Category: Design Events

Creating a more empowered workforce for the future. Highlights from Worktech 2022 by Kasim Ali-Khan

Creating a more empowered workforce for the future. Highlights from Worktech 2022 by Kasim Ali-Khan

Making life easy and providing digital equality is a massive incentive to draw staff back to the workplace.

Last week I attended the Worktech 2022 in Sydney; here are my key takeaways around the future of ‘work and the workplace’, ‘culture’ and the ‘great resignation’.

Philip Ross, the keynote and chairperson, kicked off the conference with a perspective on the state of the world and the opportunity for Change post Covid-19.

Phillip noted Lyft, a US based ride share company, have divested from their real estate portfolio and have announced employees can work from anywhere and presumably anytime! Covid has shown that as we emerge from 2 years of uncertainty 90% of office staff have now been offered flexible Work from Home (WFH) conditions. Further, Rhona Duncanson – KPMG advised that their attendance was roughly 1 day a week from the office where many others are looking at 2,3,4 or 5 days. Workplaces define their culture largely through people and if you remove the hub or physical presence the culture erodes and leaves the space for the great resignation. There has been research defining the reason for the great resignation as being better working conditions and pay but reading between the data and taking a holistic perspective, my view is that these are elements of the culture.

In the data enabled age we live in, we are both wary of intrusion and needy of the concierge type apps to navigate the drudge / chores away from the core functions of work and socialisation. Large companies globally are recognising this and providing these services to their staff. Ken Lynch from ANZ was positively excited to hear the buzz from people returning to the campus in Melbourne and extolling the virtues of an App developed to help the staff with finding a desk, ordering coffee and lunch with services such as dry cleaning all within the campus. Making life easy and providing digital equality is a massive incentive to draw staff back to the workplace. Plenty of international examples of buildings and HQ’s for offices that offer these services, such as Google, Lego and the new 6 star digitally enabled 22 Bishopsgate were provided. Another concept being delivered in North America was the option for working in a suburban hub for 20/40% of time so that your balance was 2 days in the office, 2 days in a hub and a day from home. We certainly have these on the Sydney fringe in several suburbs including Gosford, Parramatta and Manly

To continue on the theme of choice for the workers and creating better working spaces we had a very polished virtual presentation from Dr Christine Bruckner from Moser on designing for the environment embracing the natural topographical elements of water, light and air into the physical space, creating both a nature-based approach and a people centric environment. Natalie Slessor, from Lendlease, and her panel debated a more collaborative way we can develop the new economy through innovation and taking great ideas to get funding though NSW Government (Helen Palmer) and universities like Macquarie (Paul Hogan) and through the large corporates like Lend Lease’s Connect in Melbourne (Simone Laity) and to develop these ideas at Hyper speed to market for the benefit of companies and employees. 

Caroline Boyce from Lend Lease, had earlier pointed out a power shift from the employer to the employee in reference to “Innovation districts” developed by Lend lease and this was also highlighted by Paul Edwards from Mirvac discussing the human centred design. Varum Malkani – Smarten Spaces, also proposed a “structured approach to Hybrid working”. We even had the notion that leases will be negotiated with a more collaborative approach rather than in an adversarial way to enable the tenant to help develop a space appropriate to their business and culture.  

In summary, culture is “caught not taught” (panel discussion) and creating the optimum experiential workplace from a design of the physical space and ramping up the tech to support the more empowered workforce, is the key to staff retention. Secondly, workplace is still important in its new form to provide the meeting place to allow ideas and culture to breed. Thirdly, we need EQ, creativity, originality and the development of our emotional skills as a core part of improving our overall wellbeing. Finally, the pace of change has never been faster and potentially better for us all if we can embrace change and respect the planet.

We also witnessed 3D avatars being demonstrated by Philip allowing his presence to be 3 dimensional in a remote meeting rather than through zoom or teams. We still need the real Philip (and of course me hopefully for the next 10 years at least), but this is where we are all heading. 

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    Denfair 2019

    09.03.2019

    Success at Denfair

    Over the course of three days in Melbourne was taken over by the best in the industry as Denfair and the National Architecture Conference collided in the best of ways.
    As Denfair celebrated their 5th birthday for the first time the exhibition also housed a dedicated workspace sector. This new direction, LIFE WORK shone a light on designs that support the rapid integration of working and personal lives.

