NeoCon gets totally wired.

Wire management meets flexibility at the big Chicago office furnishings show.

More and more, one of the true tests of great office furniture design lies beneath the surface. That's because designers are continuing to devote considerable attention and ingenuity to "hiding" the otherwise criss-cross of wires that service the modern workplace.

Wire management has been a hot topic for much of the past two decades- since the personal computer forever changed the way information is recorded, archived and retrieved. Whereas in the 1980s it was sufficient to channel wires through the base plates of panel partitions, the call for greater flexibility and adjustability of systems furniture is driving wire management to new heights in the '90s.

This trend was clearly evident at NeoCon 98, held June 8-10 at Chicago's Merchandise Mart and attended by 51,000 people. In many cases, when asked what was new and different, showroom guides of leading office furniture makers pointed to wire management features first before discussing more visible design details like size, shape, finish, etc.

The marriage of wire management and design flexibility was epitomized by the "Best of Competition" awarded to KI of Green Bay, WI. KI's award-winning Flexible Workspace, designed by Niels Diffrient, allows "infinite quick and easy configurations."

A key to Flexible Workspace is its Power Towers, a unique overhead wire management system that separates the wires from the panels, a situation that limits the adjustability of traditional systems furniture. KI says, "The Power Tower, the central floor-to-ceiling power and data catalyst of Flexible Workspace, allows the office footprint to be reconfigured, expanded or compressed in a non-linear manner." Power and data can easily be connected or disconnected for relocation. Each Power Tower can serve up to four Flexible Workstations.

Other elements of the Flexible Workstation include curvilinear, independent work surfaces that can be raised or lowered within a 24- to 36-inch range. Mobile storage pedestals are adjustable, too, so they can be stored beneath the main surface when not in use.

More Wire Management Solutions

Haworth of Haworth, MI, displayed DataThing, a panel-to-panel cabling system that builds plug-and-play bundles of voice and data cabling into the panels for its modular office furniture. Dubbed by Haworth as the "world's first panel-to-panel cabling system," the gold medal winner in the Best of NeoCon competition allows for the furniture to be easily reconfigured by simply unplugging one panel from the other, reconfiguring the workplace setting and plugging the panels back together. DataThing also provides plug-and-lay outlets for telephones, computers, fax machines and other communications equipment. "The cabling that is wasted in North America (when furniture is reconfigured) could go around the Earth seven times," a Haworth representative said.

Grand Rapids, MI-based Trendway Corp.'s latest answer to the adjustable office is represented by Contrada, "a community of products that brings new levels of functionality and flexibility to the office." Contrada incorporates the Power Arch, which Trendway says "defines and divides space, distributes power and data, discreetly manages power and communications cables, provides direct and ambient lighting, and can be used with freestanding furniture."

Teknion Inc. introduced an enhanced Boulevard line at NeoCon. The panel system offers desk-height termination of electrical outlets and data connectors for greater accessibility and increased capacity. Both electrical and data components can be reconfigured without disruption to the workstation. "New horizontal wire management channels provide an aesthetic and graceful answer to lay-in cabling needs," said a Teknion spokesman.

Boulevard offers a variety of standard panel heights up to 82 inches high for the construction of open plan areas. The panel system provides numerous configuration options to be used for everything from executive suites to reception areas.

Geiger Brickell of Atlanta, meanwhile, addressed video conferencing with Broadcast, a complete line of technology accommodating modular conference and meeting room furniture. The product line centers on a choice of single-, dual or tri-section wood tables that seat two to 10 people. Each table is supported by a hollow, 14-inch-diameter metal columnar base that houses multiple direct wiring channels including video, voice and computer electronics.

At the head of each table can be placed a matching wood video monitor stand that accommodates single video monitors up to a 40-inch screen or dual video monitor with 30-inch screens. Modular wood multi-purpose towers flank the monitor stand that include "Active Panels" featuring dry-erase marker surfaces on the cabinet interiors and "Storage Supports" with combinations of coat closets and file storage.

More Introductions

Steelcase of Grand Rapids called its new office design concept "Pathways," its most ambitious new product introduction in the company's 86-year history. Eight years in the making and based on what Steelcase refers to as "community planning," Pathways is a group of furniture, interior architecture, lighting products and workplace tools designed to work in a wide variety of combinations for everything from private offices to impromptu meeting areas.

Pathways uses modular post-and-beam construction to build interior architecture. The freestanding furniture includes a range of worksurface shapes, horizontal and vertical storage, mobile tables and files carts,a nd and-play capabilities. Pathways is built on raised flooring which delivers power to the work areas.

Herman Miller of Zeeland, MI, won an award for its Acrobat suite, a new line of computer support furniture designed to create a more vertical work environment that is not tied to the equipment. Acrobat allows the user to adjust the furniture to a comfortable work setting. With the touch of a finger, Acrobat can be raised or lowered to accommodate postures from sitting on the floor to standing.

Acrobat was one of Herman Miller's three gold awards. The others were from Passage Freestanding Furniture and its task chairs.

Going Mobile

GF Office Furniture Ltd. has responded to the mobile furniture trend. "It is becoming more important for businesses to have tables and desks and marker boards that can be moved around," said David Carr, GF's director of marketing. To meet the demand, GF introduced the Commuter Mobile Office System, a maple and cherry veneer workstation that rolls out of a hutch. The desk folds out into a L-shaped workstation that can support a computer monitor and tower, keyboard, mouse and printer, as well as a communications strip and phone.

Kimball Office Group latest salute to mobility is Skate, a table based system on casters. "Skate is all about meeting the need for mobility - to allow office workers to move tables around to suit the task," said John Dittmer, brand manager for Kimball's systems products. The tables, file storage and panel dividers can all be moved around, allowing workspaces to be easily reconfigured, Kimball says.

Ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturer Bush Furniture displayed its expanded OfficePro Collection. New options include mobile files with two or three drawers as well as 42-inch-round conference table and 84-inch race-track-shaped conference flies in red mahogany or white spectrum finishes.

"OfficePro allows the flexibility to make a configuration of office furniture that adequately fits the user's specific needs and space requirements," said Dave Messinger, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Bush. "With the addition of conference tables, this collection provides a total office solution for businesses on the move."

Larry Adams, Beverly Dunne and Sam Gazdziak contributed to this report.