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Comfort and sustainability in the modern enterprise

In recent years, companies have changed the way the physical office is used, giving rise to new trends.

In 2022, safety, functionality and sustainability are emerging in the Italian office design. Environments are being designed to be more flexible so as to adapt to new work standards.
According to the NBER Institute, the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research, about 70 percent of companies will permanently maintain a hybrid work environment spread during the pandemic, supporting staff working both inside and outside the office environment.

Many workers have become accustomed to working from home therefore the need has arisen to bring some of the comfort, tranquility and freedom of home to the office as well. This is when larger spaces dedicated to meeting areas, breaks and staff recreation are created in companies; the physical office remains an important reference and meeting center for employees and clients. The “lounge area” becomes the hub of the modern office: a space separated from the working area and equipped with amenities and services where employees and outside visitors can relax, but also conduct business meetings freely. In the past, this area was dedicated to waiting; now it is a welcome area with comfortable and original furniture such as lounge chairs, armchairs, and sofas.

In addition to creating alternative spaces, the modern company embarks on a path to minimize environmental impact in every respect. Consumers, too, are more vigilant in looking for companies that pay attention to their environmental and social commitment.

Sustainable design is not a futuristic concept but a reality already present in many workplaces. Reducing printer, air conditioner, and electricity use through the use of light sensors, installing automatic doors, and using automatic toilets are good remedies for reducing costs and saving energy, plus they can be important points of momentum for making changes and creating more sustainable companies. According to a study by M. Moser, careful office design can save between 20 percent and 40 percent, taking into account only heating and air conditioning aspects.
Make room therefore for furniture that uses natural materials that ensure the healthiness and mental and physical well-being of people.

Solutions for intelligent, interactive and connected office furniture

Great opportunities in terms of technological innovation enter the modern office furniture and community sector, thanks to the new io.T applications developed by Tecno in the workplace that becomes a communication tool reflecting the customer’s image.

Tecno was the first company in its sector to tackle the Internet of things, creating a system of furnishings interconnected with the environment which, thanks to a series of incorporated sensors, activate functions designed for the user and send information in real-time to allow resource optimisation.
Therefore, Tecno continues its technological path in the office world by combining concrete and “analog” excellence with the virtual and “digital” experience.

Tommaso Mosconi, General Manager io.T Solutions, explains Tecno’s path and its developments:
“We started from the most difficult thing, from the idea that a person can build his ideal environment through his workstation, a desk with incorporated sensors to know all his preferences. At the end of the project we understood that a sensor needs to be part of a system otherwise it doesn’t allow the collected data to be integrated and processed. After this experience, the research continued until the development of a software integrated with a smart building that makes the environment adaptable to the user’s needs (room reservations, meetings, lighting, air conditioning, etc.) and able to communicate with communication protocols for energy and access control, but above all a software that has the ability to integrate in an open way with all the other systems of the building.”

The new io.T project is linked to a new business model and space optimization that goes beyond software and hardware. It is a product that is the first to make a concrete transition from analog to digital.
The interactive features of io.T furniture can be updated thanks to the digital equipment that connects the activities of objects and people and thus allows you to establish performance and needs by bringing together different structural and personal factors. The advantages of an interactive furniture also allow to define the user’s tastes based on the use of the furniture: the movements of the desks, the height you select for the desktops, how they are used, etc. Furthermore, thanks to the data collection, it is possible to improve the product according to the user’s personal needs and even warn him if something is about to damage even before it breaks definitively; this naturally increases customer satisfaction and retention.

Io.T creates new opportunities and new responsibilities as well. The connected world, therefore, facilitates internal and external communication, activates remote control and allows the reduction of costs.

A new trend: the “Green” office

There are many new trends affecting the office. Certainly one of the most important is to ensure greater safety in the workplace through the use of intelligent, healthy and easy to maintain materials.

In all the environments like executive offices, operative offices and waiting areas, it is essential to ensure good air quality through purifiers, air conditioning systems and also through the use of antimicrobial materials, such as copper. For better air circulation, air conditioning and ventilation systems need to be constantly cleaned and improved so as to promote a healthy environment for those who work there. Of course, you can also improve the air you breathe through small natural measures.

