovered the corner seat and gave it a personalized touch. To-gether takes its cue from everyday life, where tables are a meeting point and applies this concept to benches. To-gether is available as a banquet corner or in straight confi gurations, including a backless bench. Together can be uphol-stered to order.

Coalesse Couch, Table and Chair

Bob Chair Wegner’s Chinese Chair

Davos Chair and BenchesThe Davos collection is an expres-

sion of forms and volumes that effort-lessly integrate into the surrounding environment. Designed by Jeffery Bernett for Viccarbe, the shapes take a fresh approach to “coming and going”. Inspired by the falling block video game, Davos is composed of blocks that can be arranged in endless compositions. The chair features detailed stitching and a fully upholstered underside that is equally as beautiful as the top.

Carl Hansen & Søn CollectionEach of the products in this collection

is hand-crafted and custom-built by Carl Hansen & Søn in Denmark. Built to the exacting standards of the Hans J. Wegner Foundation, these modern classics add human warmth to any space. Coalesse is proud to partner with Carl Hansen & Søn to offer this collection to the North American market. Shown is the Wish-bone chair. Also of note is the CH100 Se-ries, comprised of a sofa, chair, and table designed in the 1970s by Hans Wegner and re-introduced to commemorate Carl Hansen & Søn’s 100th Anniversary.


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Get the DIRTT

The newly refreshed DIRTT show-room (across the street from the

Mart with Kimball at 325 N. Wells) is an ode to environmental sustain-ability’s tenets – Reduce and Re-use. It is proof conscientiousness doesn’t mean less design or function.

They’ve taken the parametric capabil-ities of their movable wall system even further than last year with a stunning ar-ray of angles in a new variation on the theme of their modular glass wall.

“We are able to stay completely in-side the rules of our Walls and yet pro-vide designers the freedom to create a palette of angles up to 15 degrees off perpendicular,” said Industrial Designer and DIRTT product leader, Geoff Gos-ling. “This includes verticals being ‘off-vertical’ while remaining within the typi-cal behaviors of our solutions. Our intent is to continually redefi ne the potential of what a wall can be.” DIRTT Angled Wall


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Cont’d on page 24, Geiger. . . .

Geiger: Lounging Around When Not Caucasing

by Brad Powell

Geiger is going to have a big NeoCon 08, the fi rst un-der the overall direction of Steve Gane, president. Ap-

parently Mr. Gane remembers the success of his tenure at HBF when that company, now a competitor, seemed to grow products at increasing volume each NeoCon.

Michael Matascik was good enough to send me a bunch of photos, but the company seems to have lost its writer (or maybe it is looking for a new PR fi rm – I could help with that.) In any event, we’ll have to let the photos do the talking until after NeoCon, when you can read all about it.

We do know that Robert Allen designed the Caucus prod-ucts, which this year are augmenting the conference table in-troduced last year with a lectern, media wall and a credenza, all refl ecting the meticulous attention to detail for which Mr. Allen is famous. (As many know, he’s the guy who never does anything half way, even when you wish he would.)

The Caucus wood products are joined by several lounge seating/occasional table collections:

Comes AroundGoes AroundInman ParkOuvert

Add to that the First Sight tables, bench and chair, the Lis-some table and Geiger’s Tuesday morning breakfast, and you have an outstanding NeoCon moment.

Geiger: Caucus Media Wall

Geiger: Caucus Credenza

Geiger: Caucus Lectern

Geiger: First Sight Bench

Geiger: Goes Around Sofa


. . .Geiger, Cont’d from page 23

Geiger: First Sight Round Side Table Geiger: Inmane Park Chair Geiger: Comes Around Chair

Geiger: Overt ChairGeiger: Lissome Table

caucus™ lectern by robert allen Preview the entire Caucus Conferencing Suite at NeoCon 2008

WWW.GEIGERINTL.COM 800.444.8812© 2008 Geiger International, Inc. All rights reserved.

conferencing for the new architecture


Discover new Acuity.Clearly sharp. Clearly comfortable.

Our process began by observing. What do people want from their chairs? Bruce Fifield from Milan-based Continuum scrutinized

every detail until there was acuity in his mind’s eye: Design and ergonomics that work seamlessly, controls that work intuitively,

posture maintained invisibly through new AcuFitTM comfort technology. Mesh that breathes, a yoke that flexes,

aluminum that recycles, cushioning that soothes, stitching that whispers, a leather jacket that speaks with confidence.

The result: Allsteel has created a chair that enhances any environment, any body and your own acuity.

Never before has final execution so perfectly reflected fine design.

DiscoverNewAcuity.com

TM

DiscoverNewAcuity.com


NeoCon 08 for HBF & HBF Textiles

What are HBF and HBF Textiles do-ing for NeoCon 08? The world wants

to know. HBF is one of several smaller companies that play such and important part in the interiors industry that no Neo-Con would be complete without them. Indeed, it is not a stretch to say they car-ried the show last year, and very ably so.

HBF had a very big year with last year’s launches, and it could be making a habit of that. Since NeoCon 07, HBF has been acquired by HNI, which ranks with Haworth and Herman Miller in the second rung of the contract furniture in-dustry ($2.1 billion in furniture sales for fi scal 2007; $2.6 total sales). Given that HNI has a parent company model for its organization, we expect that HBF will have much more fi nancial and opera-tional support to achieve its vision, while adding an image gloss to the HNI orga-nization.

This year, HBF launches:

C-Collection of lounge furniture by San Francisco-based Yves Behar

Linea, a new offi ce casegoods collec-tion by Barcelona-based Mario Ruiz

Karina, lounge chairs and guest chairs, complemented by occasional tables, by Copenhagen-based Glyn Peter Machin

HBF Textiles will feature Harmony in Contrast, by Amsterdam-based design-er, Christiane Müller

Yves Behar of fuseproject is now a fa-miliar name in contract design. His C-Col-lection embraces lounge, reception and private sitting area furnishings, all with a focus on clean, curved lines and practical features, including comfort, pull up work surfaces and complementary lighting. Perhaps this is just what is needed for the new working library and listening room.

“My vision for the C Collection,” said Mr. Behar, “was to create simple, unclut-tered lines that appear geometrically iconic from any angle; all the while add-ing a new, seemingly effortless, dimen-sion to modern work spaces, ”The C in the collection’s name denotes both the collaborative nature of new work styles, and the curve or single arc that is key to the design of each piece in the line.

Kevin Stark, HBF’s Director of De-sign, believes the functional aspect of the collection refl ects new ways in which people interact in today’s workplace, cit-ing changes in technology use and col-laborative work cultures. “Private offi ces and conference rooms will always be critical elements of any offi ce environ-ment,” says Stark. “Now more informal work areas are being added to the mix – and for these, the craft, modernist vi-sion and sheer adaptability of the C Col-lection work brilliantly.”

The entire C Collection is crafted throughout in sustainable materials.

The Linea casegoods collection has the kind of straightforward geometry that we expect of HBF, and this is combined with what the company describes by “an unusual range of textures and color-ations.”

