The ever-present need for the separation of spaces in the open plan offices brought our room divider system to life. We were looking for a solution that can be easily installed like a furniture and customized in both its size and functionality. In addition to the separation of office spaces, the relocatable, variable elements of the furniture family are also suitable for solving a wide range of spatial situations related to activity-based work: informal meeting rooms, ad-hoc meeting places, break-out and coffee corners can be created quickly, flexibly and cost-effectively.

As a partner in the development of the divider system, we have involved FS Bútor, whom has a long experience in the furniture industry. From the collaboration with their experts the basic structure was born: the frame evolving an industrial shelving system, which is filled with self-manufactured panels and elements.

The support frames are clamped between the floor and the ceiling surfaces. Their great advantage is that they can be moved or relocated anywhere without specialised work, without the need to involve an external contractor for their assembly. Panels are hung on the module-sized frames, selected and placed according to individual requirements. These panels can be whiteboards, pinboards, sound absorber or decorative panels; shelf and flower planter elements; but LCD displays can be fixed too. The surface of the frame and panels is basically raw and material-like: metal, plywood, textile. But since the system can be customized in every detail, even the customer’s corporate identity colours can be reflected on its elements.

The design of the screen system started in the middle of 2019 in connection with an office interior design commission, the prototypes were completed by the beginning of 2020, and soon after the first complete system was installed, which immediately proved to be successful. However, it is not a finished story, the divider can be different in each office, customised to the individual needs and conditions; the possibility of development and change is a key feature of it.

Perhaps the best example of this is that as soon as the coronavirus placed new demands on the office space, we were able to immediately extend the system with a new element: a transparent plexiglass panel, that effectively separates employees’ personal spaces from each other, while visually not separating them from each other. Instead of single-use and specific solutions for the pandemic, our room divider offers a flexible solution that can be used in the long run: if one no longer needs plexiglass walls, whiteboard or sound-absorbing panels can replace them. Even full division walls can be relocated, forming new layouts to adapt to the new challenges of office space use.

Designers

Zsolt Alexa, Donát Rabb, Ákos Schreck, Balázs Turai, Henriett Gelányi

Photo

Sándor Farkas, Gábor Soóki

Location

Budapest, Hungary

Date

2020