Office furniture specialist Kinnarps has worked with technology provider AMX to deliver a working demonstration of its philosophy at its London office.
As one of Europe’s leading office furniture companies, Kinnarps knows that the modern office is a complex place, where well-designed, functional and durable furniture plays a vital role in creating dynamic working spaces.
Taking a holistic view, the company also understands that good office design is more than just the physical office environment. At the heart of its approach is the concept of agile working; an experimental, activity–based working model based on the 3Cs principle of Collaboration, Concentration and Contemplation.
Successful agile working relies on three factors working in harmony; the physical environment, the technology and the management of the space. So, when the company decided to open new offices of its own in London’s Clerkenwell design district, it knew it had an opportunity to deliver a working demonstration of its philosophy.@page_break@
Enter AMX, and its centralised control and management solution which is helping Kinnarps showcase the kind of well-considered working environment that increases productivity, efficiency and improves employee well-being.
The realisation of Kinnarps’ vision was all-encompassing, with a nine-strong project team set up to turn the new space into the company’s UK flagship. Tom White, senior designer at Kinnarps comments: “The new premises had no infrastructure, so we were effectively starting from scratch. I was particularly interested in how the latest technology could be incorporated into the final design, making it a 21st century, collaborative, working environment.”
The project team was keen to understand how the advent of BYOD, cloud-based services and the increasing number of people working from home has led to a fundamental change in office design. A detailed briefing document outlined the three most significant technological considerations for the new facility: a high degree of power integration with loose furnishings; the capability to work from anywhere; and the inclusion of a digital meeting space booking system.
The resultant layout is a testament to how to utilise every square metre of an office space effectively. “Adaptability was one of our key objectives,” says White. “Real estate costs in London are some of the highest in the world, so it makes sense to maximise every available space within a building. For example, we designed a quiet zone where phones are not permitted, but when this section is not in use, it can easily be changed into our seminar area for up to 60 people. We can do this within less than an hour and without the need to include specialist fitters.”@page_break@
The quiet zone has been specifically designed with five individual work stations, three of which boast AMX touchpanel technology. Compact Modero NXD-430 4.3” wall-mounted touchpanels offer intuitive control over the working environment. Behind the scenes, AMX’s Resource Management Suite (RMS) integrates seamlessly with Lotus Notes Domino Server and Integrated Resource Database Microsoft Exchange, to provide management and scheduling capabilities which are accessible via any of the three quiet zone touch panels, or the four additional panels located outside of the meeting rooms and the two panels in the web chat booths.
“AMX Modero touchpanels have been installed in the exterior surfaces of three of the work stations in the quiet zone,” explains White. “The system takes the hassle out of booking a working space and gives greater choice about where to work. People simply book via their Lotus Notes calendar and select any of the nine bookable areas or book using the touch screen controls on the individual panels located outside the chosen meeting space.
“At Kinnarps, no one has their own deskwhich meant that, before this system was installed, people often booked a meeting room so that they could have a quiet space in which to work. This resulted in poor resource allocation – often meetings for several people could not be booked as the meeting rooms had already been taken by individual workers. Now this is a thing of the past. AMX technology has helped people at Kinnarps to organise their working day more efficiently. So instead of booking a room for a whole day, they might book one of our web chat rooms for an hour and then release that resource for someone else to use whilst they are in another part of the building. AMX’s Resource Management Suite is a real boon for facilities managers as it helps to get across the concept that work spaces are a valuable resource and need to be more effectively utilised.”
An NI-700 NetLinx controller provides the brains behind Kinnarps’ system, allowing the range of devices and operating platforms to be fully integrated as part of the central control system. Novara CP-1008 control pads provide an additional control interface. These 8-button units provide Kinnarps with simplified device control with just the right mix of ease of use, programming simplicity and cost effectiveness.