Mr. Ruiz is best known in Europe where his designs for home and offi ce have won numerous awards. Mr. Stark notes several features that give Linea its special appeal:

The variety of material thicknesses with subtle offsets that give each piece proportions of unusually subtlety

The wide range of detailing options -- glass or extruded aluminum shelving, anodized drawer pulls and grommets, leather and acrylic work surface inserts, and the use of dark fi nished bases that are intentionally set back to make each unit feel as if it is fl oating

In addition to seven veneer options and standard fi nishes, Linea is also of-fered in painted fi nishes for a more casu-al, but still elegant, offi ce confi guration.

In creating Linea, said Mr. Ruiz, “We strived to design a furniture program that would easily adapt to diverse scenarios, something that we achieved by using a unique combination of materials and proportions. This results in designs that give a new look to each confi guration in

Cont’d on page 27, HBF. . . .HBF: C Collection


which they are used. While looking light and airy, each unit offers optimum stor-age capability and expansive work sur-faces.”

Karina offers something entirely dif-ferent: lounge and guest chairs, and occasional tables whose detain and ap-parent craftsmanship remind us of the mid 20th century Hans Wegner designs. Unfortunately, there is not yet included a lower-priced answer to the wonderful but expensive Papa Bear chair.

“Designing Karina was a bold personal challenge,” said Englsh-born Glyn Peter Machin. “First, we found ways to trans-late the techniques used to hand pro-duce individual pieces into the require-ments of large scale production. Even so, each and every component is carefully shaped. Each merges seamlessly with the others; not one straight regular-cut component exists within the whole se-ries. The idea was to ensure all elements fl ow effortlessly from leg to arm to back rest, making each chair appear to be a single molded entity – strong, yet almost weightless. Exposed tenons, clean lines, light weight construction, highly detailed curvaceous forms and fl oating, fi nely tailored leather upholstery are methods from the Danish modern era.”

Mr. Stark believes that Mr. Glyn “has done a masterful job of updating the es-sence of Scandinavian Modern furniture design. When we fi rst saw the Karina drawings, we thought this series would be an excellent vehicle for expanding HBF’s aesthetic and to demonstrate once again our capabilities in upholstery and woodworking. And, a big plus, Kari-na represents great value.”

. . .HBF, Cont’d from page 26

Cont’d on page 28, DIRTT. . . .

HBF: Linea Walnut

HBF: Linea Gray

HBF: Katrina Chairs and Table


. . .DIRTT, Cont’d from page 27

HBF Textiles’ new collection, Har-mony in Contrast, refl ects designer Christiane Müller’s interest in incorpo-rating various textures into a single pat-terns that woek together harmoniously as a group, which, as we understand it, is what collections are suppose to do.

Diverse images from nature primar-ily inspired Christiane Ms. Müller took images from nature as a starting point for Harmony, such as a large sea shell with its rough outer surface juxtaposed against the shell’s lustrous pearlized in-terior. It is this juxtaposition of contrasting qualities and textures: shine/matte, fl ow-ing/solid, fl at/ribbed, that characterize the collection, which includes: Fusion, Moss, Cocoon, Fossil, Landscape, Glint and Mineral.

The sheers, on the other hand, have more fl uid, water-inspired qualities offset by the addition of somewhat rigid fea-tures to the weave of each design: Dune, Flow and Ripple.

Cocoon uses environmental fi bers were employed with a bamboo warp and Fusion has 60% post consumer polyes-ter. Natural fi bers were also used in a number of designs.

Harmony in Contrast fabrics is durable in light of the elegance of the materials, with numbers recording from 35,000-99,000 double rubs on the Wyzenbeek abrasion test. Prices range from the mid $30’s to the upper $80’s.

“Having worked with Christiane in her studio,” said Mary Jo Miller, HBF Tex-tiles’ Director of Design, “it’s impressive to see the body of work that her fi rm is involved with and the integrity of each element within their projects, Working with Christiane was an amazing learning experience as I watched her manipulate the subtlest shades of yarn to create shadows of texture.”

DIRTT Angled Wall

DIRTT Angled Wall


Available in a variety of colors, but always green on the inside.

* Versus Initiate Panel Systems with fiberglass substrates. © 2007 The HON Company.

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Be sure to visit the HON showroom at NeoCon, Suite 1130


Inscape Expands Offerings at NeoCon 08

by Brad Powell

I like Inscape, It’s a plucky company with some very good ideas and a

smart management team. I just vis-ited with Peter Brunelle, President and CEO, and Sharad Mathur, Director of Marketing and Product Management. Mr. Brunelle, the former Herman Miller fellow, has been in position for three years and is now pretty happy with his back offi ce and manufacturing set up, and now will be focusing on the front part: products, sales and distribution. Mr. Mathur, obviously, has a major part in that, and I was fortunate to spend some time with him alone while Mr. Brunelle was wrapping up other business.

Mr. Mathur has and architecture de-gree from a university in India, and has practiced for an extended time. We had a long talk about the effectively using the natural environment as architectural ele-ments, which seems quite natural as well

as necessary, in Indian development. We will bring more of that to you later, and I have encouraged him to present some of his ideas and experience to us in North America.

Mr. Mathur and Mr. Brunelle gave me a glimpse of what Inscape is doing for NeoCon 08. Studios Architecture has helped the company set up its show-room, as it did to good effect last year. This is the year in which Inscape will signifi cantly expand its product portfolio. As our readers know, the company has a very solid base in its Offi ce Specialty storage systems, perhaps the most ca-pable in the industry. Several years ago, while most small manufacturers decided to avoid the perils of systems furniture, Inscape launched its Platform System, and has heavily relied upon it subse-quently. As its name implies, Platform is intended to serve as a basis for many

needs, and it does, with a number bene-fi cial additions over the years. About fi ve years ago, Inscape added some interior architectural elements, an indication that through all of the diffi cult times, it did not intend to shy away from its pursuit of full capabilities in the contract furniture arena.

Two years ago, Inscape leverage its storage capabilities by launching Stor-wall, designed with Studios Architecture, which took a Best of NeoCon Gold. Unlike panel-based systems, Storwall is built around walls of storage, with no overhead bins and nothing cluttering up the work area.

This year – and this is not to suggest that Inscape does not make other ad-ditions to its existing lines; it does – In-scape has several notable additions that will enlarge its overall product offering:

Scala, a thin (2.5”) and fl exible panel-based system at the mid-price point

Planna, a storage-based desking and credenza system

Fronté is movable fl oor to ceiling storefront system

Grid, an extensive set of fi le fronts with a high-end aesthetic

Scala’s inspiration came when Mr. Brunelle suggested turning a prototype wall panel on its side. The 96” panel now forms the basis for the scalable Scala, which serves to satisfy those who be-lieve that, while thin is not always bet-ter, it often makes up the difference in fl exibility and attractiveness. Scala is a panel system that integrates with a stor-age spine. Its planning fl exibility enables designers to create work environments ranging from open to closed spaces, panel to storage based and contract to residential aesthetic.

Tiles can be 96” wide and the systems has mid-panel support for long continuos worksurfaces. Fully recyclable steel and MDF are being utilized where possible and product will be manufactured under one roof. GREENGUARD certifi cation and other certifi cation will be applied for when Scala is formally launched later this year.