    TCW takes pride by not being pigeonholed into specifying for any one sector, in recent years our projects have spanned over public spaces, retail & hospitality, workplaces, education and healthcare. Having said this our team of experts has a pooled knowledge about furniture design specifically for the workplace. Current design trends, shifts in office culture and building/ property influences all contributed to what we decided to show at Denfair.

    Photography credit to Fiona Susanto

    Photography credit to Denfair Media

    Booths, pods, meeting rooms – call them what you will, we believe they are a fundamental element in current workplace designs. Creating an ecosystem of spaces that caters to a variety of tasks is essential in keeping employees satisfied and productive. How can we solve this with rental buildings, open plan spaces and technology ruling work? Flexibility.
    “Our focus was on innovation in the way we manage spaces, with a view to support the agile and activity based workplace. Telephone booths are about addressing the human need for privacy, for those quiet moments or focus work and are an integral need amongst the buzz created by dynamic working. TCW are exclusive agents for the Silen Space and the Smartblock as well as having one of Europe’s leading, more established brands Dauphin with their Bosse human space cubes.” – Kasim Ali-Khan Director
    At Denfair we were able to demonstrate the possibilities of creating spaces that are not just flexible but clever by catering to specific tasks. The LIFE WORK area was a great success for workplace furniture and shone a light on the intersection of technology and human centric design in the industry. TCW also collaborated with Markant and their Hybrid collection, which was installed at the Media Stand.

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      Orgatec Wrap Up

      29.10.2018

      Orgatec Wrap Up

      Last Friday wrapped up Orgatec 2018, and with manly of our suppliers on the ground exhibiting their new products and innovations so were we. Themes that TCW has explored since FRONT re-surfaced in Cologne. Flexible working, wellness and of course human-centric design were all at the forefront.
       

      If Doctor Who, ever wanted a new Tardis then this was the show. There were small ones, large ones, good ones and some pretty ordinary efforts. TCW have the pick of the bunch with the Dauphin Human Space Cube having a large range of sizes as well as excellent air handling and very good acoustics. The other measures of cubes include, plug and play integration, comfort, installation time and mobility.
      Smartblock won the mobility race easily with simplicity of movement and engineering that rates very highly on all scales. Flexible working was visible in so many of the stands – from soft seating to the highly considered booths and pods mentioned.

      “Orgatec 2018 once again proved to be the most influential and ahead-of-the-curve global design trade show.”

      On the first day I viewed the Framery booth, new LoOok industries products, Dauphin, Actiu, our new brand Smartblock. To close Wednesday we had the Dauphin 50 year celebration and the speeches with Mr Dauphin being acknowledged for his massive contributions. Dauphin was a highlight with the latest rendition of the Human Space cubes with black powder coated frames offering great aesthetics, some of the best engineering systems and modular abilities.
      Actiu highlights included the new chair Karbon, a strong indication of the technical possibilities and trajectory of Actiu’s design development. Whass and Talent were the other big hits, where the integration of furniture and technology met again showing the industries response to the increased need for agile furniture. Actiu’s 50th bash was incredibly vibrant and showed their commitment to forward thinking with not just products but technology and mobile applications focused on wellbeing.
      Orgatec once again has shown that growth and new ideas is insatiable in design industry, and we are so glad businesses and individuals continue to be curious and challenge the now, looking into the future.

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        Friends at Orgatec

        19.10.2018

        Our friends at Orgatec

        Next week kicks off Orgatec, the leading international trade fair for the modern working world hosted biannually in Cologne. This year will be pushed by “culture@work” as the central theme, exploring diverse and visionary concepts for work environments, and what the future of this design will look like.
        TCW is in constant collaboration with designers, builders and creative thinkers that are influencing this culture of change in the workplace. With our friends and suppliers on the ground as exhibitors, we are keenly involved in how workplace furniture can be designed with a positive culture at the forefront.

        Image © Koelnmesse 2018

        Orgatec 2016 presented the theme “creativity works” and that was true to form for LoOok Industries, which are an exclusive brand of TCW. Their design approach breaks boundaries and old notions that workplace furniture has to be ‘corporate’ – what they create are fun, practical and applicable furniture for flexible working. This year they are back with new ideas and products that push this notion further and we can’t wait for the world to see. Find them in Hall 10.2 Stand K039.
        Both Actiu and Dauphin Human Design Group celebrated 50 years this year, and what better way to celebrate with the continued development of innovative products. Actiu will be showcasing their smart furniture, and it’s firm commitment to people. Actiu has been creating comfortable and efficient cool working spaces around the philosophy that “organisations can align their challenges to transform with current needs”. Have a peek at Hall 09.1, stands C049 & B048, after 50 years you can still expect great things.
        Technology and furniture integrate with The Human Space Cube designed by Bosse. The modular system allows for rooms to be created independently of a building, necessary in current workplace designs. Not only is it freestanding, but also fully aerated, temperature controlled, with specialty lights and technology ports. This unique private or collaborative space (depending on size) has a sound isolation of 38dB ideal in open plan environments. Make sure you try this out at Hall 8.1 aisle B/C, stands B028 – C031.

