Gallery: Cubicle Couches and Other Hot Trends in Workplace Design
01greycouch
Last year, a new corporate headquarters based in San Francisco aimed to achieve that most elusive of goals: the paperless office. The company’s strategy for getting there? They didn’t order any file cabinets for the building. There’s some logic to the notion that an office without file cabinets would be a paperless one. But as often happens when designing to influence behavior, theory doesn’t translate into practice. Those who’ve toured the building describe workers surrounded by paper stacked in rows so tall that the open plan environment now approximates a street grid. Here’s the thing: Workspaces have a lot of problems. And as just as they seem to be fixed, new ones emerge with alacrity, ranging in severity from microwave popcorn smell sensitivity to the real challenge of how best to cultivate creative collaboration. The pace of technology threw a bigger wrench into all this of course, and it’s turned the design and planning of offices a constant game of catch-up. We now work in such a dizzying variety of contexts that space planners, architects and furniture companies speak of “future-proofing” in two- to three-year increments, where they once aspired to relevance for at least a decade or more. Not long ago, many predicted the office of the future was no office at all. Today, the thinking is to get employees back to the office and find all sorts of enticements to keep them there. But devices, furniture, and people have moved from fixed to mobile. So now workplace "design" is as much about programming, services and amenities as it once was about cubicles and corner offices. No doubt the pendulum will keep swinging. Above all, it seems important to recognize that no gadget, solution, or space fits all, a reality that the latest entrants into the ever-evolving realm of workplace design seem to have firmly embraced. *Image: Courtesy Steelcase*
02redcouch-0
__1: Living on Video by Steelcase__ Video killed the radio star. It's been slow to be adopted as a valuable workplace tool for much the same reason. Whether we're rock singers or project managers, we’re self-conscious. It’s OK if our hair is mussed up when we’re Skyping with mom, not so much when we’re video conferencing with corporate. But Steelcase's research reveals an emerging pattern of behavior at work where video is used more and more. They're hoping to capture the market with Living on Video, a new offering that provides a range of spaces that enable people switching back and forth between a physical and virtual presence. Or, simply put, they've designed a destination space for video conferencing. *Image: Courtesy Steelcase*
03stand-0
Environments designed for one or several participants consist of the furniture that Steelcase is known for, along with new technology that promises perfect lighting and acoustics. With this physical/virtual hybrid, they've claimed to have remedied “presence disparity” — a terrific term for describing how we \[currently\] feel when beamed in for a group meeting from afar. “Living on Video promises to bring to the real (and virtual) table the things that make in-person meetings so valuable," says the product literature, "an ability to read facial expressions, body language and other visual cues." Globalization is really driving the need for this code to get cracked, explains VP of Global Design James Ludwig, who flies too much and is "always looking for a way to sleep in my own bed.” And indeed, Living on Video would seem to let Ludwig and the rest of us frequent fliers catch a break by providing a high-quality interaction with someone thousands of miles away without being in the same place. "We’re committed to meaningful work and do whatever it takes to do that," says Ludwig. “How much more willing would we be to connect if we just had to boot up?” *Image: Courtesy Steelcase*
04focal-by-keen
__2. Focal by KEEN__ The financial impact of obesity in lost productivity and health insurance premiums amounts to over $80 million annually. Some blame goes to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles. One solution? We’ve got to get off our collective asses. Standing desks are one possibility. Treadmill desks are another (though walking while emailing seems destined to end badly). Focal, a desk that provides standing with a little support, situates itself somewhere in between. That this was “designed” (and I use the term loosely) by [hybrid footwear](http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/) founder Martin Keen makes sense as Focal looks like a bike seat that's getting better acquainted with a drafting table. (And for design buffs, a visual nod to Giacomo Castiglioni's Mezzadro tractor-seat chair.) The concept is solid. Though the execution could use some finesse, it's easy to imagine how some variation on this theme could aid those who have no option but to be on their feet at work all day. *Photo: Courtesy Focal Upright Furniture*
05knoll-regeneration
__3. Regeneration Chair by [Knoll](http://www.knoll.com/knoll_home.jsp)__ [Mies van der Rohe](http://www.designboom.com/portrait/mies/bg.html) (1886-1969) observed, "A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier." He was right -- as any of us who've sat through a lecture in a metal folding chair or cursed the anti-ergonomic tilt of an airplane seat can attest. Knoll, however, has been making chairs for a very long time. And it's pretty damn good at it. The company continues to work at achieving the perfect blend of comfort, style and sustainability, as evidenced by its new [Regeneration Chair](http://www.knoll.com/news/prstory.jsp?story_id=6615&type=PressReleases&storyType=nf). The Regeneration ships in two pieces -- the "seat" part and the "stand" part come together in one surprisingly small box -- and you assemble it yourself (a task much easier to tackle than anything from IKEA). Its small footprint, both in its use of materials and reduced packaging (they can fit twice as many chairs into one shipping container) is is very much in line with Knoll's attempt at a greener all-around experience. One of our editors has spend the last couple of months sitting in the chair and he's been impressed that it's comfortable not just for him (he's 6 feet tall) but also our staff photographer who is a petite 5 feet. *Photo: Courtesy Knoll*
06punkt-phone