Planna storage-based desking and credenza system provides a high-end aesthetic and durable alternative for the mid-market category. The system has

Where FunctionMeets Style. . .

www.agati.com | 312.829.1977

The Baja Chair Collection

Cont’d on page 31, Inscape. . . .


its design roots in the various planes of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which are combined with off-modular fl oating tops for a more residential feel

“Planna is a product inspired by great architecture,” said Mr. Mathur. “Its inter-secting long, low lines evoke the sleek, ground-hugging horizontal planes of Tadao Ando’s work.”

Built with Offi ce Specialty’s legacy storage, Planna has 1.5” interior incre-mental adjustability providing great fl ex-ibility for reconfi guration. Inscape says that Planna is easy to specify, and can be used as a private offi ce casegood or as a benching application. It is designed to integrate with panel systems.

Planna is built with high recycled steel content which is 100% recyclable and MDF or wood worksurfaces under one roof.

Fronté is a movable fl oor to ceiling storefront system at 2¼ inches thick and

available up to 72 inches wide. I has a glazed façade and sliding door units. The system’s attributes include ease of installation and reconfi guration, and de-sign versatility and fl exibility. Like other movable wall systems, Fronté qualifi es for LEED points and accelerated cost depreciation.

Inscape says that the system’s unit-ized assembly makes Fronté easier to relocate than most movable walls. Func-tionally, it integrates with traditional con-struction or with Inscape’s Reform and Inform movable wall systems. There are a variety of paint fi nishes and glass options and various door types includ-ing framed or frameless glass sliders, hinged and pivots. Fronté utilizes alu-minum extrusions and fabricated steel components to create a long lasting yet easily recyclable product.

Grid is for those who have the com-mon sense to put storage where it is very accessible, but don’t want something that shouts that it should be tucked away

in a storage room. Already, with Offi ce Specialty, Inscape has league-leading storage in a vast array of colors. Grid is another way to make your storage look as good as it functions. Inscape offers a range of pulls and rectilinear shapes and Veneer, Nuform, Glazed and MDF fi nishes. Designers can use Grid and Of-fi ce Specialty’s cases in 1.5 inch incre-ments to ensure that storage can be put where needed, without concern that it will mar the design aesthetic.

“When designing workspaces, stor-age is often an afterthought,” said Mr. Brunelle. “With Grid, designers have the ability to change the look of a space sim-ply by selecting an aesthetically appeal-ing front for their storage elements.”

Like Inscape’s other products, Grid is manufactured in one facility and incorpo-rates FSC certifi ed veneers, low formal-dehyde MDF and recycled steel and is a responsible alternative for designers and clients.

. . .Inscape, Cont’d from page 30


Marshmallows and chocolate…you and me…izzy and Jami….

Better together.

izzy proudly and warmly welcomes the people and brands of Jami to the campfire, where sharing and collaboration builda bright future.


Luxo Introduces Ninety

Well known in the industry for more than 70 years, Luxo U.S. has

been under the direction of Sam Gu-mins for the past three years. Of late, the company has been more success-ful in distributing its lab magnifying products, but Mr. Gumins has convince the parent company in Norway that the North American task lighting mar-ket deserves some designs of its own.

Of course we all know the famous L-1; 25 million have been sold since its introduction in 1937. But, time and lighting needs evolve, and Luxo is in-troducing at NeoCon 08 the Ninety task light, featuring ergonomics and energy efficiency. In fact, Luxo con-tends that this LED light is the world’s most energy-effi cient task light.

Imagine never having to change a light bulb, at least not for 25 years. How much would that save for a 1000 person of-fi ce? Luxo says that Ninety’s LEDs have a 45,000 hour life span – that means with normal offi ce use, the light source will last for 25 years - and the entire light has a complete fi ve-year warranty.

Ninety’s longevity, says the company, is due to its new type of highly effi cient light diode system, which produces opti-mal light with extremely low energy con-sumption – its four high-power LEDs use just 1.4W each, but still provide 100 foot-candles at a height of 16 inches above the worksurface. This, said Luxo, results in better light quality, reduced glare, low-er energy costs and a signifi cantly dimin-ished environmental impact.

Ninety’s asymmetric light distribution ensures ideal ergonomic lighting for key tasks such as computer and general of-fi ce work and can also illuminate large work areas. The level of light is easily controlled by simply pressing Ninety’s light switch. To adjust Ninety and shed light exactly where it is wanted, a spring-balanced hinge in the base allows the arm to move back and forth, and its shade is also easy to turn, thanks to its specially developed base featuring two separate bearings for ease of adjust-ment.

“Reducing our environmental footprint is a key objective of Luxo’s design and development process,” said Mr. Gumins. “That’s why we’ve created a light with the lowest possible energy consumption, while still combining great design, supe-rior light output and distinct ergonomic benefi ts.”

www.luxous.com.

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See u s a t Neo con 08Tandus showroom 3-391


Nurturing At NeoCon

by Brad Powell

NeoCon 08 is just around the corner and its everyone out for themselves.

But, still, you’ll fi nd some nurturing, especially at Nurture by Steelcase, where Steelcase’s new total experi-ence approach is in full swing. Only two years old, Nurture has had a great im-pact already, with its contributions to the largest company in the industry be-ing specifi cally mention in the fi nancial reports. That surely must add a small cushion of comfort to management as it reads the fi nancial news these days.

While Nurture is relatively new, it was born with the proverbial silver spoon in its mouth (on third base, as it were). Steelcase’s extensive resources were made available before day one, when seasoned and respected professional, Mike Love, former president of the now abandoned Steelcase Design Partner-ship, was given the organizational task. His former position put him in good stead since much of Nurtures initial product portfolio was very familiar to him, com-

prising, as it did, products from Brayton, Designtex, Details!, Metro, Polyvision, Softcare, Turnstone, and Vecta.

Nurture brings a holistic viewpoint to healthcare environments and works with doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to gain valuable insight into environments that promote heal-ing. “Nurture by Steelcase has a bold vi-sion to shape and improve the future of healthcare delivery,” said Mr. Love. “We concentrate on space and environments and how products within those environ-ments can help make them more com-fortable, more effi cient and more condu-cive to the healing process.”

At the same time, the products that Nurture has developed on its own are a testament in themselves. In two Neo-Cons, Nurture has won two Gold Medals in the Healthcare Furniture Category:

2006 - Opus™ Casegoods2007 - Opus™ Overbed Table

“Our Opus line is a testament to the philosophy Nurture is built upon,” said Mr. Love. “We develop research-driven, evidence-based solutions that become integral parts of the healing process.”

Nurture has four products entered into the 2008 Best of NeoCon competition:

SYNC – a centralized and decentral-ized caregiver stations

Sonata – an oncology solutionMineral – a reclinerNature Collection – textiles

SYNC was developed in partnership with HDR Architecture to addresses the emerging needs of caregivers by supporting people-to-technology and people-to-people work processes. Suit-able for centralized and decentralized, work areas, and for new construction or a retro-fi t environment, SYNC is a fl ex-ible and customizable ergonomic solu-tion that will accommodate new technol-ogy. “The centralized solution,” said the company, “addresses the needs of sev-eral caregivers all working together in the new technology-rich healthcare en-vironment, through the use of uniquely designed multi-user work surfaces and the fl exible accommodation of technol-ogy.”

