A Visit From Herman Miller

Recently a representative from Herman Miller came to speak to our class. Herman Miller is not only a leader in designing office furniture and systems but also a leader in companies going green. The representative informed us about many of the company’s office systems, furnishings and how the company creates products that are sustainable and well made.



Herman Miller's Green Factory in Zeeland, Michigan



Herman Miller makes chairs that are universal and comfortable for everyone. This means designing a chair that is comfortable for someone who is under five feet tall as well as someone who is over six feet tall.   They focus on support of the lower back when they design the back of their chairs the representative explained to us that to properly support the back the lower part of the back must be properly aligned with the rest of the back. We were told that each chair is designed to support the users back by adding extra support at the bottom.  They also consider that each person is different and they’re newer chairs are made to adjust to the pressure each individual puts on the back of the chair and conform to their body. I was very fascinated with their new SAYL Chair (pictured below) which was inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge. The material used in the back of the chair is flexible and conforms to the users back .this chair is unique in that it is frameless the “Y” backing of the chair holds up the top corners of the material and the bottom of it is stretched to the bottom corners of the chair.



Herman Miller SAYL chair



All of Herman Miller’s products are sustainable and they use a cradle to cradle approach. In everything they make they consider how they can recycle the materials they use and whenever possible use materials that can be composted at the end of their useful life.  They also use designs that use fewer materials and are easy to ship in smaller packaging. (The SAYL chair is a good example of this)

The representative reminded us to consider “creep space” in our space planning using office systems. Creep space is the thickness of the partitions in the office systems. Although the walls aren’t very thick using many systems and not recognizing that extra few inches adds up greatly when you fill the room with systems furnishings. She also explained that office systems based off 120 degree angles work well when you have to design around obstacles such as columns because taking one portion of the system away doesn’t leave an odd gap and is more versatile than plain linear systems.



Herman Miller's "My Studio" office system



This presentation was especially helpful to us because we will be using Herman Miller’s Resolve office system in our office project this semester. We were able to ask questions about this product. We learned that this system is pole based and to eliminate the clustering mess of electrical wires, the wires are run through the poles to help keep work stations less cluttered. This system is run off the 120 degree concept which means that they are extremely versatile and can fit in many different configurations. Also they have customizable panels which allow companies to use whatever images they choose (should they want to choose a specific image) to be printed on the panels.  At first glance I thought the overhead panels coming off the top of the poles looked very bizarre and I could not imagine why anyone would want them over their heads. The speaker explained that those panels are helpful in offices with very high ceilings to give workers a sense of scale in the room and not to feel uncomfortable in very tall surroundings.



Herman Miller Resovle System



Learning from China

The Chinese have a very strong work ethic. They often work much more than just 8 hour work days and they get their work done as quickly as possible. Sometimes they work so hard and so quick they are often told by their bosses to take a rest during the work day. It is not uncommon for Chinese workers to take naps during the work day and when they are working for 12 hours straight it is easy to understand why that is.  In many companies in America workers are putting in more hours now they have in the past.

 It is easy to get so consumed and caught up in major projects and get so overwhelmed by large amounts of work that resting is overlooked. When many people are rushing to get ahead and climb the “corporate ladder” it is easy for people to over work themselves. Giving employees areas to rest and relax in their work places is a very good idea. Although at first glance taking a nap during a hectic work day may seem lazy or counter –productive naps have been found to have very positive effects on people’s work performance.

Relationships are very important to the Chinese. Business relationships go much deeper than just networking, Chinese feel much better doing business with good friends than with people they just met. They spend a lot of time getting to know their coworkers very well and becoming friends before any business is actually discussed. Because of this socializing outside of the office is very common for them. Often a host will take potential business partners and coworkers out to dinner or out to a bar to get to know them and establish a closer personal relationship with them.

These kinds of relationships can be very useful to workers in America as well. Being friends with the people you work with and knowing those people as more than just coworkers can help create a positive atmosphere in the office and create high morale. Having an area that promotes socializing among workers can be very useful. Having some sort of coffee shop or lounge in the work space other than just a break room may inspire workers to discuss their ideas and projects with their peers in a setting that is a bit more fun and inspiring than a plain boring break room.

Site Analysis-Shanghai

Landor’s Shanghai office is located in Puxi. Puxi is the cultural, financial hub of Shanghai the most populated city in the world. It is also home to an area known as the Bund this area is a historical cultural center located on the Huangpu River. This diverse area has seen cultural influences from Britain, France, Russia and the United States and is the perfect location for a firm like Landor who thrives off of creativity and inspiration.




Puxi at Night



The Bund



 



 

Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate. The city experiences four seasons each year. Although it does get very cold in the winter the city gets very little to no snow. Summer in Shanghai is hot and humid.  In late summer and early fall the city is known to experience typhoons.  In the springtime the city gets a lot of rain as well. It is usually drier and mild in the later fall months. 

The city offers various forms of public transportation which is necessary due to restrictions on the number of cars able to be registered each year. One of the most impressive public transport systems  is the maglev train which is capable of reaching 268 mph. other public transportation that is offered include busses, trolleys and taxis.

maglev

It is certain that with the success it has already seen Shanghai will continue to thrive and grow. Its economic and financial influence will continue to impact the world and the city will continue to draw in big businesses. It will be very important for Landor to wow their clients and any visitors from competing companies who come to visit their Shanghai office. This interior should be as impressive as the city is it in.





Shanghai



sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puxi

http://www.landor.com/index.cfm?do=aboutus.shanghai

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai.htm

Concept Models

Here are my sketches and concept models. My original inspiration for these sketches and models was Van Gough's "Starry Night".

I created these sketches by overlaying trace and picking out the Elements and Principals of art used in the painting. After looking at the elements and principals individually I overlapped each of the pieces of trace I had drawn on and made my own compositions.

 

 

From these compositions I began sketching ideas for my concept models. The first model I made was a column like structure. I like the shape this model had and was really happy with the way the layering of the black athletic wrap came out. I also enjoyed the way the model changed as you looked at it from different angles.

 

 

My second model played around with the swirling shapes seen in the painting unfortunately I was not too impressed with how they looked simply coming out of the base of the model. Which led me to my idea for my third model.

 

In my third model I still wanted to show the spirals that had inspired me but instead I wanted to suspend them. Also in this model instead of having them all randomly coming out of the top of the model I twisted the wires together and had them spiral out from one point. I really enjoyed the effect overall but for my final large concept model I needed to think of a way to suspend a similar structure without such a heavy feeling to the top.

After a few quick sketches I decided my final concept model should have a similar spiraling wire form suspended from four wires that would form a supportive yet light feeling dome. I also played around mixing thicker and thinner wires and adding sequins to the spirals. These sequins catch the light and colors surrounding the model and make it very dynamic. I also added a few spiralling wires off of the supportive dome to tie it into the piece instead of just having it as a structural necessity. Instead of just having a basic black base I decided to add a zoomed in picture of "Starry Night"  which interacts nicely with the suspended wires above. It also adds the exact colors and movement that inspired me the most.

 

olio board

Above is a copy of my olio board I made for my office project