Herman Miller teamed with Ayse Birsel and Bibi Seck to design Teneo™ storage furniture. Their shared focus on the person as the center of design resulted in storage that’s as much about people as it is about things.

Because Teneo works like storage and looks like furniture, it’s especially appropriate for groups of people. It’s meant to be an active part of work life, to live in the open at the heart of a group, and to be seen from every angle. Its colors, materials, forms, and scale invite people—from two to a roomful—to engage with others and the space they inhabit.

• Adjustable flat-screen monitor arms (lift-and-pivot motion technology, VESA-compatible, for single or dual monitors, with grommet or clamp mount options);
• Keyboard platforms and mechanism combinations (twist-lock, lift-and-lock and sit-to-stand mechanisms);
• Vertical-mount computer holder;
• Adjustable tray computer cart;
• Desktop task light (3' reach with knob-free adjustment); and
• Adjustable footrest (with back-and-forth swivel for ankle flexion and extension).

COLOGNE , Germany —At Orgatec, designers had a chance to display some of their most creative ideas in office chairs. Among the innovations poised to revolutionize office life is an intelligent chair that recognizes when its owner sits down and then sets up the immediate working environment accordingly. A sensor in the seat surface registers when someone sits down and then transmits a signal to as many as 15 receivers integrated in the power points of, for example, computers, monitors, printers, stereo systems, TVs or other pieces of equipment. And should an employee have to vacate his or her seat for several hours then the computer, lighting, heating and any other connected systems within a 30-meter radius are automatically switched to standby mode after a preset time, thus saving energy.

Another new office chair, developed in southern Germany , features an automatic reclining function specially designed to promote realignment of the spinal column. And a new swivel chair developed in parallel in Germany and the U.S. boasts an asymmetric lumbar-support system that enables the user to individually adjust the degree of support on both sides of the spine in the lower back region.   Further developments were likewise designed to increase individualized seating comfort. On show was an office chair with adjustable seat hardness from “comfortable” to “firm”. And another company has now completed the development of a chair targeted at those who sometimes like to loll behind their desks. When the user moves from an upright to a lolling position, two special plastic elements suspended from the body of the chair in the lumbar and neck regions change their profile, creating space for the shoulders to sink back comfortably into the upper part of the backrest.   Though varied in style and design the Orgatec mission remains the same: to promote a healthier environment for office employees.  

A designer and manufacturer of ergonomic mounting solutions for LCD monitors and keyboards, Innovative Office Products, Inc., unveils the EVO Tablet Arm—a product line extension of the EVO LCD mounting arm that won the prestigious 2006 red dot design award. EVO levitates flat panel monitors above the work surface, enabling intuitive fingertip adjustment of monitor height and position.   The EVO Tablet Arm is a floating docking station for tablet PCs and notebooks, allowing the user to create an ergonomic computing station at his or her primary desk, without having to sacrifice the mobility of the computer. A gas spring arm “floats” the computer screen above the desk for comfortable viewing with quick attach-and-release for work on the go. A full-size keyboard and mouse can be used to recapture the comfort of a desktop PC.  www.lcdarms.com