Steelcase Reveals New Spaces, Products and Partnerships Designed for a New Era of Hybrid Work

New solutions create hybrid neighborhoods to help people collaborate, focus and find a sense of belonging.

Grand Rapids, MI, June 13, 2022 – At NeoCon 2022 this week, Steelcase is showcasing new products and solutions to support its new approach to office design — hybrid neighborhoods.

As organizations worldwide have adopted hybrid work policies, their offices also need to change to support the new realities of hybrid work. Focused less on standardization and more on the uniqueness of individuals and teams, hybrid neighborhoods are designed to help people collaborate, whether they are in-office or remote, find places to focus, better control their environment and create a sense of belonging and inclusiveness.

Recent Steelcase research, which surveyed nearly 5,000 office workers in 11 countries, found 87% of people expect to spend some time in the office moving forward, but 56% of meetings will be hybrid. Since people will be spending more time on video calls, they’ll need to be more intentional about why they are going to the office, and they’ll expect elevated experiences when they get there. Because great neighborhoods have energy and life, but also allow for quiet moments of solitude, Steelcase shares how the workplace can be more like the places we live to accommodate and enhance hybrid work.

“New ways of working require new spaces. The new era of hybrid work means people will have choices about where to work and, in many ways, the office has to work even harder to attract people and keep them coming back. Offices will need to earn people’s commute by meeting a new set of needs, including the ability to collaborate and get moments of privacy,” said Allan Smith, senior vice president and chief revenue officer of Steelcase. “Our new products and partnerships add to the industry’s most extensive portfolio that allows us to create neighborhoods unique to each customer and team. We’re working with industry leaders in design and technology to create spaces that help people work better.”

Steelcase at NeoCon 2022

New collaborations
Steelcase will feature products from its growing network of global partners:

Steelcase and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation’s creative collaboration will be sweeping in scope as the organizations reflect on the past to continue Wright’s legacy into the future by revisiting, reinterpreting and reintroducing Wright’s designs, as well as co-create novel concepts rooted in his principles to provide products that enhance how we live and work today. Steelcase will draw on the Foundation’s archives and Wright’s organic design principles for aspiration and inspiration as they together intend to establish ongoing collections of fine furnishings, textiles and wall coverings that evolve from the legendary to the unexpected.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Racine Collection by Steelcase, including both a signature reintroduction as well as a reinterpretation of the desk, chair and accessories that were originally designed for the SC Johnson Administration Building, is previewed in the Steelcase showroom.

Steelcase also recently acquired HALCON, a Minnesota-based designer and manufacturer of precision-tailored wood furniture for the workplace. The acquisition complements the current portfolio of Steelcase wood products, offering uncompromising design and master craftsmanship to architecture and design professionals and customers.

The combined expertise of West Elm and Steelcase helps create inspiring spaces that meet the evolving needs of patients, families and clinicians. The West Elm Health Collection by Steelcase Health is created to hold up to the rigors of healthcare spaces while feeling welcoming and inviting. It includes features designed specifically for the clinical environment such as an appropriate recline, metal legs, crumb sweep and high-performance fabrics.

Additionally, Steelcase Health introduces another new partnership with ModuForm, an experienced provider of durable, safe and welcoming furniture for behavioral health spaces. ModuForm furniture was created with materials and designs that resist tampering, puncturing and scratching. Easy to keep clean and simple to maintain, the designs are comfortable, inviting and encourage independence.

New products
Steelcase brand showrooms display new ways to support both focus work and hybrid collaboration, giving people choice and control over where and how they work. The latest products include:

  • Everwall™ – A prefabricated architectural wall system designed to quickly and easily transform interior spaces ranging from small enclaves to meeting rooms, or from floor to floor — all while using the same kit of parts. Available in a wide array of finishes, including new luxe paints, and broad range of new hardware, Everwall meets any designer’s vision.
  • Steelcase® Flex Personal Spaces — A simple and flexible set of products joining the Steelcase Flex Collection and offering workers a place to call home at work where they can control and adapt their environment, whether participating in a video call or doing some heads-down focused work. Personal Spaces can be easily and quickly adapted to achieve the level of privacy people need.
  • Steelcase Flex Perch Stool — This 100% recyclable stool offers a quick place to sit while staying fully engaged in mind, body and collaboration. Designed to meet the needs of dynamic teams, the space-saving Perch Stool uses electronic waste instead of materials sourced from virgin fossil fuel as a raw material.
  • Steelcase Karman™ — A first-of-its-kind ergonomic chair that weighs only 29 pounds, Steelcase Karman is designed to naturally respond to the body’s movement and deliver comfort in an entirely new way. Its 21st century design combines a new proprietary mesh textile, Intermix, with an integrated cushioning system that doesn’t sag or feel stiff, with an ultra-light, flexible frame that eliminates stiff edges, so people feel less pressure on the seat and back than other, traditional mesh chairs.
  • LessThanFive® Stool by Coalesse — Fabricated entirely from carbon fiber, a material Coalesse introduced with its LessThanFive Guest Chair in 2016, the LessThanFive Stool is made of one of the strongest and lightest materials available. It is not only easy to move and ideal for collaborative spaces but a form specific to its material. The sculptural stool’s strength inherent to carbon fiber allows for a new kind of stool typology with a counterbalancing cantilever seat and x-shaped footrest.
  • Steelcase Series™ 1 with CarbonNeutral® Product Certification — The new Steelcase Series 1 with CarbonNeutral® product certification is the first entry in the Steelcase carbon neutral product portfolio and gives companies more options to reduce their carbon footprint. It offers the same design, ergonomics and quality engineered in the existing Steelcase Series 1 task chair with the added benefit of offsetting 100% of emissions through projects like forest management, renewable energy, cleaner cooking and electric transportation.
  • Hybrid Collaboration Table —Through recent work with Microsoft, Steelcase discovered that shifting space design from portrait to landscape creates a more equitable hybrid meeting experience for all attendees — in-person and remote. The Hybrid Collaboration Table has been tested and designed to support the video-centered meeting experience, accommodating the appropriate camera angle and view of the large screen.
  • Savina™ by Viccarbe — Practical and comfortable, the Savina lounge keeps people engaged in a relaxed posture and able to work for hours, whether they’re working alone or with others. Savina allows people and teams to easily rearrange or move the setting thanks to hidden casters.
  • Cambio™ by Viccarbe — Viccarbe’s Cambio table fits easily into any social setting, collaboration area or private office space. Integrated power ensures everyone stays connected.
  • Tenor™ — Tenor chair and stools deliver the value of an active learning chair at an attainable price point for schools in today’s ever-changing learning landscape. Tenor is designed for ultimate comfort sitting, stacking and stowing. With a flexible back, non-directional seat, intuitive back hook, quick stacking and stowing abilities and vibrant finishes with a choice of glides or casters, Tenor lets students easily adapt to any learning mode.
  • Numbers™ Chair + Desk by Smith System — Numbers Chair and Desk provide the practicalities of comfort, strength and versatility with the visual subtleties of great design in classroom furniture. Unlike most traditional school seating made from injection molding, Numbers is ergonomically sculpted through blow-molding technology for a more cushioned effect, good posture and 360-degree-seating and maximum durability. The height-adjustable chairs and desks are easy to lift, with stacking components that deter damage to frames and paint — even the youngest students can slide and stack a few chairs and desks at a time.
  • Island Collection by Established & Sons — The Island Collection is a versatile, space-optimizing bench seating system with a variety of configurations. Island gives in-between areas a collaborative, functional use and invites passersby to sit, perch or lounge. The understated design creates a central focal point for high-traffic communal environments.

For more information on Steelcase at NeoCon, visit Steelcase.com/neocon.

About Steelcase
Organizations around the world trust Steelcase to help them create places that help people work better, be inspired and accomplish more. The company designs, manufactures, and partners with other leading organizations to provide architecture, furniture, and technology solutions – accessible through a network of channels, including over 800 Steelcase dealer locations. Steelcase is a global, industry-leading, and publicly traded company with fiscal year 2022 revenue of $2.8 billion. For more information, visit steelcase.com