Certainly the buzzword of the day is “collaboration.” No other term better captures the new mood prevailing over the workspace environment, as designers and manufacturers jockey for new layouts, aesthetics, and functionality for contract schemes. At this year’s NeoCon, look to Allsteel’s Gather to capture this zeitgeist and set future trends.

Gather Modern Office. Manufactured by Allsteel.

Gather Round for Allsteel’s Re-invention of the Modern Office

Gather isn’t so much a new collection of contract furniture, but rather a conceptual re-definition of what furniture intends to accomplish, and, accordingly, what furniture is. Thus, as Allsteel says, “of course there is seating, tables, storage and accessories, but, with more than half the series incorporating dual functions, these traditional descriptions are insufficient. Seating/Space Division, Worksurface/Interaction Center and other similar slashed labels more aptly apply.”

Henceforth we enter the era of the office-space multi-tasker. “Hedge,” for instance, is a combination privacy screen/room divider that also happens to house a conveniently curved work surface. Scooch is a lightweight ergonomic stool/seat with a recessed handle for easy transport; View takes the whiteboard to the next level—it’s a multi-use storage credenza/media center fully equipped with a flat screen monitor on one side and a marker board on the other; and Rise is a big, geometrical block of “steps” of varying heights that accommodates several people for casual gatherings without taking up a lot of floor space.

Allsteel created Gather in response to what they term the “metamorphosis” of the workspace. The gathering obsolescence of the traditional cubicle, office, or “workstation,” gave rise to furnishings conducive to collaborative sharing while preserving some semblance of autonomy when needed. The result is this innovative, semi-public, and always dynamic collection: “It’s a change due as much to a generational shift as to today’s business climate. Yet, with this increase in collaborative workplaces, appropriate furnishings and interior applications were insufficient, until now and the introduction of Gather.”

About the Manufacturer: From the unlikely locale of Muscatine, IA, Allsteel, Inc. holds fast to their conviction that “there’s always a better way to improve efficiency and foster teamwork.” The company has a serious stake in keeping pace with evolving workplace trends. Just so, they’ve recently released such award-winning products as Acuity seating, Seek stacking chairs, and Merge conferencing tables. The company also boasts the distinction of being the first contract manufacturer to earn certification of all products as Indoor Advantage or Indoor Advantage Gold—standards set by the EPA for indoor air quality and low emissions of VOCs.