Nurture: Sonata

Cont’d on page 36, Nurture. . . .


Mineral is a mobile patient recliner design to be comfortable, functional and durable. It has an all-metal-tube inner frame structure, and drop down arms, available on either side of the recliner. The footrest is scalloped to help prevent feet from slipping off the ends when in a reclined position and also assist exiting the chair when in a down position. Min-eral is constructed of materials that will withstand the rigors of cleaning agents found in healthcare environments and designed with infection control in mind. The company says that Mineral is well suited for diverse settings easily inte-grates into and supports healing, holistic healthcare environments.

Sonata casegoods were developed specifi cally for cancer infusion treatment. We were fortunate to be visiting Nurture during some of its design charettes as ideas were being developed. The need in these settings, usually with many pa-tients, their families and considerable technology – and toxic materials – is to provide a personal environment suitable for fairly lengthy sittings with integrated technology and disposal solutions; spe-cifi c identifi ed requirements include per-sonal space, easy access to belongings and proximity to family and care provid-ers. To address these requirements, So-nata provides privacy without isolation and personal comfort through the use of materials and function. The applica-tion solutions modular and independent of walls; they include: personal storage, entertainment, privacy, guest seating, basic waiting activities and care provider work support.

Garden Series comprises fi ve sus-tainable upholstery patterns and one cu-bicle pattern, alldeveloped by Designtex. Each of the nature-infl uenced designs is applicable across a wide variety of healthcare settings, including: patient rooms, waiting rooms, lounges, cafete-rias and more. The Garden Series has high performance attributes, including excellent abrasion and the use of Cryp-ton® Green or Solution Dyed Nylon with NANO-TEX™ Resists Spills. There are over 60 colors included in the collection to meet a broad range of preferences and applications.

There is much more to tell about in this interesting story of Nurture by Steel-case, and we will do it at a later time.

Nurture: Mineral

Nurture: SYNC

Nurture: Garden Series

. . .Nurture, Cont’d from page 35


Qdesign Brings 9 New Products to Market at NeoCon 2008

I preferred the name Quicksilver, but no one asked me when they changed the name to Qdesign, perhaps in keep-

ing with the need for brevity that has developed along with text messaging with the younger generations. Of course, it’s good to keep up with the times when, as founders Mark Stenftenagel and Sal Graziano aimed to do when they es-tablished the company in 1994, the object was to build a fi rm driven by a truly innovative approach to product design.

Qdesign, Oakbrook, IL and a division of Whitney, Inc., has developed products for some of the leading furniture manu-facturers. Still, it has been able to hold true to its core design-driven principles and the belief that design can solve problems and provide solutions for companies.

“Qdesign works very hard,” said Mr. Stenftenagel, “to bring its clients visions to reality. And they do so in a way that is sensible, productive and sustainable.” Qdesign is a well-integrated team seasoned professionals dedicated to their many crafts. They’re always looking for a better way to build, a better design solution to apply to a clients challenge or creating a unique aesthetic approach that makes a statement. “For the Q-Team,” said the fi rm, “it’s all about taking it to the next level. Not just for today, but for tomorrow. Creating products and relationships that will endure for years to come.”

Acknowledging that taking products to the next level re-quires the proper foundation and support in the marketplace, Qdesign also provides services for all aspects of the offi ce furniture industry such as:

product rationalization developmentengineering sourcingmanufacturing distribution strategies branding marketing.

Support for these services is provided by the strategic part-ners network created by Qdesign that enables them to utilize highly specialized professionals from various related indus-tries, from model makers to engineering fi rms to the branding and marketing services provided by Michael Pantuso Design. The result is a service and business approach to offi ce furni-ture design that is as unique and innovative as the products they design.

This year at NeoCon 08, Qdesign will introduce 9 new prod-ucts for 8 manufacturers:

Cont’d on page 38, Qdesign. . . .

Jofco Desking Hung on DIRTT Wall Berco: Mondi Training Table


A unique and innovative training table for Berco IncA full family of contemporary lounge seating for Campbell

ContractA companion to last years award-winning Berlin Lounge

Seating for David EdwardWorkplace solutions for HONA modular European infl uenced case-goods grouping for

Jofco that is designed to integrate with the DIRTT demount-able wall system.

A redesign of an existing Lesro product lineA distinctive design for a complete conference grouping for

Paoli that incorporates metal and wood elements as well as a wood and upholstered lounge seating group unique in it’s ar-chitectural use of these materials

A light weight table with a thin surface profi le for VersteelAfter the event, Qdesign will be working to complete a full

conference line with accessories for CCN as well as another series of accessories for yet another manufacturer. “But it doesn’t end there and it doesn’t end with the product.

. . .Qdesign, Cont’d from page 37

Campbell Contract: Incline

Rick Joutras, Mark Stenftenagel, Sal Graziano, Burke Quinn, Ogge

Versteel: Stealth TablePaoli: Quion Seating

Paoli: Overture Conference Group


Cont’d on next page . . .

Material of the Week

6146-01

A process for the creation of blow molded shapes that are bi-color. This co-extrusion of high density polyethylene (HDPE) is a proprietary technology that can produce a range of bot-tle sizes, neck fi nishes and shapes, including rounds, ovals and fl at-sided shapes. The company offers a full range of col-or choices, and the two colors can be introduced as stripes of equal or varying width. In an oval bottle, for example, the stripes can be limited only to the broader sides, while in a round bottle two stripes can create a half-and-half confi gura-tion. Currently only available for polyethylene, the process is used for cosmetic packaging.

............................................................................................................

This column is published in collaboration with Materi-al ConneXion. For more information regarding the ma-terial previewed, please contact Michael LaGreca at [email protected]. T: 212.842.2050.

Product Intro

Bentley Prince Street, City of Industry, CA, launched Con-tact Release, a new backing system that uses Free Lay tech-nology to install carpet without adhesives or tack strip and eliminating VOC’s emitted during traditional installation. A thin acrylic polymer is applied to the attached polyurethane carpet backing, which bonds the carpet to virtually any clean, smooth and dry surface without using special installation or removal equipment. The longer the carpet stays in place, the stronger the bond becomes. While the carpet will not move laterally, it easily can be lifted off the fl oor. The new technology saves time and allows for precision cutting. Because the bond never becomes permanent, carpet can be removed at the end of its life cycle and replaced with new carpet having the Contact Re-lease system. Contract Release can be installed on any prop-erly-prepared surface and works well in almost any environ-ment. www.bentleyprincestreet.com

Noteworthy

Allsteel fashioned a winner for its recent participation in Product Runway benefi ting the Interior Design Coalition of Washington. The Seattle A&D program partnered manufac-turers with architectural fi rms to create couture ensembles in a take-off of Bravo TV’s Project Runway. Allsteel was paired in early January with one of two Callison teams, Seattle, WA, to provide furnishings materials. Together, they received one of



. . . Cont’d from preceding page

the three top spots. Among the Allsteel materials incorporated into the design were perforated steel used in panel tiles, link mesh from the Relate chair, leath-er laces from Edelman, one of its uphol-stery resources, and pearl buttons from McKee Button Company near Musca-tine, IA.

