31/10/2024 • 5 min read
Orgatec and the Haworth Warehouse Experience
The biggest week in workplace was a whirlwind. Haworth exhibited in two locations: the Orgatec fair and the Haworth Warehouse Experience. Every day was packed with live demonstrations, panel discussions, and rollicking events.
Keep an eye out for our full recap. For now, here are 5 (quick) highlights from Cologne!
‘We Are Makers’ at the Haworth Warehouse Experience
United under the ‘We Are Makers’ theme, there were stories nestled everywhere you looked in the Haworth Warehouse Experience. The craft, intention, and thoughtfulness that epitomise the products of Haworth and our partners was on full display.
The Boss Bar kept guests well supplied with coffee throughout the day. The BoConcept Lounge provided a place for respite. The test drive room gave visitors a chance to try Haworth’s chairs – including the new Aloha Pro. The sustainability salon told the stories behind our materials. Four immersive story towers invited guests into processes that are rarely seen (more on those below).
In its second iteration, the Haworth Warehouse Experience proved again why it is quickly becoming a highlight of Cologne during Orgatec week.
BuzziSpace’s Acoustic Tunnel
At the Orgatec fairgrounds, Haworth, BuzziSpace, and Hushoffice combined to form a Haworth Group super booth – including two installations that made acoustics tangible.
In the Hush Experience Booth, guests took a timed quiz in an open-walled phone booth as a speaker piped in distracting office noise. Guests then repeated the same quiz inside a hushFree.S booth – and with a proper focus environment, the improvement in results was significant. (I completed the quiz 10% faster with 33% fewer errors.)
BuzziSpace’s Acoustic Tunnel invited guests into a two-part passageway. The first segment of the tunnel was all hard surfaces; there was nothing to mitigate noise and every echo was amplified, making it difficult to carry a conversation. The second tunnel segment was equipped with BuzziSpace acoustic solutions – and the difference was clear the moment you entered. Noise was balanced, conversation was much easier to follow, and we didn’t have to raise our voices to be understood.
It’s not easy to make acoustics tangible, but these two installations pulled it off with aplomb.
Werner Aisslinger discussed collage and narrative design.
‘The future is collage,’ Werner Aisslinger said during his presentation on storytelling design. ‘It’s always a mix-and-match of this and that, old and new, vintage, classics, modern design.’
Werner’s narrative design approach is marked by a collage style. Unbound to any normative directive, the collage approach brings creative freedom – and Werner’s studio uses that freedom to craft a ‘genuine story’ unique to each project. He and his team craft spaces that don’t demand the spotlight for themselves – instead, the protagonists are the people within.
‘We are set designers,’ Werner said. ‘We create spaces for people.’
Stay tuned for more on this talk!
Henning Figge, Sebastian Herkner, and Davide Angeli.
With a theme like ‘We Are Makers’, we were thrilled to welcome two more designers involved in making beautiful objects and spaces. Davide Angeli of AMDL CIRCLE and Sebastian Herkner joined us to discuss craft and industry.
On their surfaces, craft and industry may seem opposed. Craft demands time and attention and experimentation; industry demands speed and efficiency and consistency.
Davide and Sebastian found fascinating overlaps between craft and industry. The two complement each other, interweaving throughout the design process. They must coexist – and when they find harmony, industry can bring wider accessibility to craft, while thoughtful craft can preserve the human touch throughout the industrialisation process.
Watch for more from this panel discussion!
The Second Life tower featured live Zody restorations.
Sometimes the most compelling parts of a product’s story are invisible. These aspects may be material innovations, thoughtful production processes, or craftwork that takes place long before a product arrives in your office or home.
Like the acoustic experiences at the fair, the story towers at the Warehouse Experience made distant stories tangible.
In the Second Life tower, Haworth restored Zody chairs in real time. In the BuzziSpace tower, flat circles of felt were handsewn into elegant BuzziPleats. In the knitting tower, Maison Tricot wove intricate knits as part of a collab with BuzziSpace. The knits were a true showcase of the skill of master weavers. ‘It’s really important to keep the craft alive,’ said Catharina Bossaert, a Senior Designer at Maison Tricot.
With ‘We Are Makers’, the Haworth Warehouse Experience brought the craft behind our products to the forefront. Stories that are normally distant drew near, becoming immersive and vivid. Our combined Orgatec booth made acoustics tangible. Look out for more ahead from the sessions with Werner Aisslinger, Sebastian Herkner, and Davide Angeli.
Hopefully you enjoyed these 5 quick highlights from Orgatec 2024. More content is on the way – and in the meantime, mark your calendars for 2026!
