It was such a privilege and hugely inspiring to attend NeoCon 2018 in Chicago. The showrooms in The Mart show us what every office could and should look like in the future. Spaces are engaging, connecting and interacting with the furniture and technology is effortless and fun.
The material enhancements and R&D is incredible, think light-weight semi-transparent curtain that acts as a sound absorber, or film that can be put on glass of the boardroom to hide what is on screen (for added privacy in a fishbowl), or fabric that reflex UV energy back to you to keep you energised.
The panel discussions and talks were very informative and challenged us to think differently about how spaces will be used long after we are done with the installation.
The focus of the show was on activity based planning, and how the furniture (work surfaces, seating and communication tools), lighting, sound, plants, outside view, and level of privacy, and connection will determine how the people do their work, how they interact with one-another and how they behave in the space you have designed for them.
In the next few blog posts I will be exploring some of the themes and topics that stood out to me. But for now here are a few images of what I saw and my time at Neocon and in Chicago.
If you want to check out the awards click HERE for HiP awards
