Focus Office

18 October 2022

Cathy Hayward talks to designers in the workplace design space and looks at some of the most exciting upcoming projects

Words by Cathy Hayward

1. Return to Cologne
From 25–29 October 2022, Orgatec returns to Cologne after a pandemic-inflicted break. Cathy Hayward reports on what we can expect from the world’s largest workplace design show

IT’S BEEN FOUR YEARS since the workplace design community descended on Cologne’s Koelnmesse for the biennial Orgatec trade fair. In that time the workplace world has undergone a seismic shift. What the themes and products at a 2022 fair would have been like had there been no Covid-19 is impossible to guess – one imagines a gentle evolution from 2018. Instead this year’s theme – New Visions of Work – leaves the debate wide open to talk about the pandemic’s impact on the world of work and workplace, and what the future really holds in a world where work has finally been completely unshackled from time and place.

Not entirely unexpectedly the event is smaller than in previous years. Just five of the Koelnmesse halls have been taken on – a far cry from in the past. And some of the big names in the industry are notably absent – or were in July when the latest exhibitor lists were published. But at more than 600 exhibitors and 120,000 sq m of floor space, Orgatec retains its crown as the world’s largest workplace design fair. And, given the challenges in our sector over the past two years, a must-attend for everyone in our sector.

The Orgatec trade fair brings together the most innovative companies from the office design sector to present the future of offices. Image Credit: KOELNMESSE GMBH, THOMAS KLERX

The show is focusing on nine key themes.

Forever flexible: shaping spaces with interior design

Covid-19 has accelerated the need for adaptable office environments. Several exhibitors will showcase modular solutions for dividing spaces into zones. The Node+ system from La Cividina, designed by Ben van Berkel, comprises a series of upholstered parts, backrests, partition walls and accessories that can be combined in multiple ways in order to create spaces for work, relaxation, privacy or socialising. Meanwhile Mobel Linea and Palmberg also have new ranges for configuring office spaces using modular elements to divide a wide variety of workspaces into zones.

Versatile all-rounders: multipurpose furniture

It’s not just space which has to be multifunctional – furniture does too. Examples on display at Orgatec will include the Fundamentals cabinet system from Lande or the benches and stools in the 4SIX collection from SMV, which can be rearranged quickly and in many different ways. The models in the new Pontis Hypa range from ASSMANN Büromöbel, on the other hand, can be used as desks, seminar tables or bistro tables. Thanks to their rechargeable batteries, the tables are height-adjustable and their tabletops can be positioned vertically to serve as whiteboards. Through the use of magnetic supports, the Stay Agile whiteboards from Swiss manufacturer Adeco are as flexible as their name suggests and can even be used as meeting tables. The new, multifunctional Slide table system designed by the kaschkasch design studio for Renz is equally versatile – available in various heights, infinitely adjustable and mobile thanks to castors. The Mudra universal stacking chair, developed by Brunner in collaboration with designer Stefan Diez for offices, cafeterias or private homes, boasts a similar range of uses.

Naturally sustainable: eco-friendly materials

While the climate crisis played second fiddle to health services during the pandemic, it is now back to playing an important role in the workplace world. Manufacturers are increasingly focusing on recycling as well as environmentally-friendly and certified materials. For example, the new Green Eco chair, designed by Javier Mariscal and available from Spanish brand Mobles 114, is made entirely from recycled material and is also fully recyclable. The Arco collection of seating from Cantarutti and the new Lina chair from Calligaris have received awards for their use of FSC-certified wood. Although still a vision of the future, Palmberg has designed a desk that is made entirely of locally-sourced organic wood and feeds solar energy and the waste heat generated by equipment back into the workplace’s electrical ecosystem.

