La Mercanti has been active in India since the last ten years with Las Mobili (one of the largest office furniture Italian manufacturers) and other leader italian office furniture brands, thanks to his collaboration with local partners.

La Mercanti has supplied furniture to many clients, including the new Headquarters of British Gas Exploration and Production, a beautiful Platinum Rated Green Building, in Bombay, through the cooperation with Mr. Mihir Jhaveri, director of C.E.O.

British Gas has been provided with office furniture for 3,400 m²:

- 360 Enosi Workstations

- 360 Mya chairs

- 311 Yuma chairs

- 52 crystal Enosi Executive

- 20 meeting and conference rooms

in collaboration with the prestigious firm of Architect Hafeez Contractor, one of the most important designers in the world, member of both the “Bombay Heritage Committee” and the “New Delhi Lutens Bungalow Zone Review Committee”.

Hafeez Contractor had modest beginnings in 1982 with a staff of two. Today the firm has over 350 employees including senior associates, architects, interior designers, draftsmen, civil engineering team and architectural support staff.

The firm has conceptualized, designed and executed a wide range of architectural projects like bungalows; residential developments; hospitals; hotels; corporate offices; banking and financial institutions; commercial complexes; shopping malls; educational institutions; recreational and sports facilities; townships; airports; railway stations, urban planning and civic redevelopment projects.

Environmental health and quality are today indispensable elements that characterise good architectural design in both the public and private sectors. We are all aware of the risks deriving from overexposure to noise in the working environment.

ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS
The parameters defining the acoustic quality of a confined space are all interrelated and their values determine the degree of acoustic quality of a theatre or concert hall, as well as MEETING ROOMS, OFFICES, RECEPTIONS, SCHOOLS, RESTAURANTS, shops, test rooms, theatre and so on.
The reverberation time is one of the most well-known parameters in the acoustics field and it expresses the environmental “resonance”.
Another descriptor of some importance for conference rooms, places of worship, schools and offices, is represented by the Speech Transmission Index, which describes the intelligibility of the spoken word.

SOUND ABSORPTION AND SOUND INSULATION
These are two completely different concept. A wall in brick is heavy and highly sound insulation, but it is not sound absorbing. The heavier the wall, the more it insulates against external noise. Similarly, we can say that a fibreglass panel is light and highly sound absorbent, but it’s not sound insulating.

SOUND ABSORBING PANELS
A sound absorbing mechanism is obtained using perforated wooden, plaster or metal panels. The panel behaves as a large sound “trap” which can offer high sound absorption values. Our panel is a sound absorbing panel manufactured in milled MDF with internal resonators that make use of the acoustic properties of the previously mentioned sound absorbing systems, thus combining optimum acoustic performance with agreeable aesthetics. This panel uses three sound absorbing systems: perforated sound absorbing panels, sound absorbing resonators and vibrating panels or membranes.
The soundproofing lining systems lends itself to installation with any type of wall and false ceiling improving the acoustics inside closed rooms, where it eliminates echoes and absorbs excess noise.

ADI, Industrial Design Association, which represents the whole Italian Design system, has selected BEA as one of the best products in the triennium 2006/2008. BEA has been included in the prestigious ADI DESIGN CODEX ‘06/08 which represents the excellence of the Italian Design during the triennium and at the same time define the pre-selection to the most important Italian Award “Compasso d’Oro”.

Bea is an ergonomic chair for an operative life in office as at home. In its loaded version, it includes the strictest ergonomic and safety standards (EN, ANSI-BIFMA), while in its non-work versions it becomes a residential lounge chair. An internal frame Zytel 80G33 is covered with double layer of reinforced Pebax. The operative model is characterized by BeaRevo synchron mechanism with seven push & click button to adjust its ergonomic set-up. Indeed, Bea has special features that support the back, especially the lumbar area and also armrests are adjustable in height and inclination. The flexible and soft design belongs to Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas.

In June I entered for the first time in La Mercanti office for an employment interview.
My eyes were surprised and captivated by this innovative workspace. The different workstations: meeting-room, sales-room, planning-room and marketing manager-room, were divided by transparent partitions that with big windows made that environment luminous and functional thanks also to the complete harmony between the elements.

Now I work here, in these offices and everyday I can live better my job. Yes, because it’s really true that the evolution of the office reflects a change in ways of working. The open space office already widespread in American companies, helps to work like a team in a comfortable sitting.
Don’t you believe that a cosy and stimulating working space can benefit in terms of productivity?

Whether you work from home or work from an office you spend a lot of time behind your desk. The wrong position can wreak havoc on your entire body. Tension builds up in your back, circulation is cut off to your legs, you’re a mess- so what do you do about it? Get ergonomic.

