Transcript Knoll A furniture company comitted to design and to designers

Knoll
A furniture company committed to design and to designers
Hans and Florence Knoll
Hans Knoll, founder
At Knoll they believe good design is good
business.
Since their founding in 1938, they have been
recognized as a design leader worldwide.
Their products are exhibited in major art
museums worldwide, with more than 40
pieces in the permanent Design Collection of
The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
• Knoll has a commitment to innovation and modern
design has yielded a comprehensive portfolio of office
systems, seating, files and storage, tables and desks,
wood casegoods, textiles and accessories.
• Knoll operates four manufacturing sites in North
America: East Greenville, Pennsylvania; Grand Rapids
and Muskegon, Michigan; and Toronto, Ontario. In
addition, they have plants in Foligno and Graffignana,
Italy.
Florence Knoll
• While a student at the Kingswood School on
the campus of the Cranbrook Academy of Art
in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Florence Knoll
became a protege of Eero Saarinen.
• She worked briefly for Walter Gropius, Marcel
Breuer and Wallace K. Harrison. In 1946, she
became a full business and design partner and
married Hans Knoll, after which they formed
Knoll Associates.
• She was at once a champion of world-class architects
and designers and an exceptional architect in her own
right.
• As a pioneer of the Knoll Planning Unit, she
revolutionized interior space planning.
• Her belief in "total design" – embracing architecture,
manufacturing, interior design, textiles, graphics,
advertising and presentation – and her application of
design principles in solving space problems were radical
departures from the standard practice in the 1950s, but
were quickly adopted and remain widely used today.
• Since it was founded, in 1938, Knoll has invited
designers to submit proposals, and Knoll has then
manufactured, and sold, this work.
• The list of highly regarded designers Knoll has
worked with includes many of the best furniture
designers, interior designers, and architects of the
20th century.
• http://www.knoll.com/designer/designer_category.jsp
Lounge seating designed by Florence Knoll
early 1960’s
Credenza, designed by Florence Knoll
The furniture designed by Florence Knoll
is characterized by clean, simple lines, expressive use of materials
and efficient use of space
Steelcase
• Steelcase began in 1912 as The Metal Office Furniture
Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• We received our first patent in 1914 for a steel wastebasket -- a
major innovation at a time when straw wastebaskets were a
major office fire hazard.
• That led to metal desks, and we've led the way with product and
service innovations ever since.
• Today, our portfolio of solutions address the three core elements
of an office environment: interior architecture, furniture and
technology.
• We changed our name to Steelcase in 1954 and became a
publicly held company in 1998.
Steelcase history
• 1912-Peter M. Wege, Sr., Walter Idema and 10 other
stockholders form the Metal Office Furniture Company on March
14 in Grand Rapids, MI. The company has 15 employees and
specializes in filing cabinets and safes. First year`s sales are
$76,000.
• 1914-Metal Office begins diversifying with a new product, the
Victor fireproof steel wastebasket.
• 1915-First sale of desks: 200 fireproof steel desks for Boston's
first skyscraper, the Customs House Tower.
• 1916-E.A. Holscher starts an office furniture business in St.
Louis, MO and becomes Metal Office's first dealer.
• 1921-Metal Office offically registers the "Steelcase" name as a
trademark and adopts a new advertising slogan: "Found Where
Business Succeeds.”
• 1926-The company opens a new manufacturing plant on
Division Avenue in Grand Rapids.
• 1937-Metal Office creates oval-shaped desks based on the
design vision of Frank Lloyd Wright.
• They're used in the S.C. Johnson and Company building, which
Life magazine calls "the most inspirational office building of the
20th century."
Johnson Wax building, Racine, Wisconsin
designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1936-39
‘The Great Work Room’
Johnson Wax Building
parking garage
• 1945-The surrender documents ending World War II are signed
by General Douglas MacArthur and Japanese officials on a
Steelcase table aboard the USS Missouri
• 1953-Metal Office introduces Sunshine Styling, the industry's
first office furniture in colors.