In further news, Allsteel conducted a sur-vey through Harris Interactive on the comfort and style of offi ce chairs. Feed-back from chair users indicate that:

–17% found their chair very comfortable–32% actually found their chair uncom-fortable-57% would like to replace their chair.

The complaints covered ergonomic is-sues, even with those who currently sit in chairs with ergonomic features. A number of today’s advanced chairs have so many knobs and levers that users are intimidated by their apparent complexi-ty. Concluding that comfort makes for more productive workers, Allsteel rec-ommends an offi ce chair that provides healthy movement and proper support as a priority (like, for example, its new Acuity chair). www.allsteeloffi ce.com

Allsteel’s Acuity chair got a plug in the Home Section of the New York Times last week. It’s nice to see this in-dustry’s products in newspapers of gen-eral circulation. Acuity, says Times cor-respondent Stephen Milioti, “is a new competitor to the Aeron desk chair.

(That’s pinning it down.) In a seven sen-tence interview with Bruce Fifi eld, Mr. Fifi eld, in answer to what makes Acu-ity different, says, “Intuitive controls and functions. You don’t have to work hard to get it comfortable.”

Benjamin Moore will open show-rooms in New York and Chicago. Both will incorporate innovative displays and state-of-the-art lighting that enable ex-pert color viewing in a range that in-cludes daylight, natural light, incandes-cent and halogen lighting. Additionally, the showroom spaces include work ar-eas for designers and are confi gured for special events, seminar sessions, receptions and other social gatherings. The Chicago Showroom at the Mer-chandise Mart, space 1686, will open in early June. The New York Showroom, at the New York Design Center, 714, will be ready July 1. Both Benjamin Moore De-signer Showrooms are open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Decorati.com, launched in 2007, is an online resource for high-end furnish-ings and products for the interior design industry. Found at www.decorati.com, the site consolidates a diverse range of nearly 400 top trade-only manufacturers and showrooms into one effi cient shop-ping site. Decorati’s collections include icons of the design industry such as Da-kota Jackson, Holland & Sherry, Pol-lack, McGuire, Stickley, Erika Brunson, and Todd Hase. Decorati also features exclusive products, antiques, sample sales, and interior designers own private collections.

Elkus Manfredi Architects an-nounced the following promotions:

- PrincipalJohn Martin AIA LEED AP - Vice President Mark Allen AIA LEED AP, Alison Gil-lies AIA, Cammie Henderson AIA, Mark Sardegna AIA, Andrew West AIA, Jefferson D. Willets AIA - Senior Associate Susanne Ackermann, Joseph Carroll AIA, Rob Halter AIA, LEED AP, Kevin Lennon, Oscar Mertz III AIA, LEED AP Christine Milne RIBA, Brian Roessler,Jeffrey Sakowitz AIA, LEED AP- Chief Information Offi cer Glenn Kurth AIA www.elkus-manfredi.com

The featherie golf ball was invented in the early 17th century. A featherie is

a hand sewn leather pouch stuffed with goose feathers and coated with paint. The feathers in the ball were enough to fi ll a top hat. They were boiled and put in the cowhide bag. As it cooled, the feath-ers would expand and the hide would shrink, making a compact ball. Due to its superior fl ight characteristics, the feath-erie remained the standard ball for more than two centuries. However, an experi-enced ball maker could only make about two in one day, so they were expensive. A single ball would cost between 2 and 5 sterling, which is the equivalent of $150 and $400 today.

Herman Miller again was selected by IndustryWeek magazine for its annual listing of the 50 Best U.S. Manufactur-ing Companies. Herman Miller is the only contract furniture manufacturer to appear on the list, which is available in the publication’s June 2008 issue. The magazine factor’s in revenue growth and profi t margin over the past three years. They also evaluate a three year perfor-mance in four other fi nancial ratios. With results from 2007 weighing most heav-ily in the selection process, Herman Mill-er’s consolidated net sales grew 10.5% over the prior year to reach $1.92 billion, while orders were up 11.4%. http://www.HermanMiller.com

HOK Planning Group launched an Urban Design and Landscape Archi-tecture studio in Denver. A three-person team of professionals will serve clients in Denver and throughout the Moun-tain West region, with plans to build a 20-person practice within two years. Joining The HOK Planning Group are: - David Amalong, Vice President and Director. Mr. Amalong most recent-ly served in project leadership roles at Design Workshop and EDAW. His proj-ect experience ranges from large-scale land use and master planning to de-tailed construction and implementation. - Robb Berg, Senior AssociateMr. Berg’s experience includes long-range master planning, site design, con-struction administration, and facilitat-ing public and city approval processes. Prior to joining HOK, he worked at De-sign Workshop, EDAW and Davis Part-nership as a design leader and project manager for local and regional projects.

Allsteel Product Runway




- Jesse Michael, Land-scape Architectural Technician. Mr. Michael previously held positions at Design Workshop in Denver and Sa-saki Associates in San Francisco. His portfolio includes several parks, mixed-use communities and light rail projects.HOK’s new Urban Design and Land-scape Architecture studio is located in downtown Denver at 1125 17th Street, Suite 1250. www.hok.com

Hudson's Bay Company (Hbc) will partner with Global Group and Harkel Offi ce Furniture to furnish its newly re-designed head offi ce in Brampton, ON, with eco-friendly products. Global Group will manufacture furnishings for approx-imately 1200 new work units in Hbc’s Brampton offi ce, and Harkel Offi ce Fur-niture will distribute and service the of-fi ce furnishings. Harkel expects to have all furnishings installed by winter 2009. The primary products to be provided are manufactured out of recycled aluminum. http://www.hbc.com

KI received Bronze Vendor status from MedAssets Supply Chain Sys-tems. The award recognizes outstand-ing vendors and is based on improving customer savings and customer satis-faction, fi ling reports and submitting fee schedules in a timely manner, continu-ous growth in purchase volume, and supporting MedAssets’ philanthropic ef-forts.

Material ConneXion opened its fi rst Innovation Lab inside the new-ly designed corporate headquarters of Haworth Inc. in Holland, Michigan. The custom-built lab, with an interactive exhi-bition of materials and products tailored to Haworth’’s specifi c design needs and business objectives, goes beyond the company’s consulting and materials li-brary services. The lab will offer a rotat-ing selection of material samples from Material ConneXion’s library of over 4,500 materials and a collection of prod-ucts that will highlight inventive combi-nations in design and materials. Focus-ing on the topics of Sustainability, Illumi-nation, Processes and Functional Sur-faces, the assembled materials repre-sent some of the recent developments in materials innovation and offer a vari-ety of opportunities for physical interac-tion and intellectual stimulation. http://www.materialconnexion.com

OM Workspace, a furniture division of Offi ceMax, won two marketing awards for its Impact magazine. It received a Bell Award in the External Magazine category from the Milwaukee Chapter of the International Business Marketing Association and also an Award of Ex-cellence in Newletters, Three or More Colors, from the Southeastern Wiscon-sin Chapter of the Public Relations Soci-ety of America’s (PRSA) Paragon Com-munications Awards competition. Im-pact was created to engage, educate, and inspire design-focused profession-als to create dynamic, safe and produc-tive work environments. For a limited time, OM Workspace is providing elec-tronic copies of the most recent Impact issue. To download a copy, visit www.OMWorkspace.com.