How to set your self up right

Proper sitting position can help you improve your physical well-being and improve your performance at work. An uneasy body can be severely incapacitated long before you even realize there is a problem. Sitting in a comfortable but well supported position keeps your blood flowing and your mind functioning well. A few points to consider when taking a closer look at your current office situation are:

1 - Your Seat

Does your chair have proper lumbar support? A good chair is well worth the cost you pay for it. Make sure it has adjustable support for lower back, and fits your body and supports your shoulders as well. Keep your chair in proper working order. Little tilts can mean you have to compensate for movements and hold the chair steady putting further stress on yourself.

2 – Level of Activity

Make sure your arms are held at a proper 45 degree angle and your wrists appropriately bent. A good ergonomic keyboard and a desk with an adjustable rather than stationary keyboard holder will make it easier to place yourself in the correct and comfortable position.

3 – The Eyes have it

Eyestrain is a common problem for people who spend a lot of time behind a computer screen. The height of your monitor and distance from your seat will make a big difference in your comfort and well-being. Getting an adjustable monitor stand can allow you to raise and lower your monitor so it is at perfect eye level as well as move it forward or back easy to adjust for your position.

4 – Pain in the Neck

Neck pain is one of the most common complaints of office workers but rarely to people understand that neck pain is not often caused by neck position but rather arm and wrist position. Strain on the upper back and shoulders makes muscles in the neck bunch to compensate and develops spasms and knots. Adding adjustable arms supports added to your work station as well as ergonomic keyboards help reduce arm and shoulder strain and ease the pressure on your neck muscles.

5 - Wrist pain

Carpel tunnel is the most common work related injury and it is avoidable. A good keyboard station, an ergonomic mouse pad that allows easy fluid movement and is curved to move the wrist instead of holding it in a stationary position are all easy to accomplish things that will relieve pressure on that sensitive tendon in your wrists.

Paying attention to the little things that keep your body comfortable and supported will ensure you have a long productive life free and be the successful person you know you can be

Whatch this video, Laura is helping everybody to better use our web La Mercanti:

Technology has had a profound effect on the way we live and work. As a result, we are spending more time sitting and using computers, which has greatly increased the occurrence of related musculoskeletal disorders.

All office chairs are not created equal. When you are shopping for office chairs for your business there are many situations that require their own special type of chair and in some cases a special chair is required just to allow some employees to be able to do their jobs. Choosing an office chair should not be a standard affair but rather an important part of the office furniture planning process.

For a certain segment of your working population a standard office chair will do the job. Most people are of average size and have no physical challenges that would make any special kind of chair necessary. When choosing a standard office chair you should always go with quality over price. Many people will come and go at your company but you do not need to constantly be investing in office furniture to accommodate any new people. A well built ergonomic office chair that costs a little more than the economy model will pay for itself through years of service to the revenue generating people that will be using it. Constantly purchasing inexpensive office chairs is not good business.

So what exactly is ergonomics? In a broad sense, office ergonomics applies science to workplace design to maximize productivity while reducing operator fatigue and discomfort.

An employer should always be in touch with the needs of their employees and that includes needs for a special office chair. If you hire an employee with a physical challenge then you should make the effort to purchase a chair for them that will allow them to be productive and do their job without any physical discomfort. If you hire a person that may require a larger office chair then investing in that chair can allow the employee to be productive without having to constantly go through several standard office chairs. Paying attention to the needs of your employees by investing in special office chairs when needed helps to improve company morale and that has a positive effect on your bottom line.

Seeing such offices makes you wish you were working for Google. They have everything a person needs in there and even more. They have massage chairs, slides, pool tables and other games, private cabins and much more.
Here’s an inside look at the incredible Google Zurich office.

Their “team is strong in all things maps and geo, even more so after having integrated several dozen specialists from Swiss company Endoxon, which Google acquired.”

The building was designed for – and partly by – the 300 engineers who will work there. The alternative office is both a showcase for Google’s unconventional approach to business and a symbol to prove that Google is no longer a US-centric firm.

La Mercanti in Milan!

Alongside the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, now in its 48th edition, together with the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition this year will be Euroluce, the eagerly-awaited International Lighting Exhibition that sets the sectorial benchmark with its wide range and broad spectrum of goods that go to make up a unique lighting sector scenario embracing both technological and formal innovation.

The exhibition focused on twelve key areas where recent material developments have made a significant impact: eco-effectiveness, fiber reinforcement, security, sound absorption, foam alternatives, advances in molding, translucency, functional and decorative surfaces, advances in leathers, heat and the biopolymer revolution.

A highlight of the exhibition was a display of groundbreaking products that demonstrate an exceptional use of advanced materials and a clear commitment to the environment.

Happy Easter!
Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads toward a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey.

The promise of Christ is not only a reality the we await, but a real presence.

Benedict XVI