Circular models: cradle-to-cradle in the office

Many office manufacturers have committed to basing their product cycles on the cradle-to-cradle principle, marking a further decisive step towards sustainability. The new Lino range of chairs from Kinnarps, for example, conform to the circular economy idea. It comprises only a few components, which can be easily disassembled, replaced, separated and recycled. The A22 stackable barstool, designed by Swedish designer Anya Sebton for Lammhults, is based on a similar concept. To facilitate recycling, it is made entirely of steel and has no bolts or screws. The yarn and felt backing used for the new Shadowplay carpets by Ege Carpets have also been recycled and can be reused.

Green working environment: taking inspiration from nature

Well-being through biophilic design is an ongoing theme in the workplace world and there will be several examples at this year’s Orgatec. Room dividers like Para Vert from Brunner bring vertical planting into the workplace, act as indoor air purifiers and can be extended as required. New colour collections for the office, such as Pigment from Alvic or Cinque Terre Colours & Natural from Fantoni, which are inspired by colours from the natural world, also convey a sense of being close to nature.

Cosy office furniture: the new at-home feeling

Even before the pandemic, work was already increasingly freeing itself from fixed locations. This trend has also blurred the boundaries between design for the office and the home. While homes have become offices, offices are visibly transforming into home-like feel-good zones. Soft shapes and warm colours define the new welcoming culture in the world of work. Furniture ranges like HomeLine from OKA combine office functions with homely design. The latest seating furniture – such as the ingLife office chair from Japanese manufacturer Kokuyo, the Alex lounge chair from BOS Barcelona or the Pottolo chair from French label Alki – also introduces a touch of cosy comfort into the office environment. With their elegant styling, these pieces are suitable for both work and home. Fun and playful designs, such as the brightly coloured octopus-shaped Medusa stools from Dileoffice or the Pony chair-and-table combination from gumpo also promise to liven up office work. Even company bosses avoid hard edges these days. Recent executive collections like Blade X from Alea feature soft, dynamic lines and welcoming wood tones.

Office design for the home

We all got used to working from home during Covid-19, with many people retaining some element of home working. Manufacturers such as Alea, Humanscale and Wiesner- Hager have developed special furniture ranges for remote workers that meet ergonomic requirements as well as the need to fit into a home environment. As an alternative to the kitchen table, height-adjustable sit-stand solutions such as the Gravit iDesk from Kesseböhmer introduce ergonomics and individuality to working from home. The tabletop can be personalised with bespoke motifs. Models like Poppe Swifel from Bla Station or Wooom Light from Klöber are functional items of office furniture and comfortable armchairs at the same time, making them suitable for sitting for extended periods in home offices. Woom Light features a moulded non-woven seat shell made from recycled PET bottles and an integrated reading light that creates an extra-cosy ambience. The Souly office chair from Nowy Styl, designed by Oscar Buffon, is another sustainable seating solution, the individual elements of which can be flexibly replaced.

Attendees exit the Orgatec 2018 event. Image Credit: KOELNMESSE GMBH, HANNE ENGWALD

Audible well-being: improving room acoustics

The more open and agile the office environment, the greater the need for products aimed at optimising acoustics. That’s why companies like Strähle are offering customers the option to preview spatial acoustics by entering their own room data. Room-in-room systems, such as the extended Se:cube Max from Sedus, are suitable solutions for existing structures and are both acoustically and visually attractive. Inspired by Japanese interiors, the Zen Pod from Abstracta also creates acoustically shielded spaces that can be used for digital meetings, quiet conversations and work requiring full concentration. The Flexia lamp from Artemide also takes its inspiration from Japan, and its origami-influenced design absorbs sound from its surroundings. Solutions like Silento Screen from the Lanab Group, which can be set up quickly to create meeting zones or individual workstations in open-plan offices, are designed to help people focus in a busy environment. More compact options include seating modules like Mute Focus from Swedish manufacturer Horreds and the upholstered Buddyhub unit from Pedrali, both of which provide small acoustic islands that allow users to concentrate on work in open office landscapes.

Healthier workplaces: ergonomic and antiviral products

The pandemic has raised the profile of healthy workplaces and hygiene is now increasingly finding its way into office design. The spectrum of current solutions ranges from ergonomic furniture for the workplace to room ventilators and antiviral surfaces. The lamps from Italian manufacturer Artemide featuring Integralis technology disinfect the surfaces they illuminate, for example.

