ORGATEC 2016 presents design for tomorrow’s worlds of work

ORGATEC 2016 presents design for tomorrow’s worlds of work

Digitalisation, mobility and rapid social change are not just affecting companies and workers. They also call for new approaches from designers and creative planners, so it is only fitting that design is given a high billing at the leading international trade fair for the modern world of work, which takes place in Cologne from 25 to 29 October 2016.

At ORGATEC 2016, approximately 650 companies from around 40 countries, among them the leading suppliers in the fields of furnishing, flooring, acoustics, lighting, conferencing technology, and information and telecommunications technology, will be presenting new approaches to the topical trends of team work, digitalisation, holistic interiors and the attractiveness of the workplace. Awaiting the industry in Cologne are a host of exciting new launches – in particular for meeting rooms, breakout spaces, lounges and seminar rooms – that are very much in line with the trend for open spaces, communication, teamwork and creativity-stimulating movement. This gives the office workspace a whole new meaning and value.

“Designing for diversity”
Diversity and individuality are the defining elements of modern office concepts combining conventional workstations, open offices, screened niches or very spontaneous touchdown workspaces. According to the experts, “designing for diversity” is the key to a modern, successful office furniture industry: creating complex workspaces that accommodate the individual’s needs. The international office furniture industry will be showcasing its flair for innovation and expertise in design once again this year in Cologne. At ORGATEC 2016, companies will present their current collections and awarding-winning new launches, designed by top international designers.

Design also a key theme in the high-calibre supporting programme
The supporting programme at ORGATEC 2016 is further evidence of its expertise in design and trends. At the series of high-calibre events, trade visitors and those with an interest in design can get the latest information and exciting inspiration for designing the future world of work: creative design will be lined up for them in the Passage between Halls 10 and 11. In the special exhibition Design meets Movement, leading European designers will present smart solutions from Scandinavia that go beyond working indoors and act instead as an interface to the outside world – a multifunctional installation for outdoor working.

The Competence Centre in Hall 11 promises to deliver “RE/WORK Moments of Inspiration”. Conceived by Ippolito Fleitz Group, the project presents an insight into the future world of work centred around ten exemplary moments, translated into spatial form and full of inspiration and humour.

It would be impossible to imagine sustainable products without innovative materials. The potential that the latest innovations in materials offer and the solutions for the future world of work that they make possible will be on display at the special event Smart Office Materials by the agency and incubator for future materials and technology HAUTE INNOVATION, Berlin. “The smart office of the future would be unimaginable without innovations in materials. Innovative materials and intelligent design can play a part in making workplaces for creative knowledge workers more multifunctional, sustainable and smarter,” says materials expert Dr. Sascha Peters.

The influence of design on co-working spaces can be seen by visitors to ORGATEC at the special event “The smart working space”, in which the “Smart Co-working Lobby” model showcases a module that will be at the core of the modern office block and that enables the co-working philosophy to be adopted in existing buildings. Using this approach, the trend towards co-working can be embraced relatively quickly and economically. The model will be presented in the form of a fully functioning prototype at ORGATEC. The curator of this specially designed area is Michael O. Schmutzer who, as Managing Director of Design Offices, has turned the idea of “New Work” into a remarkable success story. “The Smart Co-working Lobby” was developed in cooperation with the prestigious interior design office, brandherm + krumrey interior architecture (b-k-i), based in Cologne and Hamburg.

Design competence is also to be found concentrated in Hall 5.2. The Life at work project, conceived and directed by the office furniture manufacturer Vitra, in conjunction with the London-based architecture practice Pernilla Ohrstedt and the Jonathan Olivares design studio from Los Angeles, gives a fascinating insight into the future world work of work. The partners in the project, including companies such as Archilogic, Art Aqua, Artek, Bulthaup, Dinesen, Ganter, Idea Paint, Kvadrat Soft Cells, Kvadrat, Mercedes-Benz, Ruckstuhl, Samsung and Swisscom guarantee that this project will be showcasing “Design at its best”.

Exceptional design will also be on display on the Boulevard. This is where Koelnmesse, in cooperation with bso (Office, Seat & Contract Furniture Association, Verband Büro-, Sitz- und Objektmöbel e. V.), will be presenting various projects on the topic of “Creativity Works”. For instance, the magazine FRAME will be staging a captivating exhibition of groundbreaking workplace design in collaboration with young creative professionals. The magazine “100 working SPACES” will be presenting 100 current and innovative workplaces and office concepts from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as the best and most amazing projects from the rest of the world. And, presenting the results of their research project, students of design at the University of Applied Sciences, Düsseldorf (HSD / Hochschule Düsseldorf) will be showing an ingenious fusion of fashion, workspace, performance and identity.
Last but not least, creativity and design will also be the focus of discussion at the Trend Forum, hosted by Hajo Schumacher: with numerous exciting talks on the various different aspects of office design and work culture by distinguished speakers from the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the Fraunhofer Institute, among others. On the very first day of the trade fair, it’s already all about “Working differently and better!” This is where Bernd Fels, co-founder of if5, the consulting and planning company for new worlds of work, will be presenting trends, facts, ideas and examples for the journey into the world of work 4.0. The talk by AECOM, entitled “See further, go further – transformational change” will provide an in-depth exploration of the new challenges facing the world of work in the future and what new approaches global companies are adopting. And trend consultant Brigitte Gebhard will delve into the subject of creative learning environments under the banner of the “New Work Order”.

Koelnmesse – Global competence in furniture, interiors and design:
Koelnmesse is the world’s top trade fair organiser for the areas of furnishing, living and lifestyle. At the trade fair hub of Cologne, leading international fair imm cologne as well as the trade fair formats of LivingKitchen, ORGATEC, spoga+gafa, interzum and Kind + Jugend rank among the internationally renowned and established industry meeting places. These fairs comprehensively represent the upholstered and case furniture segment, the kitchen industry, the office furniture sector and outdoor living as well as the innovations of the furniture supply industry. Over the last few years, Koelnmesse has specifically added international fairs in the most important fast-expanding markets to its portfolio. These include the China International Kitchen and Bathroom Expo (CIKB) in Shanghai, furniPRO Asia in Singapore and Pueri Expo in Sao Paulo.