The future workspace
The way we work is evolving and becoming more flexible and, as a result, our office spaces need to as well. To develop workspaces that better support fluid, ever-changing work needs, IKEA is teaming up with award-winning industrial designer Stefan Diez.
Traditional workspaces are a thing of the past ‘In modern offices, rigid team structures and working conditions have disappeared,’ says Stefan Diez, an industrial designer highly experienced in setting up creative workspaces. ‘The need now is to enable temporary collaborations and flexible working conditions.’ His passion for the future of workplaces has led to a project with IKEA to help renovate and expand the head offices in Älmhult, Sweden, next year.
Always sitting at one desk, on one chair, at one computer isn’t healthy for body or mind. We want people to move, to connect”
Stefan Diez, industrial designer
Design for a thriving work ecosystem From autumn, Diez and his Diez Office studio will begin testing prototypes with IKEA designers. What’s in store? Highly flexible solutions that lie between architecture and furniture. ‘We’re working on a modular space frame that you can intuitively transform – with functions for working, presenting, storing and relaxation,’ says Stefan. ‘I imagine the working environment as a fluid and organic ecosystem, and our solutions as the coral reef that supports it.’
Our solutions will allow for different styles of working, alone or together, and will function in harmony with designs by IKEA”
Stefan Diez, industrial designer
The power of sharing our ideas Collaboration is at the heart of good teamwork. For Diez, that means not only bringing people together but also encouraging them to show their work in a physical format. ‘We work so much on the computer these days, and my fear is that when we have no tangible manifestations of our ideas, we lack inspiration,’ he says. ‘When we expose our work, we open the door to others, we confront them, perhaps sparking bigger, more daring ideas.’
How will it all work out? Watch this space!