Guests and exhibitors from the workplace design community mingle. Image Credit: KOELNMESSE GMBH, HARALD FLEISSNER

Alongside a packed educational programme, Orgatec is offering benefits that only an in-person event can bring – networking and socialising. Known for being the place to meet anyone who is anyone in the workplace design world, the fair will provide opportunities for people to catch up on the past few tumultuous years.

Workplaces – though still the main focus of the event – have changed drastically in the last few years. Image Credit: KOELNMESSE GMBH, THOMAS KLERX

As part of the peer-to-peer networking, Orgatec is offering guided tours to highlight the different themes, put together by architects for architects. The tours give an overview of the fair’s spectrum of products and services, and allow professionals to exchange ideas with each other on the key issues facing the sector – hybrid working, the green office and office design more generally.

This year’s Orgatec follows the inaugural Orgatec Tokyo which saw over 20,000 visitors gathered to see the latest trends in hybrid workplace design and furniture from 80 brands from eight countries. The show made it clear that there’s potential for growth in the Asian workspace industry.

When the office furnishings industry finally meets again in person at Orgatec in October, the discussion will not only illustrate the rapid pace of change in the world of work, they will also show the ongoing move towards healthy, sustainable and intelligently organised office environments. And the importance of in-person events for people to get together to talk and do business.

2. Q&A Samantha Dawe
Shaw Contract
Samantha Dawe is a director at Shaw Contract, the world’s largest carpet manufacturer for commercial interiors. She has had a long career in PR and marketing starting at the BBC before moving into the architecture and design world

How have floor coverings in office spaces changed as a result of the pandemic?

Health and well-being have become a core focus in flooring as a result of the pandemic. We see that though as part of a broader, sustainable approach to workplace design or any interior space, particularly in terms of embracing occupant comfort. When designing flooring now, people are more mindful of things such as provisioning for flexibility and supporting a diverse workforce. There’s much more recognition that we’re all individuals and we all respond to our environments differently. From that has come a broader awareness of things like neurodiversity. All of these elements are now influencing interior design responses.

As an organisation, you have declared a leadership position on sustainability through your annual sustain[HUMAN]ability Leadership Recognition Program. Since the start of Covid, sustainability has played second fiddle to safety. How are you using flooring to drive organisations to bring it back to the fore? And are they receptive to this?

Safety can mean various things. Let’s take indoor air quality as an example. For us, this has always been a key consideration. We have a deep and comprehensive understanding of material health and material ingredients. We are careful about what goes into our products and regularly review and measure their performance. This is something we’ve considered since we signed up to being the first flooring manufacturer with a cradle-to-cradle manufacturing approach. There’s more awareness on issues such as what goes into material finishes. People look at it through a sharper lens. We spend over 90% of our time indoors, and flooring finishes are becoming increasingly important when addressing these issues, along with creating workplace interiors that inspire and support collaboration.

Shaw Contract’s work on the JLL offices in London uses different styles of carpet to effect the perception of the office space. Image Credit: JONATHAN BANKS

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve come across in flooring manufacture and design?

There are two strands to this. Firstly, if you take a cradle-to-cradle approach, it’s up to a manufacturer to continually innovate. You are constantly reviewing processes in line with cradle-to-cradle thinking and are regularly assessed on how you take those steps forward. The other part is that design itself is responsive and dynamic process. We hosted an IFI (International Federation of Interior Architects) panel debate on the Metaverse versus Natureverse – the technological and the physical, and how we balance the two. Together they can bring a great range of positives but fundamentally, it’s all about designing for people.

Your ColourConnect CPD programme explores colour’s impact on our built spaces and the interactions that take place in them. What are the key colour trends in flooring?

