The idea for the new interdisciplinary showroom in Stockholm originated with Kjell Wallin, Lighting Consultant at Fagerhults Belysning Sverige.
“In my work in the past I have been involved in similar collaborations with other professions, and it has always been very rewarding,” says Wallin. “The aim of this expanded showroom was to be able to create a new meeting space. To provide multiple opportunities to see a work environment in a new context. We also wanted to explore synergies with the other companies, and hoped to be able to learn from one another.”
The exhibition takes a holistic approach to the office environment as a workspace. How can we transform workspaces into an inspiring environment for the employees, while also considering aspects such as sustainability and long-term feasibility?
“The customers we have who are planning on setting up a new office want it to increase well-being and creativity, but also reduce daily costs,” says Wallin. “And intertwined with this is are always considerations for sustainability, environmental impact, and heath. When we are able to meet in an area like the one in Prep Work, we can have a entirely different discussion together. We don’t only talk about the effect light has on people, but we focus on numerous aspects of the workspace. We find the dialogue to be a much more productive when we demonstrate the holistic aspect of the workspace.”
A COMPLETE WORKSPACE
The name ‘Prep Work’ means just that – a prepared workspace. A room for work with all of the most favourable conditions for a creative and productive workday. Everything from the lighting and sound to the interior design – and even smell – was carefully chosen to achieve the most complete and comfortable environment possible.
Note Design Studio composed the final experience in the showroom together with our eight partners.
“Once we had collated the wishes of the different companies in the project, we understood the relationship between individual development and the workspace and work environment,” says Charlotte Ackemar, Architect at Note Design Studio. “We discussed light, sound – with regard to both adding and eliminating sound – various textile experiences, and the effect that different furniture has on us. Since workspaces change according to each workplace’s requirements and possibilities, we wanted to provide examples of situations for which the office spaces can be utilised during a workday. Based on this, we wanted to inspire them so that would be able to identify their own solutions to how they could advance this in their organisation.”
DIFFERENT SECTIONS DURING DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY
In the work, three different sections of the office were identified: a warm-up place, a production area, and a section where one could conclude the workday in contemplation. The partners identified the pieces together, and, in more than one case, customised products for this showroom in order to provide a good idea of what the offices of the future may look like.
The impact of light was an important aspect in the project in order to emphasise the different sections during a workday. And, not least of all, the control and adjustment of the lighting during the day. Humans have not evolved for operating in production mode for a full workday, there needs to be time for breaks and recovery during the day.
"With this showroom we wanted to explore synergies with other companies, and hoped to be able to learn from one another." Kjell Wallin, Lighting Consultant at Fagerhults Belysning Sverige
OFFICE 2.0?
The purpose of the showroom’s redesign was to be able to utilise the space as a meeting space, for inspiration as well as information.
“Prep Work is meant to be used as both a discussion forum and a hub, where trends and the future of work environments and offices can be discussed,” says Ackemar. “At the same time it is also a statement, where we start to speak about the total experience in which all senses are engaged.”
Kjell Wallin elaborates:
“It is already a very popular area at our workplace. One or more of our own employees use it every day as an alternative to their ordinary workspace. Many of our partners have held customer visits and events in Prep Work, and we have an ongoing dialogue about how we are going to further develop it in 2019 – and sustain interest in it. The idea is for it be a space for inspiration, trends, and discussions. Things change over time, so who knows what our showroom will look like next year?”
