by Brianna Crandall — June 26, 2013—Vitra, a Switzerland-based designer and manufacturer of contemporary furnishings, introduced its new Workbay workstation and Alcove Cabin sofa/workroom among its offerings on display at the NeoCon 2013 contract furnishings show June 10-12 in Chicago. Workbay won an Editors’ Choice Award under the Furniture Systems category in the Best of NeoCon Competition, and Alcove Cabin was a BON entrant in the Seating: Sofas & Lounge and Furniture Systems categories.
Workbay
Brittany, France-based design brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec created Workbay to break with the rigid grid layout of today’s office environment, introducing a more organic approach to collaborative work reflecting recent attempts to facilitate increased employee interaction in communal workplaces. Workbay was developed to provide flexible, easily accessible work situations that can be alternatives for undisturbed concentration or small-group interaction in the midst of today’s open office spaces.
Workbay offers natural, highly efficient semi-private spaces for common areas — the so-called “middle zones” of an open office plan. The modular system of organically shaped, cell-like configurations makes possible a wide variety of formations, from single work situations to group spaces and micro-architectural clusters. These cells fit into offices of nearly any size and, because they are part of a modular system, they adapt easily to changing office needs and conditions, says Vitra.
The system is based on four curved, straight or star-shaped wall elements of two different heights. This means that Workbay not only answers the needs of the office planners, it also offers employees the freedom of choice: they can retreat to the setting that is most appropriate for the work at hand. Workbays allow for individual work stations (a space of “retreat”), larger meeting situations for two to four people (a place to “meet”), and combined office landscapes consisting of different areas (“meet and retreat”).
Constructed to avoid the heaviness of other micro-architectures, Workbay nonetheless offers a protective and durable shell thanks to a sturdy industrial fleece supported by a lightweight aluminum structure. Workbay cells shut out background noises, thanks to the exceptional sound-absorbing quality of the polyester fleece — a material reportedly new to the furniture industry. Vitra says that a friendly, almost homey feeling is provided by the texture of these walls, which is enhanced by a warm range of colors and the selection of different table tops and benches.
Alcove Cabin
A related product designed by the Bouroullec brothers and introduced at NeoCon 2013 is the newest member of Vitra’s Alcove Family, Alcove Cabin. Alcove Cabin is a full-fledged workroom. The temporary, mobile architecture creates a “room within a room” while maintaining a visually and formally harmonious language in a busy office, says Vitra.
Alcove Cabin expands on the characteristics of its predecessors, offering a comfortable retreat for concentrated work or a catnap, or a confidential meeting in a small group, particularly in the midst of a busy/noisy environment. The sofa/workstation is enclosed on all sides, with a single entrance and two opposing padded seating areas, a table, an electrical connection and lighting. It provides visual and acoustic privacy for four to six people, and is available in Highback and Xtra High.