        “After all, it is only through a culture that promotes diversity, collaborative partnerships, motivation and trust that we are inspired to work creatively and our ideas are allowed to flourish.” – Orgatec Media

        Smartblock is the latest brand that TCW is enthusiastic about distributing exclusively in Australia. It is well know that the development of workplace furniture has been largely pushed by shifts in culture, but there are other factors prevalent also. In Australia the rising costs of property, building and employee expectation shifts have meant that how a company re-structures their workplace interior is as much economical as it is about culture and wellbeing. Smartblock allows for a flexible workplace without pouring money into permanent infrastructure, or creating spaces that are single purpose. This is something you need to see at Orgatec, find them in Hall 10.1, Stand C013.
        Australian’s go abroad! ThinkingWorks have not only done a fabulous re-brand in recent months but has revamped existing products, and made way for new products in workplace furniture. They are being quite secretive about what exactly will be on show but have said they are releasing two completely new product ranges. Gathering by all the fantastic new things they have created of late, we will definitely be stopping by Hall 6.01 aisle C058 to see.
        Let the show begin!

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          We are Only Human

          21.08.2018

          We are Only Human

          At FRONT, TCW was one of many exhibitors showcasing innovative products and services that responded to needs in the architecture, design and building industries. There were a variety of concepts prevalent to our industries explored throughout the seminars, and driven in the types of products presented throughout the event.
          Something that continued to reoccur was across the board, designs were being created and considered against a highly human-centric approach. My thoughts were further cemented listening to the speakers of ‘Tech Two and Call Me in the Morning’ spinning thoughts on designing for Circadian rhythms, integration of technology and emotional responsiveness, all the way to discussing AI and robotics with a sole purpose of bettering human welfare.

          In an age of technological innovation, and moving forward with new workplace practices, some crucial needs can get lost. There are certain nuances in life that will always make a person happy, and those things that will always create roadblocks to ones wellbeing. The workplace today is as demanding as ever, and life is moving at a fast pace too. Most professionals don’t just go home and ‘switch off’ after 5pm. They are likely to be checking their emails and take work home outside of business hours, and likewise run a personal errand and check their social feeds at work.
          When you walk into an office there should be places to live not just work. The architecture and design industry is booming with multi functional furniture and spatial design that allow for individual and collaborative working. This was the first step. Now we need to think deeper about the work-life aspects. Let’s exist in workplaces designed so that when entered, you know that there are zones for those personal tasks too.
          The Human Space Cube designed by Bosse is one solution for an independent space, a means of creating a room with a free-floating frame – not impeding on a buildings structure. You can create a 10 person meeting room for high intensity work, or a solo cube for taking that personal phone call. The acoustic panels, temperature control and air-circulation are all feats of design and engineering that made the Human Space Cube such a success at FRONT. This product is an ideal solution to the privacy issues that arose out of the open office concept. People always need time in their own space, and considered design can provide it.

          It was renowned industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa that said ‘the best designs are those that dissolve into behaviour’. Unsurprisingly, people often respond to environments emotionally first and rationally second. When a designed space is so simple and responsive to the need and audience that it is created for, it becomes intrinsic in its use.
          We can improve the ‘liveability’ of our workplaces by designing them to target the way people feel in them, not just their functions. When you are surrounded by harsh edges and bland, unnatural materials – it’s just not a nice feeling. Zones designed by Pearson&Lloyd for Teknion, brings back the notion of circadian rhythms with a human centred design approach interlaced into every stage of their process. Each piece of the collection is considered by how someone would react in the space, how would they feel sitting in it, how they move around, how different elements interact. Using furniture should be intrinsic; as is the way you react to it. There is not one right angle in the collection, paired with soft textiles and timber, the mind can relax. Luke Pearson reflected on their outcome “it has to feel simple, at the end of the day you don’t want to have to tell people how to do things or how to use it. They have to just intuitively get on with it.”

