Rethinking rooms with Palmberg's Clamp partition wall system

‘We are made for community, like feet, like hands, like our lower and upper rows of teeth,’ said Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius a good 2,000 years ago. Our need for social contact with others is deeply rooted within our brain stems. In this respect, working in an open-plan office corresponds exactly to what the oldest part of the brain in terms of evolution desires for us.

The demands placed on workers have evolved considerably in recent decades, however. Market research company Oxford Economics has found, for example, that the ability to concentrate on work without interruption is one of the keys to satisfaction, with noise considered a major stress factor in occupational health and safety. And it is not just the decibel level that is decisive: external conversations represent extreme disruption as the processing of speech in the brain starts automatically – in effect, guaranteeing distraction.

So is the enormous advantage of the open-plan office – being in constant dialogue with colleagues – also its biggest drawback? We need secluded islands of quiet to work in a more focused way, closed-off spaces for developing projects in a team without being disturbed, and sometimes we need to have one-to-one conversations as opposed to group discussions. Thankfully, all of this can be combined before the dilemma even arises. With CLAMP, Palmberg provides functional and aesthetic solutions for every situation in open-plan offices, focussing on flexibility rather than compromise.

The beautifully designed elements – which have been honoured with gold by the jury of the international architecture and design competition, the German Design Award – create a wide range of possibilities. Different heights and widths as well as six fabric types and 79 different colours allow them to be adapted to existing design concepts or be completely redesigned. CLAMP opens up new spaces for modern office landscapes, for the realisation of activity-based working as well as for individual ideas.

If the composition of the team changes or different working conditions are required in certain project phases, CLAMP can be easily reorganised. No complex construction work is required to assemble the modular and electrifiable partition wall system. The individual modules are screwed together, while height adjusters also ensure a solid standing.

Accordingly, CLAMP is fixed, but only until such time that the company's ideas or employees' wishes change. Personal work areas can be set up where the focus is on concentration, spacious meeting zones or lounge areas and break rooms that offer much more than just a table for a quick lunch. With perforated walls, rounded solid wood bars and various shelves, the CLAMP ‘Stick & Load’ system organises everyday office life and its leisure areas right down to the last detail.

The sturdy partition walls can also be used for locations with special functions. With CLAMP, the coffee station can be transformed into a hotspot, and presentation rooms with monitor walls, conference rooms with pin and whiteboard areas or waiting rooms designed with the company's corporate identity style can also be set up with ease. CLAMP doesn't get in the way of any planning. On the contrary, by using louvre walls and glass elements, CLAMP promotes lightness and vision.

Room partitioning, though, is only one of CLAMP's core competencies. The interior of the partition walls is fitted with acoustically effective material that guarantees maximum sound absorption capacity. Depending on the height of the individual walls, CLAMP can minimise or completely block out background noise. In this way, the modular elements optimise room acoustics while remaining open to all communication channels.

Regardless of the functionality and style of individual products, sustainability is an important issue for Palmberg. For almost 30 years, the company's own processes have been analysed in order to minimise their impact on the environment. CLAMP is certified with the European environmental label ‘Level 3’, among other things because both recycled and recyclable materials are used and CO2-neutral electricity is used for production.

In addition to materials, energy and chemicals management, ‘Level 3’ also assesses social responsibility. Palmberg focuses on its own working atmosphere and social commitment, but also on the vision of producing flexible office furniture that improves the feel-good factor and health concerns in the workplace. CLAMP embodies this claim with its environmentally friendly materials, acoustic optimisation, timeless designs, uncomplicated planning and the option of individualisation.

Incidentally, it was Marcus Aurelius who also said: ‘We were born to work together.’ And while this does not mean that cooperation is always easy, CLAMP offers precisely the best conditions for creating harmony, with its versatile partition walls making open-plan offices socially enjoyable places to be in once again.

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