Re-Sited

Gretchen de Gouveia was named Regional Manager by Inscape Corpo-ration for the Orange County, San Di-ego and Inland empire market., where she will work to grow sales volume. Pri-or to joining Inscape, Ms. de Gouveia worked with Space Co., Kiika and Hu-manscale. www.inscapesolutions.com

William Nathans joined Swanke Hayden Connell Architects in NYC as an associate. He will serve as a senior project manager for the fi rm’s health-care practice. Mr. Nathans has over 20 years of experience in healthcare design and planning. Prior to joining SHCA, he served as a project manager of instal-lations with GE Healthcare, responsi-ble for planning and delivery of major medical diagnostic imaging equipment. Swanke Hayden Connell Architects

Stephanie Statz and Dan Duffy joined the Minneapolis offi ce of Perkins+Will as Healthcare Interior Designer and Healthcare Project Manager respec-tively. Ms. Statz is an award-winning in-terior designer with over 12 years experi-ence and most recently worked at Eller-be Becket. Mr. Duffy has been principal in his own practice for the past 14 years and is heavily involved with professional commitments on boards and commis-sions including the AIA MN Profession-al Development committee. http://www.perkinswill.com/locations/cities/minn.aspx

John Varholak joined the Washing-ton, D.C. offi ce of IA Interior Architects as Senior Project Manager and Team Leader. Prior to joining the fi rm, Mr. Var-holak worked at InterSpec Design in Vi-enna, VA where he was Director of Cor-porate Interiors. He also was principal in HOK’s D.C. offi ce for 11 years. Mr. Var-

William Nathans

Stephanie Statz

Dan Duffy




holak specializes in workplace strate-gies, project management and design, and regularly shares his expertise dur-ing presentations to brokers and devel-opers. www.interiorarchitects.com

Allsteel hired three people for its na-tional sales force.

- Nicole Freilich, a recent graduate of the University of Delaware, is stepping into the position of Market Manager for the Northeast region and will be based in New York City. For the past year she has been A&D development manag-er for Gibson Interior Products in New York.

www.allsteeloffi ce.com.

- Brent Harris was named Business Development Manager for the South-west, where he will be responsible for generating sales within the corporate and post-secondary markets. Most re-cently he was at Offi ce Pavilion.

- Ann Shieder joins the company as Government Account Manager for the Mid-Atlantic region. For the past 14 years, she was with OM/Workspace where she was responsible for and built up the relationship with GSA.

Gensler, Phoenix, AZ, a global ar-chitecture and design consulting fi rm, recently hired Tommy Kelly, Patrick Mangess, and Torsten Schmudde as project team leaders. Additional hires in-clude Christian Jesperson as design tech, Tanya Moody as project coordi-nator, Stephanie Gomez as administra-tive assistant, and Lydia Kanschat as receptionist. Bryan Maddock, Shirley Bucknor, and Jorge Amaya also were hired as summer interns from Arizona State University. www.gensler.com

Environment

Business for Social Responsibility issued a new report that includes case studies of efforts in this area by Herman Miller and Steelcase: http://www.bsr.org/reports/BSR_Sustainable_Design_Report_0508.pdf

CitiGroup announced the fi rst three of 30 new buildings planned to acheive LEED certifi cation have reached that milestone: New CitiFinancial branch-es in Austin, TX, and Flint, MI, plus the Citibank fi nancial center in Warrington, PA: http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/press/2008/080529b.htm

eBay opened its fi rst LEED Gold building on its North Campus in San Jose, CA. The campus has 3,248 so-lar panels covering 60,000 sq. ft. which supply 18% of the campus’s power. LEED features include an eco-friendly irrigation system and workstations using automatic dimming systems. A carbon offsetting program allows employees to measure their carbon footprints and to purchase offsets to balance their im-pact. eBay also offers shuttles between campuses and to San Francisco to re-duce the number of cars on the road.

Greener By Design: Strategies, Tools, and Markets for Product In-novation, a two-day event produced by GreenBiz.com and Global Executive, will take place June 12-13 in Alexandria, VA. For the conference program and more info: http://greenerbydesign08.com/index.php

INVISTA introduced more than 50 ANTRON Lumena solution dyed nylon colors with 25% pre-consumer recycled content. Additionally, the new recycled content fi bers meet all ANTRON brand performance criteria. Offering 25% pre-consumer recycled content in more than 50 colors gives carpet mills fl exibility to design beautiful carpets with recycled content. In further news from INVISTA, the company, received recertifi cation of ANTRON carpet fi ber as an Environ-mentally Preferable Product (EPP) by Scientifi c Certifi cation Systems (SCS). ANTRON carpet fi ber recertifi -cation was based on a comprehensive cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted by Boustead Consult-ing Ltd. www.INVISTA.com

Offi ce Depot, Delray Beach, CA, re-ceived volume pre-certifi cation under the LEED Program from the USGBC, for its store prototype design. Environ-mental attributes include solar tracking skylights, refl ective white roofs, non-as-phalt, concrete parking lots, light sen-sors, and a recycling program for collec-tion of corrugate cardboard, paper, plas-tics, ink/toner cartridges. The fi rst Offi ce Depot store to be built to this prototype is located in Austin, Texas and is sched-uled to open late next month. http://www.Offi ceDepot.com

Starwood Hotels & Resorts World-wide, Inc., owner of Sheraton, Westin, and other renowned hotel brands, will open the fi rst of its new ELEMENT ho-tels this summer in Lexington, MA, fol-lowed by a others in Las Vegas, NV;

Houston, TX; Baltimore, MD; and a long list of other locations. Said to be an in-dustry fi rst, the corporation has mandat-ed that all ELEMENT hotels be LEED-certifi ed and incorporate a wide range of green features. For more information: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/ele-ment/index.html

Steelcase added a new section to its website called Green Giants – a por-tal to links and case studies of individu-als and companies making a signifi cant impact on sustainability trends and en-vironmental issues. Featured “Giants” include Cameron Sinclair of Architec-ture for Humanity and Elizabeth Ogbu of Public Architecture. The site also in-cludes a rapidly expanding section for visitors to post their own case studies and read stories submitted by others: http://www.steelcase.com/na/ourcom-pany.aspx?f=35808

Victor Group Inc., St. Georges, Que-bec, announced that it will be the ex-clusive mill distributor of GreenShield fi nishing from G3 Technology Inno-vations, LLC (G3i), an ecological nan-otechnology-based stain and water re-pellent. Eco Intelligent Polyester fab-rics fi nished with GreenShield are cer-tifi ed Cradle to Cradle Silver by MBDC. GreenShield technology uses the prin-ciple of microroughness to reduce the use of harmful fl uorochemicals on fabrics. www.greenshieldfi nish.com www.victor-innovatex.com

The Wall Street Journal published an editorial on May 28 by Former Brit-ish Prime Minister Tony Blair urging the U.S. to pass legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/28/AR2008052802915.html