          “It has to feel simple, at the end of the day you don’t want to have to tell people how to do things or how to use it. They have to just intuitively get on with it.” – Luke Pearson

          Designing for a healthy work-life balance and recognising that workplaces needs are inclusive of human needs, needs to be a factor for every healthy and productive workplace. Simply adding in a nice skylight or piece of furniture doesn’t automatically ensure positive human behaviour, but it does make a difference. Take time to inspect and understand how parts of a fit out effect people’s behaviour, it could be a chain reaction.

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            Sideshow Alley

            29.05.18

            Sideshow Alley

            Dance for Life 2018 is rapidly approaching and last Wednesday we opened our Alexandria showroom to some of the madness. Along with our organisers Thinking Works and InStyle, seven of the teams that are participating in the June 15th competition created stalls where all proceeds went to their fundraising targets.

            The night was filled with stalls of fairy floss, popcorn, and cocktails to mini golf, video games, face painting and fortune telling. TCW supplied delicious paella for the masses and the incredible team from ReachOut managed tickets. Youth ambassador Yaseen spoke passionately and with gratitude about his experience with ReachOut. He enthused about why it is so important that the generations of youth growing up today feel more open, and are compelled to have more conversations about mental health than before.
            In the waves of technology, social media usage, and constant bombardment of news and events, having a quiet space to think and rest ones mind is difficult, especially if you don’t have a quiet one to begin with. ReachOut Australia is one of the most comprehensive and full spectrum organisations when it comes to addressing issues of mental health. Their services go above and beyond in providing a plethora of ways to understand and manage mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, anorexia and wide variety more.
            TCW is so excited that we are involved this year and hopefully for more to come! Good luck teams and don’t forget that tickets are still on sale for those of you who haven’t got your hands on some yet.
            http://bit.ly/DFL18-Tickets

            Yes, Dance for Life is an incredible event for the architecture and design industry in Australia, but none of us would be here if it wasn’t supporting a worthwhile cause.

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              TEKNION WINS BEST OF COMPETITION

              June 16, 2016

              TEKNION WINS BEST OF COMPETITION

              Teknion Corporation today announced that it won six prestigious awards at NeoCon. Zones, a comprehensive series of furniture that transforms the office, earned three awards including the show’s top honor – Best of Competition. The Zones Collection received a Gold Best of NeoCon in the Furniture Collections for Collaboration category. Zones benches won a Gold Best of NeoCon in the Seating: Benches category, and Zones tables earned Silver in the Conference Room Furniture category.

              The Teknion Sanna by Pablo lighting collection designed by Pablo Pardo collected a Gold Best of NeoCon award in the Lighting: Task/Desktop/Furniture-Integrated category. The Tek Pier integrated, height-adjustable, wall-mounted worksurface and monitor earned Gold in the Technology-Integrated Solutions category.

              “Winning five Best of NeoCon awards plus the Best of Competition is incredibly rewarding in light of the record number of product entries this year and their overall design excellence,” said David Feldberg, President & CEO. “We share these honors with Tom Lloyd and Luke Pearson whose design team, working in conjunction with our own designers, has done an exceptional job with Zones. We also share these awards with Pablo Pardo for Sanna, and our talented in-house design team for their work on Tek Pier and all of the other outstanding products we exhibited at NeoCon.”

              “We share these honours with Tom Lloyd and Luke Pearson whose design team, working in conjunction with our own designers, has done an exceptional job with Zones. We also share these awards with Pablo Pardo for Sanna, and our talented in-house design team for their work on Tek Pier and all of the other outstanding products we exhibited at NeoCon.”

              Zones is a comprehensive series of furniture that transforms the office, challenging convention and changing the way people experience work. The collection is comprised of seating, tables, screens, easels and semi-private enclosures, which can be used as either intimate collaborative settings or a place of retreat for privacy. In addition to furniture settings, Zones encompasses lighting and accessories.

              In addition to the Best of NeoCon and Best of Competition awards, Zones was a HiP Awards Honoree in the Workplace: Seating, Lounge, Collection category in Interior Design magazine’s annual recognition program. Zones was also presented a Metropolis Likes, which recognizes emerging design trends through the magazine’s social media-based award program.

              Teknion received three other HiP Awards for new products. Teknion Sanna by Pablo lighting was the winner in the Lighting category. Focus Wall, and the Around Task Chair designed by Justus Kolberg, were Honorees in their respective categories. In the People category, David Feldberg won a Lifetime of HiPness Award.