Through our ColourConnect programme, we considered global factors and how they’re influencing design trends. We distilled the research down into four key palettes which still resonate post-pandemic. The first is ‘Self’ which is about reflection and reconnecting, providing an environment and a palette which is about finding purpose and simplifying our lives. This palette encompasses softer, pastel shades.

The JLL offices serve as a clear example of how carpets are integral to a welcoming space. Image Credit: JONATHAN BANKS

‘Earth’ explores the relationship with the natural world and considers the challenges of design for a rapidly changing planet. These feature colours such as terracotta, viridian, greens, and softer orange and pink tones.

‘Creativity’ is all about expressing ourselves and creating dialogue and energy using colour. The final palette is ‘Community’, which is about connecting us locally and globally. It’s a palette looking to bridge divides, and challenging us to be empathetic, resilient and inclusive.

Tell me about the project you’re most proud of and why?

JLL’s offices at 20 Water Street in London embraces the idea of creating a workspace that is inclusive and forward thinking, and that prioritises new ways of working. It combines three different carpet tile collections that we manufacture in Scotland, using different styles to create different zones and moods within the floor plate. It’s an approach that we talk a lot about, so we are always excited when we see designers interpreting and working with that opportunity.

What keeps you awake at night?

If we are to move to a circular economy and net zero then we’ve all got to work together. The research we’ve undertaken shows communication and collaboration is key. It’s also about understanding value and looking at opportunities through a different lens. It keeps me awake in a positive way because I think there’s a lot that can be done. We’ve clearly all got to overcome some of the barriers and there is an ongoing education process through the supply chain and with building owners and occupiers. It’s a huge thing but collectively we all must move in that direction.

Is flooring sometimes undervalued as part of the design process? If so, how can manufacturers and designers change that perception?

Flooring is one of the last elements to go into a building fit-out and sometimes it’s taken for granted. We are finding that specifiers are becoming more mindful of the material finishes that they are choosing. Of course, there are value and cost considerations, but we are seeing sustainability raised as a discussion point at each step along the way now, and that provides us an opportunity to contribute to the overall scheme from a sustainability perspective. Having the right flooring installed also makes a huge difference to the occupants who are using the building every day. Acoustic comfort and underfoot comfort, the use of colour and light all come into play.

What’s critical for a successful project? What’s most important about flooring design?

Flooring design can really make a difference to the people who occupy a space on a day-to-day basis. Good design creates a positive and productive environment. If we’re trying to get people into the workplace and connecting with their surroundings, then good design has to be from the floor up.

What’s the future of flooring design and manufacture?

The future of flooring design and manufacturing will quite simply have sustainability at its core and great design in its interpretation, and long may that continue.

3. The Power of Kindness
The British Red Cross’s home in the heart of the City of London no longer reflected its values and urgently needed a new life. Cathy Hayward reports on its transformation to a workplace which has the organisation’s ethics at its core

THE TEAM

Workplace consultant, design, architecture
WILL+Partners
Project Management
7seven
Cost Management
3-sphere
Mechanical, Electrical, Structural Engineering
Loop Engineering

THE BRITISH RED CROSS UK office building at 44 Moorfields was designed by Alan Pipe & Partners for Mercantile & General and completed in 1963. Occupied by the British Red Cross since 1995, the building fabric and systems were in urgent need of upgrading and replacing.

Due to the building’s high running costs and environmental inefficiency the project initially started as a MEP refresh exercise with the inclusion of replacement windows in the façade, With the building being on a long lease, the charity decided to expand the project scope, to create a more inclusive and collaborative working environment, one which feels like a welcoming home for all British Red Cross staff and volunteers. The workplace needed to be inclusive, future facing and focused on occupant wellness. The project soon became as much about repurposing the organisation’s vision and workplace strategy as an interior design project.

A use of open space achieves the vital need for a collaborative atmosphere.