• 1954-Corporate name changes to Steelcase, which has been a
brand name for many Metal Office products.
• Steelcase launches international operations with a 15,000
square-foot plant in Toronto, Canada.
• 1958-Establishes California operation with a 70,000 square-foot
plant in Fullerton,
• 1964-Purchases Attwood Corporation in Lowell, MI, a
manufacturer of marine hardware and injection-molded plastic
parts.
• 1968-Introduces Mobilesｨ, the first product using concepts of
systems furniture.
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1971-Introduces Movable Walls, Steelcase's first comprehensive
systems furniture line.
1972-Enters the wood office furniture market with the introduction of
Designsｨ in Wood.
1973-Introduces Series 9000ｨ systems furniture.Builds manufacturing
facility for wood furniture in Fletcher, NC.Forms a 50 percent jointventure interest with Kurogane Ltd., with manufacturing in Osaka,
Japan.
1974-Forms a 50 percent joint-venture interest with Forges de
Strasbourg (Strafor S.A.) to manufacture seating in Sarrebourg,
France.
1977-Initiates an extensive dealer distribution organization in the
Middle East.
1978-Purchases Vecta Contract in Grand Prairie, TX.
1979-Purchases new manufacturing plant in Athens, AL.
Office Systems Furniture
Panel Systems, Workstations
• Office furniture has become a design specialty, and a major part
of modern working life.
• Free standing desks, and separate, hard walled, offices, have
been largely replaced with a complex of work surfaces, screen
panels, and storage units that serve as partioning as well.
• the ‘workstation’ occupies less space, and when well designed,
provides a higher level of efficiency than separate office rooms.
• The constantly changing nature of office environments had led
to the development of office systems furniture that is focused on
flexibility both within the individual workstation, and in the
grouping of clusters of workstations.
The Herman Miller office system
‘Ethospace’
designed in 1984 by Jack Kelley
Ethospace is based on a 120 degree angle, which
opens up workspaces to teamwork and communication
Ethospace--a frame-and-tile system
• In the Ethospace frame-and-tile system, structural steel
frames define the work space, provide the foundation for
hang-on components, and house electrical and data wires.
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Individual segments called tiles attach to the frames, allowing
tremendous variety and control of the design and function of
individual frames.
• Application freedom. Designers can create a variety of
layouts, from individual workstations to collaborative
spaces to enclosed offices; the choice of 90-, 120-, and
135-degree connectors maximizes planning possibilities.
• Supports Technology
• Huge capacity. The open frame interior holds up to 49
Category 5e, 4-pair UTP cables in the base and an
additional 32 cables at every 8 inches of frame height.
• Flexible power. The 8-wire, 4-circuit electrical system
allows circuit configurations of 3 general and 1
dedicated, 2 general and 2 dedicated, or 1 general and
3 dedicated.
• Wide corners. Corner connectors turn with a wide arc,
safely accommodating stiff or fragile fiber optics cables.
• Earth-Conscious Design
• 100 percent recyclable steel frames. Strong and durable
for a long life; the system is 78 percent recyclable, and
recycled content is 35 percent.
• Powder coating. On all metal parts and Formcoat
surfaces; no VOCs.
• Water-based stains. No solvents.
• Sustainable wood supplies. Only from managed forest
resources.
Herman Miller ‘Resolve’
system, designed in 1997 by Ayse Birsel
• The elegantly simple structure is based on poles with
screens attached at 120-degree angles.
• This inventive approach provides all the intelligence and
function of panels while allowing greater diversity of
workstation patterns and more cost-effective use of real
estate.
• There's also more openness and flexibility for
collaborative environments.
The Resolve system has a built in
‘sound masking’ system
Rolling screens let users adjust privacy and reduce
glare on computer screens
• Resolve--a pole-based system
• Vertical poles in three heights (96, 60, and 48 inches),
work with horizontal support arms to define work areas,
provide a structural foundation, support hang-on
components, and make power and data accessible to
the user.
