Ergomonkey

Orgatec Exhibition 2010

Ergonomics / Exhibitions / People / Travel

Another year, another Orgatec exhibition. From October 26- 30, the Koelnmesse in Cologne was again the venue for this year’s premier event for the office furniture industry. As a facility, the Koelnmesse with its marbled airport terminal- style entrances, pristine toilets and stylish post- modern public spaces makes the NEC feel like a third- world hovel. Arriving by train, and staying right in the city centre, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in this friendly, and surprisingly compact city. I would wholeheartedly recommend Cologne as a great destination for a short break.

The scale of the Orgatec event is breathtaking; despite two full days attendance I felt that I‘d only just begun to capture the zeitgeist of ‘Office & Facility’ 2010. 608 exhibitors from 41 countries, and 61’000 visitors! Fortunately there is enough time to reaffirm my faith in industrial design to drag us out of our current economic torpor!

This is only my second visit to the event, and again I was made at times to feel like an uninvited guest to the party; the sheer walls and physical barriers forming the ramparts of the Vitra stand repel the great unwashed, making it clear that only the ‘in- crowd’ are welcome (iPhone, iPad, oblong ‘Gok Wan’ glasses, and ill- fitting brown suit with a scarf a must).

My feelings of indignation were reinforced as I took a closer look at the innovative ‘SAYL’ chair on the periphery of the Hermann Miller stand; a rude employee physically enforcing their rule that their chair should not sat on, but simply looked at from afar. For a moment I was taken aback, complying meekly with this idiotic decree. It occurred to me that maybe these people should take the time to visit any high street Apple store, and witness the masses mauling the latest iPad; touching, feeling, using, loving; customers for life! I repeatedly walked past the stand in the hope of seeing the idiot that had ejected me. My hope was to bring- to- bear the witty put- down that I’d subsequently thought of. However, no such satisfaction was forthcoming as my assailant has disappeared among the throngs of other champagne quaffing, pretentious, self- obsessed, and self- congratulatory furniture fashionistas.

Despite my reservations about some of the hostile attitudes from the ‘big players’ there were great new products sprinkled throughout the exhibition to reaffirm the senses. My favourite stand without doubt was that of those imaginative and free- thinking innovators from Kokuyo. They chose the show to launch their new Ibuki mesh back task chair; outrageously stylish, exquisitely engineered, and intensely comfortable.

However, the real star of the show was their truly surprising Harmonii circular desking system. This is a radical idea for a whole new way of working. Viewing the product for the first time, my colleague, Ergomonkey Managing Director Nik Goodyear was moved to comment: “Call centre managers take note. This unique circular desking system allows individual privacy, but also allows a great sense of relationship with other team members. Group communication is easily facilitated with the integral central meeting table. With soft- touch surfaces at the points of contact with the user, the beauty and tactility of the system is amazing"!

Another beacon of individuality and fresh thinking was the Girsberger stand. The undoubted headline act for Girsberger was the Yanos mesh back task chair, a high quality and great looking alternative to the usual suspects of Liberty and Think etc. It incorporates that feature rarely found on mesh chairs; an adjustable lumbar support with a height adjustable backrest.

Less generic, and a lot more fun, is the Sway stool, created by Burkhard Vogtherr. Standing seats have become popular in recent times as an ergonomic support between sitting and standing. Unlike other standing seats however, the connection between Sway’s single leg and the base is flexible, allowing the user to adopt a leaning position.

We all know we should sit less and move more. Static sitting and an unsuitable sitting posture will put strain on the spinal column, the intervertebral discs, and the muscles of the back, and this can cause pain or muscular tension. This not only diminishes one's feeling of well-being, it also lessens work efficiency and productivity. Standing seats provide an excellent way of avoiding the same position for too long and the resulting strain. They encourage active sitting, strengthen the stabilizer muscles of the spinal column and activate the leg muscles. Besides which, they support and relieve the body during standing activities. A standing seat need not replace an office chair. Instead, it is wiser to alternate between sitting and standing and to use the standing seat for activities such as talking on the phone, eating or holding short discussions.

Standing seats enjoy great popularity throughout continental Europe. The flexible connection between the chair's base and support leg makes Sway different from the usual standing seats. The base remains firmly on the floor, while a special buffer element makes it possible for the leg to adopt a leaning position. The further the leg leans, the stronger the counter- pressure becomes. This new kind of system - for which a patent application has been made - allows the user to feel safe in spite of the seat's mobility. In addition, a slightly inclined seat leg will make him use his own legs for support from the front. This is an additional inducement to adopt an ideal and back-friendly posture.

The uses Sway appear to be practically unlimited: at a standing desk at the office, in a laboratory, at a shop counter, in a doctor's practice, at the hairdresser's, for household work, in a studio… Standing chairs are also suitable for use in conference rooms or in waiting areas in offices.

The piece de resistance for me was the Interstuhl display. Interstuhl for me represent all that is best with German design and engineering. Their emotive design language suggests dynamism and chic, with its simple harmonious lines. Check out the Silver range of seating to see what I mean! This is the iconic chair synonymous with the boardroom of Lord Sugar, featured on the BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’.

With hindsight, I’d have planned to be in Cologne for the whole five days of Orgatec. For a start I would like to see more of this fascinating city (a trip to the Christmas Markets would be a good call). The only negative to this would be concerns regarding my dietary needs; why are Germans so obsessed with consuming meat? I struggled to find a meal that didn’t include the flesh of at least four different species of mammal- too much schnitzel already! Secondly, the importance of exhibition itself cannot be overstated; even if you have only a passing interest in design it is a week well spent, and I personally cannot wait for Orgatec 2012 (Ocotober 23- 27 2012)!

Yours sincerely

Richard

Richard Howell

Ergomonkey European Correspondent