No more Mondays: Wilkhahn

Mental overload plus physical underload – this toxic combination accurately describes everyday work life in many offices. The physical activity of personnel is typically reduced to finger movements on the computer mouse and keyboard. In the absence of stimulus to move, the body’s muscles are undersupplied, the metabolic rate drops and stress hormones aren’t sufficiently dissipated.

‘Wherever you look, the central question is how the digital future can be successfully shaped and, at the same time, reconciled with our human biology,’ says Dr Jochen Hahne, CEO of the office furniture manufacturer Wilkhahn. One of the most effective levers for achieving this is to stimulate movement in sitting office workers. Wilkhahn is a clear trailblazer in this area: nearly forty years ago, the firm developed the legendary office chair series ‘FS-Line’, which cultivated dynamic sitting for the first time and has retained its currency right up to today.

‘Free-to-move’ is the overarching, guiding idea of the ‘ON’, ‘IN’ and ‘AT’ lines. It denotes a new generation of office chairs, the ergonomics of which emphasise activation and natural mobility. The concept begins with a focus on the office worker sitting at their desk, yet extends far beyond this to take their entire work environment into account.

Designing the office world as a place of collaboration is becoming ever more important in attracting the best employees, as well as in fostering internal networking, mental agility and an accordingly high pace of innovation.

At present, Wilkhahn is working jointly with SMA Solar Technology AG on a pilot project in which they are designing the work worlds of tomorrow. The SMA Group is a leading global specialist in photovoltaic inverters, with a broad solution portfolio for roof-mounted solar systems, industrial solar systems and large solar power plants. By means of intelligent energy management solutions, SMA is creating the conditions for the decentralised, digital and renewable energy supply of tomorrow. SMA’s self-conception involves the enhancement of employee satisfaction through an attractive company culture.

This includes modern work practices, attention to spatial needs, an increase in the agility and innovative energy of the employees and the promotion of health. For the design of the new work world, the project team, therefore, brought Wilkhahn on board, an experienced partner in this field.

In mid-2018, the collaboration gave rise to ‘Future Office’. Initially designed for 36 employees, this test area incorporates modern forms of work and provides very different kinds of spaces for various activities. It is an environment that encourages movement, both in the overall space and in one’s chair: the desks in ‘Future Office’ are height-adjustable, and the novel Wilkhahn office chair ‘AT’, with its raised seat position, facilitates a variety of postures and an easy transition from sitting to standing. In addition, the stackable ‘Aline’ chairs and the ‘Timetable’ hinge-mounted mobile tables support agile teamwork; the ‘Stitz’ leaning aids, ‘Sitzbock’ pommel horse seats and ‘Landing’ wall reliefs assist informal exchange; and the ‘Stand-Up’ stools promote healthy active breaks.

The unaccustomed work scenarios at first struck the employees as odd. The ‘AT’ chair version for fluid standing-sitting dynamics met with scepticism, as it felt so different to sit in. After a short habituation phase, however, it was clear to the majority of users: there was no going back to the old chairs and the old work world.

© Architonic