Furniture and Workspaces

The latest designs:

• Are technology friendly.
• Adapt to new work styles such as teamwork, flex-time, job sharing and telecommuting. Modules can be reconfigured quickly for group discussions, for people to work on their own or for different shifts.
• Recognize the importance of ergonomics.
• Function in smaller workspaces.

These changes are especially important in today's economy, says Simon De Groot of the Business Products Industry Association, the trade association of office furniture manufacturers. "Budgets come and go unpredictably, especially in government. Work systems need to be flexible and easy to reconfigure," he says.

According to industry watchers, GSA is pushing the "total office solution," "turnkey office," or "packaged office." With such a system, a buyer looks at one photo or sketch of a fully furnished office, specifies one model number and with one purchase order buys a completely furnished office "from floor covering to wall covering to case goods and lighting," says Jack Williams, assistant regional administrator at GSA's Federal Supply Service.

Among the manufacturers leading these trends include HON, one of the first offering packaged offices; Steelcase, which provides systems that can be reconfigured without tools; and Haworth, which carries a line of ergonomic components.