The Evolution of Communication Furniture (Is wired furniture on the way out?)
Buildings magazine has recently published an article by Eric Smith of MusaDesign, discussing evolution of wired firniture.Read full article here: The Evolution of Communication Furniture
Solutions for bringing data to workstations are a common necessity for office environments – especially because the scourge of cables can quickly become excessive. The current offerings of integrated panels and wired furniture are flush with variety; however, these solutions are set to become extinct as the habits of business communication evolve. This cycle of replacement is typical – office furniture needs to be updated along with the technology it proffers – but the human proportions of furniture, which are the fundamental elements, do not change. This poses the question: What can be new about a table?
The answer begins with the evolving habits of communication. Since the paperwork explosion of the 1950s, the typical office presumption is that each worker operates primarily from an isolated station, because that’s where documents are stored and correspondence occurs. Today, these habits are rapidly changing – data storage is now virtual, and digital communication is omnipresent. Schools and businesses are finding that productivity is occurring more informally in places like open learning labs. These spaces use furniture that’s functional in a social way, encouraging interaction and exchange. Data cables and wired furniture will soon be a relic of the past as they give way to shared interactive surfaces and pocket computers. Examples of this emergent vision are under way at Microsoft Office Labs, and a sample video, titled "Productivity Future Vision," can be found at http://www.officelabs.com/.
Touchscreen tabletops like this one – essentially tabletop displays that can accommodate multiple users at once – have different applications, depending on where they’re used. In a hotel environment, these tabletops can include features like an interactive concierge and directions to shops and restaurants, downloadable music playlists, the ability to organize vacation photos, a digital jukebox, games, and pictures and information about sister hotel properties.Read more »
Labels: Interior Design, Technology
posted by Polina Zaika @ 6:02 PM
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