Projects

Swanke Hayden Connell Archi-tects, NYC, was selected by the state of West Virginia to design a rehabilita-tion plan for Holly Grove Mansion, a historic mansion located on the State Capitol grounds adjacent to the Gover-nor’s Mansion in Charleston, West Vir-ginia. Built in 1815, the 5,300 sq. ft. Clas-sic Revival historic residence underwent an extensive rehabilitation in 1979 when



it became the headquarters for the West Virginia Commission on Aging. The building retains a signifi cant amount of historic fabric but suffers from antiquat-ed mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, structural defi ciencies and un-sympathetic architectural modifi cations resulting in an incongruous appearance of the building interior. The building also suffers from deterioration and deferred maintenance to its exterior envelope and does not provide compliant access for the disabled. SHCA is now moving forward with potential designs for re-use and restoration. Swanke Hayden Connell Architects

Events

Architectural SSL magazine and its publisher, Construction Business Me-dia, are launching a new event that will realistically examine the state, and po-tential of, solid-state and LED lighting exclusively in context of the architectur-al market. ArchLED 08, the fi rst nation-al conference of its kind, is scheduled for November 12-14, 2008, at the Chi-

cago Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL. Attendees will learn about new lighting technology, how to use the technology, how peer professionals are successfully creating effective architectural projects and will witness the technology in ac-tion through exhibits. www.architectur-alssl.com

Design Miami/Basel, June 3-5, Markthalle, Viaduktstrasse 10, Basel, Switzerland, added three onsite exhibi-tions, taking as its theme, the presence of the past in contemporary design. The Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne’s (ECAL) Fireworks propels the ancient art of glassblowing into the future. De-signer of the Year Marc Newson’s IKE-POD highlights the relationship between retro sci-fi and contemporary design with an homage to the 1968 fi lm 2001: A Space Odyssey. What is Next?, Japa-nese architecture magazine Casa Bru-tus, examines the rejection of past ar-chitectural conventions in creating mu-seums for the 21st century.

www.designmiami.comThe Hong Kong Chapter of the In-

ternational Facility Management As-sociation presents Integrate 2008, June 4-5, at the Hong Kong Convention

and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Keynote speak-ers will be Steven Sonsino, CMD Fel-low at the London Business School who will discuss themes from his book, Sev-en Failings of Really Useless Leaders; Michael Turley, president of Leadership Spectrum consulting, who will talk about his time evacuating New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina; and K.C. Mak, se-nior engineer with the Hong Kong Spe-cial Administrative Region Government, who will discuss the implications of man-datory greenhouse gas reduction build-ing codes. To learn more about Integrate 2008, or to register for the conference, visit www.ifma.org.hk/integrate2008/in-dex.html.

IIDA NY Facilities Forum will discuss, “How is Globalization Affecting the Business of Design?” Does the work process and business culture of major corporations vary or adapt to regional in-fl uences as they work around the world? The panel discussion takes place June 3, 6-8 pm, at the Steelcase Showroom, 4 Columbus Circle, NYC. Moderator for the evening is Rachel Casanova, Direc-tor of workplace Strategy, Mancini Duffy. RSVP: [email protected]

© 2008 offi cesite, inc.24 East Avenue (#1299) New Canaan, CT 06840, www.offi ceinsight.com, Bradford J. Powell, brad@offi ceinsight.comT: 203.966.5008 F: 203.972.6512Jean Lin, jean@offi ceinsight.com T: 203.912.7423


Job Site

To place ads, send information to

[email protected], and billing information to [email protected] or Fax 203.972.6512, T: 203.966.5008.

For complete classifieds, go to

www.officeinsight.com.

INDEPENDENT REP

Michigan

HBF & HBF Textiles Seeks Michigan Rep

HBF & HBF Textiles, a division of HNI and a leader in the contract furnishings industry, is seeking representation for the state of Michi-gan.

HBF has an award-winning portfolio of conference and casegood products, side/conference and guest seating, executive and manage-ment seating, lounge seating, and occasional tables. HBF & HBF Textiles have supplied products to numerous Fortune 500 companies, sport facilities, retailers, hospitality venues, hospitals, and residential customers. Our clients also include many of the country’s leading interior design and architectural firms.

We are seeking individuals who have a passion for design and the contract industry.

Interested individuals should have strong A/D and dealer relation-ships, long-standing relationships in the Detroit business market, experience with premium products, and a proven track record of suc-cess. We’re looking for people with creativity and drive.

Please send resumes to

[email protected].

INDEPENDENT REP

Various

Independent Reps Needed, Several Territories

Hale Manufacturing, a leader in manufacturing Wood Library Fur-niture, Wood Bookcases and Wood Storage Products, has several territory openings.

Interested Reps should have strong A&D relationships and an excellent dealer following.

We offer an outstanding profit opportunity for the right firms.

Please contact Dan O’Dell at

[email protected] with your interest.

OM Workspace is looking for talented, experienced and motivated people to share in its continued success.

Grow with a leader in the industry. As the contract furniture division of OfficeMax, OM Workspace offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package and opportunities for growth, which comes from being part of a $9 billion company.

Opportunities nationwide.As the only full-service national furniture dealer, we offer numerous opportunities across the country.

Available positions:Account ExecutiveAccount ManagerBusiness Development Manager Sales Manager Senior DesignerDesigner

Come see the difference. Visit us at NeoCon World’s Trade Fair 2008,

Booth 8-9037, and bring your resume. Or, for immediate consideration, e-mail it to:

David Johnson Please reference “OMW Opportunity”

in the subject line. [email protected]

®

www.OMWorkspace.com

EQUAL�OPPORTUNITY�EMPLOYER

SEE WHAT’S POSSIBLERedefine yourself with a unique team.



MANAGER, SALES ADMINISTRATION

North Carolina

HBF/HBF Textiles, a division of the HNI corporation and a leading manufacturer in the high end wood office furniture and textile market is looking for a:

Manager, Sales Administration

The ideal candidate will exhibit the follow-ing attributes:

• Strong initiative and personal drive to succeed

• Attention to detail and strong orga-nizational skills

• Strategic thinker with solid tactical implementation skills

• Good oral and written communica-tion skills

• Team player up, down and across the organization

• Positive, results oriented mindset

Key responsibilities include working with our GSA and state contracts, managing our corporate national account effort and working with our sales organization on a daily basis.

This position requires a four year degree in Business, as well as a minimum of three to five years professional experience in a sales environment. The position reports to the Vice President – Sales and is located at our head-quarters in Hickory, NC

Apply online

www.hnicareers.com/hbf

REGIONAL MANAGER

Los Angeles

Regional Manager – West Coast

HBF/HBF Textiles is looking for a Regional Manager, based in Los Angeles to work with our team of independent sales repre-sentatives in the Western US. If you are a seasoned professional who loves to sell high end wood furniture and textiles and have experience managing independent sales rep-resentatives, please contact us.

This individual will lead and direct the efforts of six independent rep groups on a daily basis, as well as develop and imple-ment sales plans to achieve corporate sales objectives. Reporting to the Vice President – Sales, he or she will be based in our Los Angeles showroom and travel approximately 25% of the time.

Qualified individuals will have a minimum of five years sales management experience, coupled with a minimum of five to ten years sales experience, preferably in the high end contract market. Strong relationships with the design community are imperative, as well as the ability to lead the selling effort in iden-tifying and closing large corporate national accounts.

