by Brianna Crandall — July 5, 2017 — As noted in a previous FMLink article, Teknion Corporation, an international designer and manufacturer of innovative workplace interiors, garnered a Gold award and two Silver awards from the Best of NeoCon Competition at this year’s NeoCon contract furnishings show in Chicago.
Among Teknion’s numerous product introductions, the previous FMLink article highlighted the company’s Gold-winning Altos Landscape wall collection and its height-adjustable Altos Desk, along with the redesigned Nuova Contessa task chair, and this article focuses on additions to the Silver-winning Zones furniture collection and Expansion Cityline furniture system.
Expansion Cityline
Winner of the Best of NeoCon Gold award for Furniture Systems, Expansion Cityline is based on the concept of planning for a workplace as diverse and dynamic as a modern city. With a unique beam framework and robust accessories program, Expansion Cityline creates workstations, collaborative spaces and mixed-use areas where people feel comfortable and empowered as they pursue individual and collective goals. Expansion Cityline offers a highly active setting that allows people to move, to gather and to disperse when privacy and focus is desired.
With a unique beam framework and robust accessories program, Expansion Cityline creates workstations, collaborative spaces and mixed-use areas where people can move and feel comfortable and empowered.
Martin Geoffroy, director, Product Management — Expansion, commented:
Expansion Cityline is a true connection between workstations and casual spaces. The beam acts as a highway, linking different zones of social interaction, fostering exchanges and collaboration. The structural beam remains the backbone, providing unlimited configurations. It can be dressed up or down as needed. Within the same area, the beam seamlessly links standing-height workspaces, casual lounge seating and task-chair activity. Expansion Cityline can be configured as a distribution fence for power and data, and is ideal for reconfigurable working spaces or collaborative areas. Expansion Cityline adapts to a space and its required functions.
Expansion Cityline provides the distinctive ability to go from a full, freestanding workstation to a simple, casual beam and fence-like application that integrates gathering areas. Its breadth of offering delivers a wide range of flexibility for designing office spaces, from playful to elegant and sophisticated environments. The flexibility of the structure enables Expansion Cityline to be designed around the building architecture and blend with its environment.
As structure, the beam permits 90-degree planning in multiple directions. It also supports a wide variety of configurations, including double- and single-sided formats or acting as a simple, power-enabled fence that allows for direct plug-in to the beam. Several height-adjustable options, from a fully integrated casegoods-like application to freestanding height-adjustable tables, easily reconfigure either perpendicular to or parallel to the casual beam fence. Electricity/data flowing through the beam along any path is accessible directly or via a power access door, power module and grommets. The beam provides all the advantages of a panel — without the panel, says Teknion.
Expansion Cityline accessories program
A comprehensive program of Expansion Cityline accessories and screens enables people to work efficiently and effectively, while also contributing to “place-making” and a distinct work culture. Accessories include elevated and mounted screens with a choice of surfaces — felt, whiteboard and magnetic metal — to meet personal needs and preferences. Sit and Slide screens allow control of visual privacy.
Expansion Cityline accessories also include storage trays, modular drawers, elevated shelf with accessories and a range of additional tools designed to adapt workspace to specific tasks and maintain easy access to task lighting, mobile devices, mini-whiteboards and other personal items. Expansion Cityline is designed to integrate seamlessly with other Teknion product lines.
Geoffroy noted:
We designed the accessories to address the need for creating an engaged working environment. The collection allows people to easily access what is important to them, or what is required for a specific task. An extensive color palette encourages a playful or a subdued work environment. Moveable screens allow employees to create as-needed privacy without the need for the enclosed spaces so unconducive to today’s popular LEED certified buildings.
Zones
Teknion also launched several new pieces in its Zones furniture collection at NeoCon 2017. Introduced at NeoCon 2016 as an alternative to the traditional office, Zones is a comprehensive series of furniture comprised of enclosures, screens, work and casual tables, many diverse types of seating, lighting, meeting room storage, food trolleys, easels, TV carts and more.
Zones is a comprehensive series of furniture comprised of enclosures, screens, work and casual tables, many diverse types of seating, lighting, meeting room storage, food trolleys, easels, TV carts and more.
Tom Lloyd of PearsonLloyd explained:
We added new furniture pieces to the Zones collection to enable new planning paradigms. As a furniture collection based on familiar forms, Zones provides key pieces that act as natural humanizing touch points. The functional aspect is reflected through Zones’ ability to transform the office, challenging convention and changing the way people experience work. The emotional, humanistic aspect is fundamental to Zones as the collection supports modern office tasks in a manner that recognizes the human craving for familiarity, warmth, comfort and empowerment.
The new Zones furniture pieces launching at NeoCon — lounge furniture, freestanding screens, casual tables, tech and coatcheck easels, collaborative storage, food trolleys and lighting — were designed to encourage users to creatively assemble custom settings. By incorporating a few accessories or combinations of components, Zones enhances the work flow, comfort and productivity of any work environment, integrating across new and existing workplaces, says Teknion.
Workers today want a choice of welcoming venues in which to work and connect with others in a natural, informal way, points out the company. With these new furniture pieces, Zones provides people with even more choice and access, adding personalized elements and creating new work environments.
Informal productivity — As an alternative to the traditional office, Zones furniture collection is designed to give users choice and to create work environments that encourage informal productivity.
A collection of furniture — Zones is more than another product line. It is a comprehensive series of furniture components that can be combined with others to create an all-inclusive office furniture solution.
Human office — Zones expresses an approach to design that recognizes the human need for spaces that are both practical and pleasurable to inhabit, that help people to feel at home — in the office.
Luke Pearson of PearsonLloyd added:
Zones contributes to an inviting and uplifting workspace via a skillful mix of materials and textures. Zones uses wood, drawing upon its inherent warmth. Wood plays a strong part along with textiles, offering visual and tactile warmth that sets a tone of domestication. Textiles allow for the full play of color, pattern and texture, acting as an antidote to the cool, hard surfaces of technology. Zones expresses an approach to design that recognizes the human need for spaces that are both practical and pleasurable to inhabit, that help people to feel at home — in the office.
For more information, visit the Teknion Web site or the company’s Neocon 2017 Preview page. See more FM-specific information on the company’s FMLink ad.
