Space, man: Interstuhl

The question of optimal and economical workplace design is one that has long engaged planners, owing to the fact that the majority of the working population sit at desks. Numerous models have been tested and it has been shown that there is no single solution that fits all scenarios because habits, working methods and structures vary. Rather, the aim of planning is to offer a choice of different working spaces and thus the possibility of more self-determination.

This topic is encapsulated by the term ‘New Work’, which has dominated the modern working world for some time now. The term emerged in the wake of the digitalisation and globalisation revolutions – phenomena which triggered a change in traditional work structures towards more flexible ideas. Despite its positive connotation, work still remains work, but the ‘New Work’ movement focuses more strongly on people. The worker should be perceived as an individual with specific needs to which the working environment is able to respond.

Sounds good, right? But how can it be implemented in space? This question was also one that German company INTERSTUHL asked itself – after all, an open-plan office alone is not enough to deliver a contemporary office concept. Taking a look at things a little further beyond the end of one’s desk, as it were, shows that flexibility in thinking must also be reflected in the furnishing and conceptual design of the offices of today and tomorrow. There is, therefore, an increasing demand for modular and functional furniture systems that can respond to different requirements.

With its high-quality seating furniture and the development of the perfect swivel chair, INTERSTUHL has been demonstrating innovative thinking for over 50 years. So why not extend this capability to the entire office space? Accepting this challenge, the chair specialist has taken the step of becoming a platform provider and thus extended its expertise from the individual office chair to the entire room. The result is SPLACES: the new concept with which INTERSTUHL is now offering office planning and furnishing services in addition to an expanded product range.

The goals of this brand change – which has its beginnings with the emergence of the ‘New Work’ concept – are, on the one hand, to bundle different areas of expertise together and, on the other, to enable involvement in the planning process from the start. The brand change was preceded by a multi-faceted examination of the changes that have taken place in the world of work over the last few years: old familiar concepts were examined and new trends closely scrutinised. In this way, SPLACES was born – and with it, the opening up a new field of competence for INTERSTUHL.

The new platform is aimed at planners as well as architects and combines products and services that make it possible to design office space according to individual criteria in the spirit of the ‘New Work’ concept. INTERSTUHL has therefore grouped its products into six zones for better orientation. The different application scenarios are called WELCOME, MEET, WORK, RELAX, LEARN and LEAD. They offer planners various different sources of inspiration – whether places suitable for creative exchange or intensive work, or areas where a quieter atmosphere is required, or somewhere to share information with a group.

The products function not only individually but also enable the implementation of entire room concepts. Something that allows for this is the modular furniture system HUB, developed by designer Volker Eysing. Based on modern sofa and wall systems that function both individually or in combination, it offers a range of furniture that can be put together in a variety of ways. ‘Flexible in every respect, homely in appearance and an ideal work tool for today's office world,’ is how Eysing describes the system.

In addition to new furniture systems, SPLACES also incorporates modern applications for planning and implementing room concepts. These include the services of partner firm Intensor, who specialise in the recording and further processing of point clouds in the interior space, from which 3D planning models are created. This then enables users to take a virtual tour of their new office.

Planners and architects still have a lot to do when it comes to finding a solution for the perfect workplace, but with this new direction, INTERSTUHL offers them a versatile and clearly structured portfolio of possibilities as well as professional support in the implementation of individual room concepts.

© Architonic