__4. [Punkt](http://www.punktgroup.com/en/13/gallery.aspx) by [Jasper Morrison](http://www.jaspermorrison.com/)__ What could more radical in today's world than a phone that only makes phone calls? Despite its moniker, designer Jasper Morrison isn’t messing with you: He’s created an analog phone that’s refreshingly simple to use. The keys are big, the font is large, the interface is clear. And you’ll probably crick your neck a little less than you would cradling your iPhone. For use in office environments, you can connect up to five additional units to your original Punkt. No two-year contracts required but it’s just small enough that you may forget that while it’s portable, it ain't mobile. $245. *Photo: Courtesy Punkt*
07integrated-workstation
__5. [Integrated Workstation](http://www.cranbrookforhermanmiller.com/index.php?/ongoing/integrated-workstation/) by Cranbrook for HermanMiller__ I once had a boss who said his ultimate career goal was to have an office with a couch in it. He got his wish (in the Flatiron Building, no less!) but if he hadn’t, his desires might have been satiated by the Integrated Workstation by Cranbrook for Herman Miller. You can sit at it, stand at it, and — hooray! — nap at it. Designed by Cranbrook student [Matthew Plumstead](http://www.matthewplumstead.com/2012/05/the-completed-herman-miller-project/), this just might be that long-awaited “[cubicle of the future](http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/beyond-the-cubicle/),” especially as it considers what our bodies need to function as much as what our technology does. *Photo: Courtesy Cranbrook for Herman Miller*
08csys-lights
__6. CSYS LED task light__ His dad, Sir James Dyson, [reinvented the vacuum](http://www.dyson.com/homepage.asp) by aiming to create perfect suction; Jake Dyson has taken on the desk lamp, improving the longevity and aesthetics of LED lighting. The [CSYS LED](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyapUFDHUIE) task light promises sustainable, quality performance for over 160,000 hours of continual use. (That assumes 12 hours per day, which, by the way, is way too long for you to be working.) He calls his product a “light that lasts for life,” which, at those numbers, means you’ve got about 37 years left from time of [purchase](www.lumens.com/CSYS-Task-Lamp-by-Jake-Dyson/uu442612/product). It's nearly $900 but hey, if you amortize it over nearly four decades. *Photo: Courtesy Jake Dyson*
09philips-ergosensor
__7. [Philips](http://www.usa.philips.com/)’s ErgoSensor__ As I stack yet another brick of an architectural monograph under my Apple monitor as it seems to have been designed for someone who is 4-foot-11, I’ll tell you I’m ready for this this monitor. [Philip’s ErgoSensor](http://www.philips.co.uk/c/pc-monitor/brilliance-p-line-24-inch-61-cm-full-hd-display-241p4lryeb_00/prd/) does for you what you can’t easily do for yourself. Equipped with a camera to track the location of your pupils, it can determine whether you’re working in the optimal ergonomic position. These sensors will let you know if your head is the right distance from the screen and suggests how you might properly align your head and neck. Sort of a benevolent [HAL](http://www.palantir.net/2001/sounds.html) of a chiropractor (“Allison, are you holding your wrists correctly?”), ErgoSensor will not only save your energy but its own. After it reminds you to take a break, the LCD screen takes one, too, automatically shutting off to conserve power. Still waiting to hear when it will be available stateside. *Photo: Courtesy Philips*
10raw-space
__8. [Raw Space](http://www.investorwords.com/14713/raw_space.html)__ Remember your first dorm room? Ugly, yes, but an empty canvas awaiting a personal touch. Well, it would appear the latest trend for tech work environments is just an extension of that idea: Personal customization has come to the office. [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/) and its ilk aspire to the opposite end of corporate, and so when designing office environments, they’re asking architects for a blank slate upon which their employees can put their own personal stamp. Your environment, the argument goes, should be changing as rapidly as the company itself. The caveat is whether or not you can work in harmony with your coworkers’ [*Game of Thrones*](http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html) posters. *Photo: [ricardodiaz11](https://secure.flickr.com/photos/ricardodiaz/2561640225/sizes/l/in/photostream/)/Flickr*
11microsoft-touchless-mouse
__9. Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse & Arc Keyboard, Design by One& Co. and Microsoft Hardware Design__ So you may have an office but you may also work at home, on the plane and at Coffee Bar. You’re already lugging your laptop around — but you should also be using a mouse. [One & Co.](http://www.oneandco.com/) created the super clever Arc Touch, which folds flat when not in use. It not only looks cool but is comfortable, quick and precise. If you have room for one more thing in your Rickshaw bag, One and Co. has also designed a companion keyboard, which allows users to position their hands in a more neutral posture. The argument for such flexible devices is that they mimic today's work behaviors, which aren't static. “You work with different groups of people in continually changing spaces both inside and outside the office,” explains One & Co.’s Jonah Becker. “\[These pieces\] are casual but highly functional … just like our modern work life.” *Photo: Courtesy Microsoft*
12ledgedesk
__10. Ledge Desk by [Pfeiffer Lab](http://www.pfeifferlab.com/)__ The average employee used to be allotted something in the realm of 300 to 350 square feet; now, they may get as little as 65 square feet. Designer Eric Pfeiffer's Ledge desk was inspired by climbing protaledges, but it also takes its cues from the realities faced by space-constrained workers. Mounted directly to the wall, the Ledge provides maximal function and space efficiency, but it also offers its owner an efficient place to work. Compact, cool, and adjustable to standing height, this may be the desk of the future. *Photo: Courtesy Pfeiffer Lab*