              Ninety-three awards were distributed in the Best of NeoCon 2016 competition of contract furnishing products during NeoCon, June 13-15, at theMART in Chicago. A total of 423 products were entered in 43 product and furnishing categories in the competition, sponsored by Contract magazine, NeoCon, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), and The McMorrow Reports for Facilities Management.

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                SYDNEY INDESIGN 2015 – POST EVENT PRESS RELEASE

                August 20, 2015

                Sydney Indesign – Press Release

                Sydney, August 13th to 15th – TCW reopened its doors for the first time since the completion of its newly expanded Sydney showroom and welcomed more than 800 visitors from Australia’s architect and design community for three days of new products, events, and art installations.
                CHECK OUT our latest Press Release to find our more about our stunning new Sydney showroom and the recent Sydney InDesign Event.

                It’s been an industrious few months for TCW and it certainly showed during Sydney InDesign 2015 – the renowned interior design event that took place August 13 to 15th across Sydney. A new showroom, exclusive new product lines, an eye-catching rebrand, and The Project art installation were all revealed during three days of educational events, showroom tours and networking.
                Following a successful Melbourne launch earlier in the year, TCW has continued with a major expansion and renovation to its Sydney headquarters. The showroom is situated at the same great location (within Alexandria’s design precinct), but TCW has knocked down the neighbouring walls and nearly doubled in size.
                Under the guidance of local design firm PTID, new finishes such as polished concrete floors, plywood feature walls and LED suspended lights are found throughout.
                To top it off, an exploded version of Le Corbusier’s “Cortège, Portfolio-1939, Fall of Barcelona” shrouds an entire wall soaring up to five and a half meters in height. The print is a spectacle to be seen and made for an unparalleled photo backdrop during the event. 

                “It’s what we wish for our clients”, Director Kasim Ali-Khan said, “The opportunity to create workspaces that accommodate everyone’s unique habits, working styles, and rituals”.

                TCW was set to showcase three new manufacturers during Friday and Saturday’s InDesign showroom tours. Loose furnishings by UK’s Naughtone and Finland’s LoOok Industries added a colourful splash of breakout furniture throughout the space, while Teknion featured its collaborative bench system, Interpret, and innovative presentation technology, CLUBtalk.
                Teknion is the latest addition to TCW’s list of exclusive brands. It is a Canadian-headquartered, global leader in commercial furniture and, along with TCW, is well equipped to serve multi-national and regional companies alike. Other established brands on display included: Actiu, Dauphin, Markant, Anon&Co, and Colebrook Bosson Saunders, among several others. 
                Once the dust was cleared and upgraded corporate branding in place, TCW inaugurated it’s new space with a Friday evening WorkLife Seminar titled “Big Data & Smart Buildings.” The evening’s panel featured some of TCWs most prolific speakers to date – Jeremy Pollack (POMT), Kellie Payne (Bates Smart), Peter McCamley (Incorp Property Solutions Group) and Brent Harman (Atlassian).
                With moderation by the eloquent Max Thomson (Spitfire Control), the panelists addressed the integration of technology into structures, answering the question, “How can smart technology and big data be intelligently and sensitively deployed to improve workplaces while being sensitive to concerns around privacy and personal control.”
                Is ‘Earl’, the UPS driver who’s paid extra to generate data via tracking his every movement, the way of the future? Or is the white-collar workspace already generating this data through our innate dependency on technology?
                If a new space and new products weren’t enough, TCW once again participated in the The Project – InDesign’s art installation competition. This year’s chosen theme was Ritual and, in line with the current trend toward activity-based workplaces, TCW interpreted the theme by transforming its showroom into a journey through modern daily rituals.
                The Project started with everybody’s favourite morning ritual (coffee, of course!) and led attendees through physical movement (an acrobatic yoga workshop), collaboration (team building exercises), play (who doesn’t like a photo booth?) and concluded at an offering station. Here guests were encouraged to set a ritual they wished to incorporate into their own daily lives, scroll it onto a ribbon and tied it off to a colourful sacred archway.
                “It’s what we wish for our clients,” Director Kasim Ali-Khan said, “The opportunity to create workspaces that accommodate everyone’s unique habits, work styles, rituals.
                Now, how the baker managed to match our new logo colour so closely, that I won’t understand,” continued Kasim with a chuckle before biting into one of the best Pantone 7409 donuts we’ve tasted.

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