The building occupies over seven floors and 75,000 sq ft, and incorporates additional space for the International Red Cross. Workplace architects and designers, WILL+Partners was appointed to repurpose the building and design for the future. The overarching aim was to create an improved collaborative working environment for the British Red Cross UK Office while maximising the building’s efficiency for all members of the Red Cross family. Key project drivers included the need to refurbish, reuse and recycle, project price and value, the role of volunteers and the upcoming 150th anniversary of the British Red Cross. This project couldn’t waste money that could benefit the charity. The aim was to reuse, repurpose and re-imagine everything.

Occupancy levels

WILL+Partners started by reviewing the basic office and operational principles. A detailed occupancy survey established that the British Red Cross office team had a maximum occupancy of 60%. Combined with the experience of the pandemic, this meant a smarter working environment could be created with specific co-working and shared space, fewer desks, more space and different working options.

Design choices allow for open-ended collaboration.

In conjunction with the British Red Cross’s workplace strategy, WILL+Partners created seven core project principles: Community; Flexibility; Leadership; Wellness; Culture; Humanity; and Sustainability. (See separate box on following page to understand these principles and how they were integrated into the project.)

Design

For a space to be built, adapted or reused, someone must advocate on behalf of the building. 44 Moorfields has a language which is spoken through its use of grid, its layout and its rich history. Whether through its surrounding streets, or people crossing the unnamed courtyard or amphitheatre that is Moorfields/City Point. 44 Moorfields is part of the establishment of this grid language. It speaks to the City of London plan, of buildings being adapted, ornamented, altered, restored and renovated. Its language is written in the materials of timber, stone, glass and metal.

The grid story starts at the desk, with a shared desking system within teams and studios. Through creating neighbourhoods, directives and departments, the British Red Cross design is interspersed with courtyards and alternative work settings that encapsulates a vision for the future.

44 Moorfields is a series of floorplates, from its basement to the sixth floor including its museum. Each floorplate describes the British Red Cross’s individual and department identity in the whole, connecting communal spaces, the reception, public spaces, and reinforcing a connection to the community. The design provides flexible and collaborative spaces available on every floor and in addition, spaces for quiet work and reflection. The stairs also provide the opportunity to break silos.

Part of the brief was to create additional revenue-generating flexible spaces which could be hired out to the local community. It is this flexible workspace which better serves the British Red Cross emergency response work, and serves as an area for community, socialising and integration.

Mechanical and Electrical

Flexibility was also at the heart of the M&E plans – it was important to ensure that there was sufficient capacity and flexibility within the systems to allow the spaces to be used for different functions and tasks. The long lease meant that the whole life cost of the MEP services was a key consideration.

Quiet, reflective spaces were considered a priority

The existing aged ventilation system consisted of separate supply and extract plant with no heat recovery. The new ventilation strategy introduced separate heat recovery ventilation units to each floor. This aided the phasing of the project and allowed each floor to be done individually. At the end of the project, the existing air handling plant was stripped out, freeing up significant plant space for future office areas or exhibition spaces.

The existing heating system was also supplied from a dated and inefficient heat network that had proven to be unreliable and expensive. This was replaced with a highly efficient, localised heatpump solution. The existing chiller was at the end of their life and was replaced with a new VRF system, again configured to suit the project phasing and avoid disruption.

Furniture

The Power of Kindness is at the centre of everything The British Red Cross does. This resonates through all of its decision making and provided the benchmark by which it measured the success of furniture selection for its HQ refurbishment. Will+ Partners and Salt & Pegram, a contract flooring and lighting dealer, looked to optimise the reuse of existing furniture and refurbish where appropriate, to approach corporate partners for donated furniture, maximise the social value of any new purchases and ensure that any surplus was found a home within the voluntary and community sector.

Flexible work spaces were designed with certain teams and acts like socialising in mind

Every pound spent was a pound that could be used to support those in crisis, so it was agreed that the cost should not compromise longevity, but support a drive towards a circular economy and provide support to the local supply chain.

WILL+Partners engaged with the entire British Red Cross HQ organisation, establishing user and ethical furniture requirements. It benchmarked 155 different new products, including UK-based suppliers that contribute to the project’s social value.

