Herman Miller, Inc., will bring together at NeoCon East an array of recently introduced products designed to promote both energy efficiency and flexibility within work environments. The products will be on display in Booth 2209 at the Baltimore Convention Center, October 28-29, 2009.
Central to the Herman Miller exhibit is the Energy Manager-a proprietary device that senses occupancy and controls power in the company's systems furniture to save energy and lower costs. It controls two of the four circuits of power in a cluster of workstations. When a person sits down to work, an occupancy sensor detects their presence and turns on the devices in the cluster plugged into those two circuits-task lights, printers, monitors, or chargers. When the cluster is unoccupied, the devices automatically turn off.
Todd Thompson, advanced business development manager at Herman Miller, explains that this is the best time for facility managers and designers to consider Energy Manager, since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 includes measures to enhance energy independence.
"ARRA provides an unprecedented platform for us to discuss energy efficiency," says Thompson. "Plug load and overhead lighting consume a significant percentage of electrical energy in a facility. Energy Manager can reduce that percentage by turning off lights and electronics when they aren't in use. It also can contribute up to 10 LEED credits by helping to measure, verify, and demonstrate progress with accurate reports on energy use."
The Energy Manager will be demonstrated together with Intent furniture - a system created from a set of parts. Designed by Joey Ruiter, Intent is designed to provide a unified aesthetic from the private office to the open plan.
The Sense desk system also will be highlighted as a simple and flexible solution that can adapt swiftly to changes in facility design. A modular and free standing offering, Sense is unique for its tool free assembly. Its components lock, click or snap into place, which makes it a fully flexible platform that can be built, disassembled and re-assembled quickly and easily.
Sense designer Daniel Korb of Korb+Korb believes there is no need to struggle with the complexities often found in furniture systems: "You should be able to build furniture intuitively, with no tools, with no instructions," he says. A lower cost alternative to traditional systems workstations, its light scale, low height and numerous work surface configurations combine for comfortable, open plan work stations and a reduced footprint.
The Envelop desk is another new product, enhancing the relationship between seated postures and computer-based technology. Designed by Jeff Weber and the late Bill Stumpf, it is an intelligent, freestanding desk that provides ergonomic support throughout a range of seated postures. Envelop, when used together with a high performance work chair, including Herman Miller's Embody, Aeron and Mirra chairs, provides continuous forearm support and accommodates a reclined position, without extending visual distance to the display technology.
Together with its flexible desk applications, the company will display Setu chairs-a new family of multipurpose chairs designed by Studio 7.5.
"Setu provides new standards of comfort, performance, and value," says Jack Schreur, Herman Miller's director for seating products. "It's made from an innovative combination of materials to provide remarkable levels of strength, flexibility, simplicity, and dematerialization."
Herman Miller's products are developed according to its Design for the Environment protocol, which emphasizes recyclability, recycled content and ease of disassembly. Its office systems and seating products also carry a 12-year comprehensive warranty.