Transition from Private Office to Open Plan...

Great article in the New York Times today about what happens when a company eliminates their private offices. 41 years after the introduction of the first cubicle, (Herman Miller's Action Office), there are very few subjects that cause as much "corporate" anxiety as when a company switches to an "open office" environment.

I've been involved in countless transitions to an open office environment over the last 19 years, and here is what I've learned:

1. It only works if Management lives it. (It defeats the purpose if everyone except for top management moves out of the private office).
2. Call it a workstation - not a cube. The term "cube" is a throwback to the Dilbert era, when floor plates were filled with a maze of high panel walled "cubes". Open plan work environments today are nothing like the distant past...
3. Mid-level panel heights (50"H) actually promote a quieter environment than taller panel heights (69"H). (People in shorter cubes naturally speak softer because they know they can be heard, people in taller cubes speak in a normal voice, because they think they have acoustical privacy, when they really don't).
4. Almost any organization can do it. If Mayor Bloomberg can move into a cube, just about any top executive can also.
5. Productivity will go up. If you can't close your door to update your facebook, you probably won't update your facebook at the office.

To read the New York Times article, Learning to Live Without Walls, click (HERE). To download an article about the process Deloitte & Touche underwent to transform their work environment: follow this (LINK) to the Resources Page at samclar.com, and look under the Industry White Paper section.

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Allsteel Stride Wins Silver at Neocon 2009

Neocon 2009 (the annual contract furniture show in Chicago Il.) has concluded, and general reports have attendance being down anywhere from 10% to 20% (depending on whom you ask).

The show was a success for Allsteel, with their new modular workstation line Stride winning Silver in the "Best of Neocon".

Allsteel's Newest Product Line: Stride

Unlike a lot of new products that aren't "ready for prime-time", we have already found a number of client applications for Stride, specifically for clients that are looking for an alternative to the standard "cube", and are focused on sustainability.

Stride is on display at the Allsteel Resource Center in San Francisco, for more information, or if you have any questions about office furniture or interiors in general, please contact me at: john@samclar.com.

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What Does Cradle to Cradle Mean for Office Furniture?

The current concept of Cradle to Cradle was introduced by architect William McDonough and his colleague, German Chemist Dr. Michael Braungart in their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle, Remaking the Way We Make Things.

In its simplest form, Cradle to Cradle is a method of re-thinking how we make things. In essence it breaks materials into two categories:

A) Technical Nutrients: which are non-toxic, non-harmful materials that can go through continous use cycles without breaking down (for instance aluminum in a chair frame)

B) Biological nutrients: which are organic materials that can be disposed of in a natural environment and will decompose into the soil.

Mcdonough and Braungart posit that the recycling process is really "downcycling" where materials are continually reduced in form until they can no longer be used and ultimately become waste. In contrast, the Cradle to Cradle process creates no waste and leaves no waste.

Which bring us to the Office Furniture world: MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry) is the primary 3rd party body that certifies products as Cradle to Cradle. Some current examples of Cradle to Cradle certified office furniture are the Stride workstation line from Allsteel

and the Acuity seating line from Allsteel:

Both of these product lines offer high quality sustainable products at a "standard" price point.

Cradle to Cradle manufacturing processes and products show the on-going commitment to sustainability that the office furniture industry has embraced.

For more information regarding a complete list of Cradle to Cradle certified office furniture, please contact me at john@samclar.com.

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