Existing furniture and reused products saved an estimated cost to the project of over £100,000. Used task chairs and meeting furniture were donated which saved an estimated £250,000. Using pre-loved furniture saved an estimated 99.25 tonnes of CO2 emissions. A donation of surplus furniture was also made to Business to Schools, a charity that supports critically underfunded schools in the UK.

The project followed soft landing principles and the new facilities management provider was brought on board at the early project stages and consulted throughout. The FM team performed a key part in reviewing O&M information and witnessing plant commissioning and staff training.

Overall, the new British Red Cross workplace provides flexibility within a changing landscape, while also being contemporary and beautiful. It enables those working within it to maximise their effectiveness in producing the extraordinary work of the British Red Cross. Most importantly, it has the ethics of the British Red Cross at its core and chimes with the ethos of those working for, and with, the organisation. Completed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the organisation, 44 Moorfields really does demonstrate the power of kindness.

THE PROJECT’S SEVEN KEY PRINCIPLES

1. Community: Reinforce and broadcast British Red Cross’s social purpose as a charity and as an employer with a workspace that builds the British Red Cross community from within.

This was achieved by providing shared spaces to encourage interaction and shared endeavour.
Varied project and work settings encouraging movement around the building developing a wider building community.
Providing areas for workshops, gatherings and fundraising events.

2. Flexibility: Provide a flexible working environment to deal with changes in workstyles and functions.

The redesign of building services enables all floors to work independently, flexibly and efficiently. This enables floors to be sublet if needed.
Areas have demountable and movable furniture.
There are a variety of work settings in both furniture and ambience; loud, quiet, daylight or artificially lit.
Multi-function spaces are evident throughout the building.

3. Leadership: Promote individual responsibility and self-motivated working.

The well-designed agile working environment allows people to work how and where they want to.
Work settings are advanced enough to support and encourage leadership, while being a flexible working environment.
Workspace enables interaction between teams which breaks down silos.

4. Wellness: Promote movement through functional, visual and attractive circulation.

Providing attractive and varied spaces. Together with varied work settings to encourage different work styles.
By activating the stairs they are more visible and attractive, thus promoting additional use.
Connecting back to sustainable materials using natural materials that age well.
Exposed ceiling to create a generous space and provide natural daylight.
Improved air quality with effective controls to provide a high level of air quality with minimum energy use.
Improved lighting with local control. Lighting design developed to reflect contrast between different areas.

5. Culture: Express the culture and purpose of the British Red Cross and its family.

The building and workspace empowers and embodies the organisation’s ethos and gives staff and volunteers an environment to deliver on the promise to connect human kindness with human crisis.
Workspaces that enable a culture of collaboration.
The building re-enforces the British Red Crosses historic and cultural links.
It gives people quiet and contemplated spaces for meditation as well as focused and collaborative work.
The workplace facilitates an inclusive culture.

6. Humanity: Implement new ways of working with humanity at its heart, one of the fundamental Red Cross principles.

Working together as team with a spirit of kindness and transparency. Delivering the new workplace and keeping the people of British Red Cross UKO informed and engaged.
A workplace which enables collaborative ways of working and promotes a spirit of shared purpose.

7. Sustainability: Live up to the British Red Cross policy of reuse and adapt.

New building systems improved build efficiency by 28%.
Insulated perimeter walls were upgraded to current Part L standards, making them more thermally efficient.
Plastic was limited and sustainable materials were used throughout.
Low VOC materials, from the sealants, paints to coatings were used. No materials that are listed on the Living Building Red List were used and any existing materials on that list were removed.
A large percentage of furniture was reused and refurbished.
The environment encourages users to be sustainable with clear engaging graphics and good facilities to recycle and reuse materials.
Existing finishes were refurbished and reused wherever possible
Where original materials and features where uncovered, such as the terrazzo tiles in the toilet, they were renovated and reused.
Surplus furniture was donated to Business to Schools, a charity that supports critically underfunded schools in the UK.

www.redcross.org.uk