Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Late last year, design experts stated that versatile furniture would be a workspace design trend to watch for this 2016.
The design experts were, of course, right.
Flexible workspaces need to be, well…flexible; flexible in terms of memberships, schedules, services, and space. One of the ways in which operators play with flexibility in their space is through furniture; yet, even this can be difficult at times — weight and size of furniture can easily deter it being moved around.
Another aspect that complicates space flexibility through furniture is the lack of contract furniture available for flexible workspaces. As it stands, furniture is one of the biggest expenses flexible workspaces have and without a contract that allows for furniture exchange every so often, operators are left with the same furniture for long periods of time, making it harder for their space to be truly flexible and adapt to evolving needs.
As the industry has grown, some furniture companies have started to focus more on the needs that flexible workspaces have, designing and creating lighter, movable furniture that can be used for multiple purposes, as well as offering furniture by the contract. Still, this is a new trend that is just now starting to gain some strength.
Some operators, though, have started to take advantage of this trend. One of them, Urban Station, has recently implemented a new desk model in its downtown Buenos Aires location. Florencia Favich, co-Founder of the space, explains that “the initiative came from the need to be flexible in order to attend to the different demands that all our clients have.”
“Undeniably, it’s always a challenge to be fully flexible and cater to all the different demands and needs; which is why we designed and implemented a movable desk system in our space. By doing so, we’re now able to better adapt to our members’ needs while also staying ahead of coworking design trends.”
How the system works
Think of it as 4 desks in one.
The structure, designed by architect Tomás Vazquez, has a stainless steel base and four wooden counters attached to it. The counters can be moved left and right; they can be separated to create individual workstations or they can be side-by-side for a larger shared desk.
The stainless steel base has electrical outlets incorporated into it, helping the overall aesthetics of the workspace by preventing cables lying around the floor. Additionally, the base has adjustable legs, as well as roller wheels attached to it to facilitate its movement.
The desks system also includes individual standing desks that, if necessary, can be rolled around and incorporated into the larger structure.
Urban Station Objectives
Florencia shares how the objective of incorporating this new desk system was to maintain the aesthetics, look, and feel of their Buenos Aires location. The also explains how this system allows for better use of the space available, as it creates a space-layout that’s versatile and that can be easily moved and adapted to members’ needs.
What you can learn from this
When picking out or designing furniture, keep in mind that it’s not just about its utility anymore. We recently discussed how furniture can help you send the right message to clients by contributing to the look and feel of a workspace.
So, next time you go furniture hunting consider the design, weight, versatility, and adaptability of the pieces.