Apply online

www.hnicareers.com/hbf

SALES

North & South Carolina

TEXTILE & WALLCOVERING SALES/NORTH & SOUTH CAROLINA

Carnegie a leading innovator in the textile and wallcovering field, has a sales position available in the North & South Carolina mar-kets. Seeking an established multi -line in-dependent rep organization with experience calling on the A&D community, preferably in textile and/or wallcovering sales .

The Carnegie line is extensive including wallcoverings, upholsteries, window fabrics, healthcare and panel fabrics. This is a prime opportunity for an individual to work for this highly regarded company, and cultivate rela-tionships with top A&D firms and end users in this market.

Please forward your resume to Remona Teague, VP Sales - [email protected]


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offi ceinsight TM 6.2.08 Business/Tech

Business Affairs

Herman Miller Inc. plans a revised price adjustment which will result in average increases of 3.2% to 4% to its commercial product list prices. The new prices will be effective August 4, 2008. The company initiated the price revisions based on rising costs, according to a filing with the SEC.

The Mayline Group of Sheboygan, WI, announced the acquisition of product lines and key assets of NORUS Office Furniture of Winston Salem, NC.

NORUS, founded in 2003 by its President. Frank Johnson, is a designer and distributor of transitional and traditional office fur-niture including veneer casegoods, conference room tables and support furniture, occasional tables and office seating. One of the first to recognize and capitalize on a global sourcing model, NORUS was able to create and offer casegoods at mid-market pricing.

“I have known Frank for over ten years and watched as NORUS created a business model based on globalized sourcing,” said Mayline President/CEO Paul Simons. “When Frank contacted me and discussed the possibility of Mayline acquiring the Cha-tham and Aberdeen veneer casegoods lines, the Hennessy and Nathan conference table lines and the NORUS line of oc-casional tables, it fit nicely with our product, distribution and glo-balized sourcing strategies.” Mr.Simons went on to state, “This acquisition allows us to add some great product lines to our own successful REAL Office casegoods line. We now provide our reseller community with the industry’s widest and most com-plete lines of veneer and laminate casegoods featuring private office, reception and conference room products.”

Mr. Johnson said that he will now conduct business under the name Hospitality Collections, LLC, focusing on the Hospital-ity and Food Service markets serviceing 3, 4 and 5 star hotel properties, high-end restaurants, country clubs, and suites and dining areas in stadiums. Hospitality Collections will continue to develop proprietary manufacturing relationships with fabricators throughout the world.

In May 2007, Baird Capital Partners, the US-based private equity group of Robert W. Baird & Co., partnered with Mayline Group management along with BMO Mezzanine Fund and Hexagon Investment, LLC in the acquisition of the Mayline Group.

Rosemount Office Systems ceased operations. All of Rosemount’s assets will be offered at public auction on June 10 and 11, 2008, 21785 Hamburg Ave, Lakeville, MN. The auction encompasses the intellectual property of the EVA and Velocity lines, all of the plant machinery/equipment, stock inventory and finished goods. Detailed auction information is available at www.grafeauction.com.

The May 2008 issue of Today’s Facility Manager includes an in-depth look at how furniture companies are responding to changing trends in office environments, including the grow-ing use of collaborative space. Kimball Office and The HON Company are among the manufacturers featured: http://www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/tfm_08_05_trends.php

Technology

Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems continue to make strides in the world of construction. One recent devel-opment in this area is an agreement between thin-film solar technology producer HelioVolt and window and building panel supplier Architectural Glass and Aluminum to partner in the incorporation of photovoltaics in curtain wall systems. http://www.heliovolt.net/

Rosemount Office Systems Auction

June 10 and 11, 2008

Grafe Auction Company will conducting a huge public auc-tion for Rosemount Office Systems on June 10 and 11, 2008. This two day event will offer all of the manufacturing and support equipment, raw inventory and intellectual property, including the patents and rights to the EVA and Velocity product lines.

“This is a high profile auction for the office furniture indus-try and a tremendous opportunity for anyone to purchase items at their own price,” said Judd Grafe, president of Grafe Auction. “It is a very rare occasion for two complete product lines to be offered at public auction with no mini-mums or reserves. Whether you are looking to add one (or eight) forklifts to your facility or start a furniture business this is an event you don’t want to miss.”

The two day auction starts at 10:00 AM Central each day with a preview on Monday, June 9. The auction will be webcast in its entirety. Bidders can participate in the action while at NeoCon, from their offices or onsite at Rosemount in Lakeville, Minnesota. Additionally, the auction features all of the production machines, material handling/shipping equipment, (500+) sections of warehouse shelving, raw inventory, finished goods, offices, maintenance shop and more. The complete 150,000 square foot plant will be liqui-dated from floor to ceiling.

Detailed auction information is available at www.GAbid.com. For further, contact Josh Banks, Director of Market-ing and Sales, T: 507-529-7966, www.grafeauction.com


officeinsightTM 6.2.08 Supp. 2 of 2

Industry Stock Prices


5.23.08 12.28.07 9.28.07 6.29.07 3.30.07 12.29.06 9.29.06 %frYrHi%fr50-DayMA

ChromC 4.0 4.9 4.7 7.5 9.6 8.59 9.9 -49.8% -0.7%

CompX 6.7 14.8 19.6 18.5 16.1 20.16 15.6 -68.3% 2.6%

HMiller 24.8 28.8 27.1 31.6 33.5 36.36 34.2 -32.7% 4.8%

HNI 25.1 35.7 36 41 45.9 44.41 41.6 -44.7% 9.3%

Inscape 3.8 3.5 3.7 3.5 4.2 2.95 3.4 -11.8% 6.1%

Interface 14.2 17.5 18.1 18.9 16 14.22 12.9 -31.1% 5.4%

Kimball 10.6 14 11.4 14 19.3 24.3 19.3 -31.3% -0.1%

Knoll 14.8 16.6 17.7 22.4 23.8 22 20.2 -40.4% 13.0%

Leggett 19.1 18.7 19.2 22.1 22.7 23.9 25 -22.6% 13.1%

Mohawk 75.1 75.5 81.3 100.8 82.1 74.86 74.5 -27.6% -1.2%

OffDepot 12.7 14.4 20.6 30.3 35.1 38.17 39.7 -65.5% 0.9%

Staples 23.5 22.6 21.5 23.7 25.8 26.7 24.3 -8.8% 3.9%

Steelcase 12.6 15.3 18 18.5 19.9 18.16 15.7 -38.3% 8.0%

20-20 Tech 5.8 6.4 6.6 7.1 6.8 5.91 5.8 N/A% N/A%

UntdStat 42.3 47.4 55.5 66.6 59.9 46.69 46.5 -40.4% -4.1%

USG 34.1 36.6 37.6 49 46.7 54.8 47 -34.8% -6.6%

Virco 5.0 5.9 7.8 - 6.8 7.8 4.9 -63.7% 10.8%

SUM 334.0 378.6 406.4 475.5 474.2 469.98 440.5 - -

DJIndust 12,638 13,339 13,895 13,408 12,354 12,463 11,679 -11.5% -

ofﬁ ce insight 6 208media.officeinsight.com/currentissuezxc/oi060208.pdfcourse the training then...

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