Haworth New Office Furniture System: Computer setup

1986

Work of Art for Project, Office Furniture Prototype

An idea about a computer set-up area, deep enough to accomodate all kinds of connections and subunits, behind the main screen unit, not advanced besides some initial sketches, scale models and mockups. This first idea was further developed in 1988 as part of the Herman Miller New Office Furniture System.

Created by:

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Gary Black

Content of

Project

New System of Office Furniture for Haworth, Inc. 1985 to 1986

Holland, MI, U.S.A.

Office Furniture, Designed , Furniture prototypes built by C.E.S.

Client:

Haworth Manufacturing, Inc. - Tom Hench

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Gary Black, Mark Brinner

Design and construction process:

Theree design principles guided the development of the project: 1) Layout of the personal work space by their users in order to meet their own personal needs; this process is achievable through the use of a computer program developed at C.E.S. which carries a worker through the design process. 2) Use of flexible manufacturing techniques, which allow individualisation of each piece of furniture, without increasing costs; the purpose of this feature is to eliminate the modularity that is part and parcel of current systems. 3) The basis of design is the real human needs and desires, not on the latest trend.

Project stages:

Pattern language for project by C.E.S. Generic rules for office layout process Use of full scale mock-ups Fabrication of full size furniture prototypes by C.E.S. Design Development drawings done after fabrication

The new system of office furniture, intended for mass production, was designed in such a way as to be capable of creating the environment for millions of workers, in an endless variety of specific configurations. The line of furniture provided ...

Contents

Drawings

Haworth New Office Furniture System: Computer Setup - Preliminary Design Drawings 01/05/1985

Preliminary Design, Perspective

Designers:

Christopher Alexander, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Medium:

Original on Paper

Size:

8 1/2"x11"

One rough pencil perspective sketch with no dimensions.

Photographs

References

Photographs

Herman Miller New Office Furniture System: Photographs of building interior 01/01/1988

Project, Interior View

Photographer:

Mark Darley/Esto, Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Source:

Digital, Print, Slide

Characteristics:

8 1/2"x11" , Color

Six views of the first office interior for one person, built by the Center for Environmental Structure as a prototype office. It includes prototype pieces and mock-ups from the new office furniture system.