• Trusses attach to tall pole tops to route power and data
cables overhead and delineate space.
• They can also help people find their way in a workspace.
• Personalization Screens, canopies, and floor mats.
Define personal territory. Rolling screens.
• Users control privacy and enclosure. Custom graphics.
• With the Customer's Own Image (COI) program,
customers can have their own graphics digitally printed
on screens, canopies, and flags. Work tools.
• People can place and move them right where they're
needed. Human scale.
• The design is based on the size, reach, and movements
of people
Herman Miller
‘V Wall’
• V-Wall works in any environment, with any furniture
requirement. A two-person crew can reconfigure walls
with minimum disruption.
• Single-source supply simplifies coordination, reduces
trades in the work area, and reduces interruption in
occupied workspaces.
• V-Wall is available in a variety of vinyls, fabrics, veneers
and glazing options.
• Herman Miller trims and finishes make coordination
easy with all freestanding and office system solutions.
• Panel modules come in standard heights of 9' and 10',
and widths of 24-30", but custom widths and heights to
12' are also available. also available
• V-Wall offers panel and component integration with Action
Office Series 1 & 2, Prospects and Ethospace.
• V-Wall can be pre-wired with UL-labeled power or open boxes
for field applications. Telecommunications and power can be
distributed both vertically and horizontally, allowing walls to
provide cabling to systems as required by project design.
• V-Wall can be installed directly over carpeting, reducing waste
and labor costs.
• Unlike drywall, V-Wall is up to 99 percent reusable, making it
the environmentally friendly alternative.
Herman Miller ‘Vivo Interiors’
designed by Douglas Ball
• Crisp Aesthetic
• Clean lines. Trim pieces have a thin profile and interlock
for precise alignment.
• Visual highlights. Furniture-style glides have a
progressive appearance and let in light; open work
surface supports are light scaled; a horizontal bead
between tiles has a reflective surface.
• Purposeful palette. The concise selection features lightto-dark, warm-to-cool finishes that combine
harmoniously; glass, laminate, veneer, and textiles offer
sophisticated choices.
• Sustainable Design
• Strict standards. Vivo was designed according to Herman
Miller's cradle-to-cradle protocol; also GreenGuard certified.
• Recyclable. Vivo is 69 percent recyclable; frames are 100
percent recyclable steel; a typical workstation has 36 percent
recycled content.
• Powder coated. All trim, supports, and storage components
are powder coated, eliminating polluting VOCs.
• No solvents. Stains are water based.
• Good wood. All wood is harvested from managed forest
resources.
• Earth-friendly textiles. Most textiles are made of a single
material for easier recycling; many lines are 100 percent
recycled polyester.
Steelcase ‘Pathways’
technology wall and ports system
• Ports to manage your tools and technology
• Maximum flexibility for planning
Unmatched cable capacity and access virtually anywhere on the
panel
Wide array of aesthetic options with refined details
Environmentally-friendly wheatboard worksurfaces available
Steelcase ‘Kick’ system
Steelcase ‘Kick’ system
• Wide range of function and aesthetics
• Flexible layouts, including 120 degree
• Kick Freestanding blends seamlessly with Kick and other
Steelcase systems
• Stackable panels are load-bearing and stack to 78" h
• Easy to order, simple to install and reconfigure
• From looking at just a few examples of current systems furniture
it is clear that there is an increasing emphasis on team
organization in office work.
• Privacy has been replaced by organizations that allow for easy
voice and visual communication among team members.
• Office chairs have been the subject of intense, focused study of
ergonomics.
• The shape, dimension, and adjustability of a chair directly
affects human comfort and muscular stress.
• Office systems furniture are a direct response to a
space utilization concept called ‘open office’, or
‘landscape’ planning.
A typical ‘open office’, or ‘landscape’ environment
A very open office area
A typical office floor: 22,867sq.ft.
Vertical section of the same building