Localeâ„¢ Office is a minimalist design created by London-based firm Industrial Facility for Herman Miller. The collection was revealed at this year’s NeoCon as part of Herman Miller’s Living Officeâ„¢. The purpose of the design is to facilitate high-performance work neighborhoods by creating flexible open-plan environments. The design focuses on providing an intuitive shift between individual and collaborative activities.
Even the subtle detail of the curvature of Locale’s surfaces is meant to invite interaction and support multiple collaborators at once. Since people are constantly moving and changing positions, having corners and edges hinders the fluidity of the workspace. The workstations are height adjustable with a push of a paddle, and peripheral units such as mobile tables, screens, and easels can be utilized at will.
Industrial Facility’s belief that good design is intuitive and invisible translates directly into the functionality and seamlessness of Locale’s architecture. Collaboration and social networking is happening on a global basis, not necessarily based off of proximity, but similarity in purpose of interest. Locale tries to be the physical manifestation of this principle as a spacial condenser.