ALLSTEEL'S COLLABORATION OFFICE FURNITURE DOES AWAY WITH CUBICLES, FOSTERS BETTER COMMUNICATION

The company tapped HOK and IDa Design to create a flexible office system that supports a wide range of working styles -- outside of the cubicle and conference room.

The latest workplace trend: collaboration. Gone, at least for the fortunate, are the organizational silos and Dilbert-style cubicles. Now the emphasis is on casual, spontaneous exchanges -- the kinds of interactions that might usually happen at the water cooler or over a cubicle wall. With its latest collection of contract furniture, Allsteel wants to be among the first to cater to this new office paradigm, offering pieces expressly designed for idea sharing.

Called Gather, the 11-piece line, which won Silver at this year's NeoCon, accommodates a range of working styles and body postures, with the majority performing dual functions. Linger, for instance, is a chunky lounge-type chair with a seat back formed as a perch for another coworker. Hedge is a vertical freestanding unit designed to be a meeting hub -- one side is contoured so that one person can lean against it, while the other side has a work surface for laptops and tablets. Other pieces delineate spatial boundaries: Upholstered stepped seating modules, called Rise, provide another informal conversation spot and could be used as room dividers. (Check out the slideshow for more details.)

The collection is itself the product of collaboration. Allsteel issued an RFP to about six design firms, requesting a brief on their assessment of the collaborative workplace, where it’s headed and what’s needed to support it. Allsteel ended up selecting two teams: IDa Design, which has a track record with the company (it developed the Strideoffice system) was asked to take the lead with its expertise in industrial design, and HOK, which was brought in to share its experience in workplace design. Early research eventually led to preliminary prototypes, which were refined in design critiques from 200 professionals in eight cities.

This newfound appreciation for collaboration may very well have been sparked by the success of companies like Google that have created a culture of dorm-room-style interaction. But it also stems from a cold, hard economic reality: Offices are shrinking, and to offset smaller workstations, companies are providing collaborative spaces. Allsteel’s Gather may not be the sleekest collection of office furniture we’ve seen, but it embodies the right idea: a break from the soul-sucking, institutional cube.

COMMENTARY:    The Great Recession, corporate downsizing, outsourcing, virtual offices, the emerging mobile workforce and collaboration have created a need for office environments designed for the efficient and unemcumbered collaboration and sharing of ideas and information.

Allsteel's Gather collaboration office furniture line definitely incorporates all of the above requirements for what I call "The Workspace of the Future",  a truly open office environment that does not confine workers to cubicles that separate people and siffle collaboration.  I can see this is type of furniture in shared office environments, regular offices and even cafe's where a lot of collaboration and sharing of ideas and information is already going on.

Allsteel is not the only office furniture company moving in the direction of collaboration office furniture.  In a blog article dated April 18, 2011, I profiled Steelcase's media:space collaboration office furniture.  media:space has now been on the market for about a year.  I spoke with a Steelcase spokesperson, and he told me that they had several hundred installations.  No prices were quoted.  

Both Allsteel Gather and Steelcase's media:space offer a much more relaxed, casual and 'cafe-like', office environment that establishes a new paradigm in the emerging collaboration office furniture segment.  I have a feeling we will be hearing more about collaboration office furniture.  I love their designs, and can't get enough.  

Courtesy of an artyicle dated July 7, 2011 appearing in Fast Company Design 

Comments

[Ashy Waton]

Amazing furniture pieces can be perfect office furnitures due to its modern and stylish look.Great artistic work on this type of collection to compliment whole work space.

[Bradley Hart]

Those are really perfect chair for your office and for sure you also get comfortable seating on this kind of chair.

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[designer furniture uk]

other side has a work surface for laptops and tablets. Other pieces delineate spatial boundaries:

[Office partitions in Delhi]

I would like to appreciate your hard work you did write this post, Furniture is the best part of any home. Good design furniture helps us to improve our home decoration. Today we see multipurpose furniture. Which make our home more beautiful.

[Office Furniture Pittsburgh]

Office Spaces are constantly evolving. Furniture must encourage employee interaction and provide technological solutions at the same time. Steelcase is the top office furniture supplier.

[virtual office malaysia]

great idea on office space.. that's why it's much better to work in an office rather than in a virtual office.

[Office Furniture]

Great stuff.... Office Furniture are shrinking due to lack of space.The companies are providing collaborative spaces. In these conditions i must say All steel will be the best option to get our office designed.

[Tommy]

You might also love Steelcase: http://tommytoy.typepad.com/tommy-toy-pbt-consultin/2011/04/steelcases-award-winning-teleconferencing-solution-makes-long-distance-video-collaboration-as-easy-as-plunking-down-your.html

[glass desk]

Great stuff....Nowdays Offices are shrinking due to lack of space.The companies are providing collaborative spaces. In these conditionns i must say Allsteel will be the best option to get our office designed.

[papasan chairs]

I love the design! Great.:)