by Brianna Crandall — July 8, 2016 — Global furniture and technology provider Haworth introduced several new products at NeoCon 2016 in Chicago last month, and received a 2016 Best of NeoCon Silver award in the Best of NeoCon Competition [see FMLink article] for its Compose Connections and Active Components in the Furniture Systems: Enhancements category. The Wood Flooring System mentioned below may also be of particular interest to facilities managers.
According to Haworth, spaces that satisfy physical, cognitive and emotional needs optimize human experience and engage people. When a space can represent the intersection of this triad, people thrive. This is what Haworth calls “wholeness,” and the company has found that people crave this harmony in their workspaces. Haworth demonstrated these principles at its NeoCon 2016 showroom, which encompassed a wide variety of spaces to facilitate a range of work activities for individuals and groups.
Drawing inspiration from architectural elements that create a sense of community within a space, designer Patricia Urquiola created a fully supported environment. The showroom was a mix of legible spaces that are easy to navigate and enable social interaction. Haworth’s inspiration, together with Studio Urquiola, interpreted a community featuring places to: create with artisans’ hands crafting iconic furniture; gather through virtual and physical interaction space; and work where heads down and collaborative activities are supported.
Silver: Integrated Palette Enhancements: Compose Connections and Active Components
Best of NeoCon Silver award winners in the Furniture Systems: Enhancements category, Compose Connections and corresponding Active Components represent the next installment in the Haworth Integrated Palette platform.
Compose Connections and Active Components are part of the Haworth Integrated Palette platform; these flexible power, privacy and storage elements work together within the platform to create a highly dynamic open-plan solution that can quickly adapt to changing floorplate and density requirements.
These flexible power, privacy and storage elements work together within the platform to create a highly dynamic open-plan solution that can quickly adapt to changing floorplate and density requirements.
- Active Components give people variety and choice in storage, organization, and perceived privacy to help them perform their best. An array of shapes, configurations, textures, and mix of materials warm up the work environment to create comfortable, cozy workspaces that evoke a residential atmosphere.
- Compose Connections: As organizations shift from individual workspaces to more collaborative spaces, it is important to support people’s needs for choice and user control in the workspace. Compose Connections is a spine-based system that pivots from the dimensional logic of Compose systems and Integrated Palette elements to create an exceptionally flexible solution for today’s ever-changing work environment.
Additional new products featured in the Haworth NeoCon showroom include:
- Fern task chair – This “revolutionary” new task chair is in tune with every movement and a key to a more healthful sitting experience. The chair was honored with a HiP award from Interior Design magazine.
- Patricia Urquiola for Haworth collection – With a new textile collection, the company launched new accent fabrics, paints, laminates and stains that work beautifully together, providing a warmer and more collaborative feel to the changing workspace.
- Immerse table – Creating a landscape of varied surfaces to support the temporality of meetings, the Immerse table enables work by offering a micro atmosphere that can support groups or the individual, standing or sitting.
- Haworth Collection – Continuing the tradition of featuring designers from around the world, the collection added 20 new products from Cassina, Cappellini and Poltrona Frau. Haworth also announced two new partnerships to broaden its lighting offering and introduce rugs into the collection.
- Wood Flooring System – Wood planks (finished flooring) with magnetic backs easily apply to Haworth’s steel raised access floors, allowing for unrestricted access to underfloor utilities and easy reconfiguration. According to observations at NeoCon, the flooring is easy to maintain with periodic oiling (once a year), and some of the wood planks have cut-outs either for air registers or for power access.
Wood planks (finished flooring) with magnetic backs easily apply to Haworth’s steel raised access floors, allowing for unrestricted access to underfloor utilities and easy reconfiguration.
The showroom also included Openest, Compose, Beside and Integrated Palette enhancements that provide additional variety and choice for storage, organization, privacy, power and data.
More information about the product introductions is available on the Haworth NeoCon 2016 Web page.