One trend that is spreading is that of the “Green” office. Designers, in fact, are bringing nature into workplaces to make them sustainable and to prioritize the well-being of workers who spend most of their day at their desk in the office.

The use of plants within work environments, for example, definitely helps improve air quality, but also the mood and health of employees. Nature does not only mean using the green plants, but also emphasizing natural light, outdoor views and landscape views visible from the windows; all of which helps people working in the office to have a positive approach.
So there are plenty of expedients that can be implemented to make workstations more comfortable and welcoming. There are architects such as Selgas Cano, who have designed and built offices completely surrounded by the woods, where nature becomes part of the daily work routine.

The concrete advantages of “green” workstations are certainly: increased productivity, increased concentration and lower stress levels. Not least the physical well-being, being able to turn away the gaze from the computer screen and direct it outwards, allows the eyes to adjust the focus, thus lowering the level of fatigue and eyestrain.
Where it is not possible to have a natural view through the window, then ideal would be the use of specific plants, placed in strategic places and naturally matched to the style of your office. They must be decorative plants that adapt well to environments with little light, that do not require frequent watering, such as succulents, and that make the air more healthy.

Bamboo, for example, needs space in height and light, is a plant that furnishes, is ideal for creating natural room dividers, induces a state of relaxation and, last but not least, helps to neutralize formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene present in the air. Other plants, on the other hand, have a strong ability to adapt to small, dimly lit spaces and require little water.
Therefore, depending on the needs and style of your office, where wood or glass furniture can be used, it is necessary to arrange the right plants to create harmony, elegance and well-being in the working space you have.

The ideal office space

The buildings are designed to work, meet, experience… Indeed, they are places where we spend most of our everyday life. It is exactly within the offices that contact between people takes place, but in a moment like this where the word “contact” has a negative sense, it becomes necessary to provide adequate, bright and spacious working spaces in which to place ergonomic office, functional and design furnishings.

Working conditions and sustainable work are one of the main planning activities of the program for the period 2021-2024.
Internationally renowned designers are now experiencing a work culture based on wellness by creating large and well-divided spaces where they can create working relationships in respect for the others.
Great Place to Work®, the international consulting and research institute on workplace culture, has conducted a research recently on building a high-trust and healthy culture. This institute collects data from many European organizations to discover the main issues on well-being at work and the essentials to create an ideal work environment, which allows all employees to feel good. There is an evident connection between the quality of the working environment and the business growth of companies.

Working in an environment where there is respect and trust between people activate good processes that lead to a natural increase in motivation, participation and pride in being part of the company.
The results reveal that 47 percent consider stress a central problem within the company, while 65 percent of the managers say that health and well-being have emerged as a strategic priority.
An authentic culture based on well-being and respect needs to be created and preserved over time in order to make it a real philosophy of work. It is a way of acting that allows the company to grow from all points of view.

We hope we will be able to get back to our offices as soon as possible, but certainly with a different organization, with renewed methods and processes. In this particular circumstance, the attention to the wellness of people, employees and collaborators is a fundamental note.
Technology will also change: increasingly intelligent spaces will be needed in both executive and operational offices, where devices and software will allow new forms of interaction and space management. The office will become a more shared, “timed” and hybrid place between reality and virtuality.

The cheapest automatically lifting desk on the market : $399

Stand Desk

Stand Desk

Introduced as the cheapest automatically lifting office desk on the market, the Stand Desk has already obtained $ 84,608 on Kickstarter from 209 people. It will be for sale at a price of $ 399, that is to say, at least twice cheaper than its competitors, and quite inexpensive.

We have already seen that sitting down for long hours each day, reduces productivity, harms your health and even reduces life expectancy.

What‘s got to offer this office table compared to others? Being built with recycled materials, using a third of the components of other desks, this table is much cheaper. Moreover, it can be raised or lowered automatically by touching a button. The absence of stabilizer bars in the center gives more legroom or even room for drawers.

