by AF 0609a3 — June 16, 2010—Herman Miller Healthcare, earned a Gold award for its Compass System in the Healthcare Furnishings Category in The Best of NeoCon competition at the NeoCon World’s Trade Fair, The Merchandise Mart, Chicago, June 14-16.
Driven by its commitment to the healthcare industry, Herman Miller Healthcare, a division of Herman Miller, Inc., navigates a new category of modular furniture with the introduction of its Compass System. The result of an ongoing collaboration between Herman Miller and Continuum, a global innovation and design consultancy headquartered in Boston, Compass revolutionizes how designers and end-users address the constant state of change in healthcare spaces, all while providing a consistently superior experience for patients, families and staff.
“Compass was designed with change in mind. Its approach to furnishing healthcare interiors includes structural, surface and storage components that provide unexpected levels of flexibility,” says Herman Miller Healthcare President Beth Nickels. “It also enables healthcare providers to reduce costs through a functional design that helps improve efficiency, quality of care and delivery, and the process of planning and installing. While many current solutions attempt to meet those needs, none adapt as quickly as Compass to the changing landscape of healthcare.”
Compass was designed to not only meet but to also exceed the functional and aesthetic requirements of healthcare interiors. For over two years, Herman Miller and Continuum gathered observations from more than 550 individuals—from nurse managers to hospital administrators—to identify the four primary needs of this dynamic environment. The furnishing attributes ranked as most important included accommodating changes in technology, providing patient and family comfort, healthcare appropriate functionality, and supporting caregiver efficiency, all which served as key drivers in the design and development of Compass.
“Our philosophy is that you need to live something first-hand to truly understand it, which is why we began this project by studying the patient experience from all angles,” said Continuum President and Chief Design Officer Gianfranco Zaccai.
As a valuable and needed solution for a variety of healthcare spaces, especially acute care and outpatient facilities, Compass is an essential component to creating a welcoming aesthetic within a patient room. Beyond its visual appeal, Compass also provides an array of benefits that contribute to improving the experience of working, visiting and healing.
Its innovative sink and faucet design reduces splashing—a major contributor to the spread of infection—while its combination of seamless, wrapped surfaces and overlapping tiles minimize the potential for liquids to seep into unseen areas. With Compass intentionally designed to be raised off the floor, the room can be cleaned quickly and thoroughly.
A necessity in today’s healthcare environment, Compass’ ability to be easily assembled, disassembled, reconfigured and refreshed affords healthcare organizations the opportunity to implement ongoing workflow and efficiency improvements without room demolition or care interruption.
Available in a palette featuring a range of options suited for traditional or contemporary healthcare settings, the Compass System’s tiles, components and shelves are available in eight standard, 99.9 percent PVC-free Durawrap finishes, including woodgrain and solid finishes. Additionally, an extensive customization program offers specifiers the ability to select the ideal color and pattern. Work surfaces are available in 15 Corian colors and with the option of integrated backsplashes to support cleanability.
Compass was developed according to Herman Miller’s industry-leading Design for the Environment protocol, which emphasizes recyclability of materials, recycled content and ease of disassembly. It is up to 37 percent recyclable and contains up to 58 percent recycled content. Compass carries a 12-year warranty and will be available September 1, 2010.
For more information visit the Herman Miller Web site.