Modern office chairs: comfortable, ergonomic design – how to choose

Embody, modern office chair by Herman Miller

Embody, modern office chair by Herman Miller

Did you know that modern office chairs, are much more than chairs?

Before you make a choice, take the time to ask the right questions. What is the use ? What material and model is best suited ? What quality / price ratio to choose?

GOOD MODERN OFFICE CHAIRS : A PLEASURE AND A RIGHT

 The quality / price ratio implies also the quality and this depends on each concept : comfort, freedom of movement, strength, pleasure of spending long hours without fatigue, quality of work, productivity…

 Who says you cannot mix business and pleasure? Some solutions :

  •  What we need to think about before choosing modern office chairs?
  • What are your office chairs for ?
  • Condiderate that if your staff is sitting comfortably, they will provide a better job and be more productive.
  • Depending on the time spent sitting and the position you want to take to relax or work, there should be different choices.

Of course, there are plenty of modern office chairs for, but there are chairs with different settings that are suitable for different needs :

  1. Easy to manipulate joystick ;
  2. The possibilities of adjusting the height and backrest of the seat;
  3. A modern office chair that does not create discomfort after some time (heat, squeaks, tightness ) ;
  4. To combat back pain, it’s better with a slight inclination of the seat to the ground ;
  5. Prefer a material that doesn’t slip too easily ;
  6. Choose a modern office chair with five feet for safety, unless you opt for the traditional 4 feet;
  7. Wheels that do not scratch your beautiful floor unless you want it without wheels ;
  8. Aesthetics and design must adapt to your environment.
  9. It ‘s harder working being uncomfortable, then opt for the comfort of the seat.

Especially when we sit for a long time and regularly. A modern office chair represents the most important piece of furniture because you can safeguard your wellness capital. The choice from the start can spare you a lot of future damage, back pain, lack of motivation, less productivity…

The choice will also depend on your body type, if the chair is strong enough, it‘ll be able to take care of your back for many years.

The video of a modern office chair Embody by Herman Miller:

Modern chairs, the most used object of the XXI century

Human evolution, from caves to modern chairs

from caves to modern chairsHuman evolution has led humans to be sitting more and more. Not only, especially in developed countries, nine out of 10 people work sitting on a modern chair all day long; moreover, with the massive diffusion of television and the Internet, Americans spend an average of four hours a day sitting in front of a screen.

It is therefore essential that modern chairs be not only ergonomic, but also able to safeguard office workers’ health. The challenge is huge, because they should not only ensure a proper position to prevent musculoskeletal pathologies, but also probably allow moving as freely as possible while sitting. Indeed, lack of exercise due to the sedentary lifestyle is boosting the number of obese and diabetic individuals on the planet.

modern chair

modern chair

Benefits of having a glass executive desk

design glass desk Rialto

design glass desk Rialto

Whether it be a design desk or an executive-desk, we always have a wide selection of glass desks. Before deciding, it’s better to consider what are the advantages of this material compared to other materials, such as wood or plastic used for design or executive desks.

The glass desk, a statement furniture

Here’s small list of the main benefits of a glass desk :

  1. It sports a stylish, modern and sleek aesthetic
  2. You can choose tinted glasses in different colors
  3. It can be easily cleaned and sanitized
  4. The sun can not tarnish it
  5. Aside from scratches, it fears nothing, unlike a wood and plastic
  6. It’s not porous, is much more hygienic than wood since it cannot shelter bacteria on its surface if cleaned regularly
  7. If your office is in a small room, a glass desk will make it seem much larger because is transparent and allows light to pass
  8. He does not suffer the heat. So, if you put  a cup of hot coffee on your glass executive desk, you will not damage it, as would be the case for a wooden desk
  9. The glass contains no chemicals with harmful exhalations, unlike plastic or wooden desks, especially when new
  10. The glass is fully recyclable.

The cons of a glass desk :

  1. It can be scratched
  2. It can be heavy to move

And you, would you fancy having a glass desk ?