Partners in the project:
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![SKRYTA [slow design] - holding it together](https://www.fagerhult.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=540,quality=80,fit=crop,onerror=redirect/globalassets/global/_news/2019/skryta-slow-design/header.jpg)
SKRYTA [slow design] - holding it together
In a time when ingrained behaviours and patterns are being questioned, alternatives are needed. Something, or someone, that puts the focus on things of importance. SKRYTA [slow design] demonstrates with its history, that you don't always have to do things as you've done before. And thinking circularly may be the only straight way forward. NOT SEAMLESS Probably no one thought that lamps made of old donated jeans would be adorning the offices of the prestigious advertising firm Forsman & Bodenfors. And perhaps not the least Maria Zeilon, textile designer, and Lill O. Sjöberg, MFA designer, who together are SKRYTA [slow design]. Their shared interest in innovation and crafts has led them on a sustainability journey that they don't really know where will end. But they know where it starts. "We were asked to participate in a regional project in 2013–14, where waste material from the Red Cross's operations would be put to use," says Lill. "When asked, we both wanted this to be something that could be repeated, that would not just be a one-off event. Textiles are the material most donated and that are not always sold. We chose jeans to start with, and began experimenting with different patchworks with the fabric. We finally decided on denim seams, which we tried various ways braid, and from these tests, the first lamp shades emerged." "In connection with this, we received an offer to work with the Swedish Prison and Probation Service in Borås, and we really wanted to give it a try," says Lill. "We were given access to a textile hall at the prison with a number of inmates. We established very good contact and succeeded with our project. We think it was because we turned things around and asked, 'what are they capable of doing?' instead of presenting something and saying 'can you sew this?' Our idea was well suited to the purpose of the whole project. The lamp was easy to make, they were had to work together and learn new techniques." In each lamp there is a leather tag with a number so that you can see who made the lamp. From the start, SKRYTA was strict about the participants signing their lamps, so that they could feel pride and a sense of participation in what they had done. Q Lill After the first project was finished and the Prison and Probation Service's textile workshop was closed down, the duo applied for another collaborative project. Maria had a contact at the help organisation Göteborgs Stadsmission, where there were workshops for job training, and the pieces then fell into place. Within a week of their first meeting with Stadsmission, they started making samples together. With SKRYTA's experience with the Prison and Probation Service, everyone involved was aware that certain demands could not be placed on those participating. "And we continued with the reverse mindset – what can the participants do?" Maria explains. "So that it's always on the terms of the participants, which is incredibly rewarding. And without sacrificing the design." Img 1 THE PROCESS OF A LAMP When the designer duo adds new models to their collection, they work out the design, instructions and dimensions of the lamp shade. They then construct a lamp at a leisurely pace, taking their time. Job training is not rushed either. "Making a lamp shade can take 6 to 9 hours, more or less a day's work if you have all the materials and tools in place," says Maria. "We think it should be like knitting, something that you can put aside and then take up again. With the start-up work for each new lamp shade version, we now have a fixed range. However, the products available can be adapted in colour and size to better suit various preferences. Each project is typically for 1 to 10 lamps. As production time can vary, production is just right for the way our company is set up." "In addition to waste material, we also engage small local businesses. The company that makes the braids for the lamps, for example, is here in Gothenburg," says Lill. "We want to keep it that way for the entire process. It feels good when you've started thinking along those lines – how we can support the community and create awareness of the craft. It's another aspect of our product. We were quite nervous when we showed our lamps the first time, since delivery time is so long – things are a bit different. But it's just added our to story and reinforced our concept. You choose us because this is what you want." Img 2 GLOBAL AWARENESS Among SKRYTA's suppliers are Göteborgs Stadsmissionen, an internationally known producer of birch-bark products in Fjärås and carpet manufacturer Kasthall in Kinna. All these local partners have provided insight and feedback that have helped the company move forward. Even far beyond Sweden's borders. "We've had a showroom of sorts at Kasthall, where we installed the lamps for architect lunches but never taken them down," says Lill. "It's been an incredibly good platform for us, having the opportunity to show our wares to architects. We wanted their feedback – 'what do we need to think about?' They told us that we need to have more solutions than just E27, such as a light engine. We had to Google to find out what a light engine was! We found the Dino at Fagerhult and after that, we modified our lamp shade frame so that you could choose either the light engine or E27." "We now have projects all over Europe with these lamps, and it has spread," says Maria. "We've just participated in an exhibition of Nordic sustainable companies at the Swedish Embassy in Berlin, which was great fun." There is completely different awareness nationally and internationally about this way of thinking. Q Maria REUSE, REDUCE, RECYCLE Although the duo has now been active with their work for almost 6 years, it is now that they are experiencing a real boost. "During the past year, we're really seeing a different interest," says Maria. "The work we've put in is now starting to be more in tune with the rest of society. We were a bit ahead of our time – but now we're exactly where we need to be. For example, we won the sustainability award Nyttigaste Affären 2019 in collaboration with Ergon at Göteborgs Stadsmission with our socially sustainable business concept. (Link http://nyttigasteaffaren.se/2019-ars-vinnare/ ) "We're mostly targeting the public sector or businesses, and those who buy our products have no objections to our prices or production rates," says Lill. "That's because they've heard the story behind the lamp, and they consequently understand the value behind it. We want to be very clear about that, because we get a lot of requests from people who want to borrow our lights. But we want them to retain their intrinsic value, that they should not be taken out of their context." In the future, SKRYTA would prefer to scale up the company rather than expand with other products. "We've received queries from different customers who want larger quantities of our products, which means we have some decisions to make," says Maria. "We hope to work this out in a good way. But regardless of the project, we always try to be as circular as we can. We've even found a solution that allows us to reuse leftover materials from our lamps to make other lamps. That's probably the height of being circular!"
Catching fire - the "Spira Lamp”
The "Spira Lamp” is a piece of art. It is the vision of designer and artist Ingegerd Råman, realised by Fagerhult in collaboration with skilled partners and subcontractors. It's like a gigantic votive reflecting in the cold waters of a Nordic lake. The culture and concert hall Spira in Jönköping is all glass and light – crisp and bright during the day with a warm glow at night. Created by Gert Wingårdh, one of Sweden’s best known and successful architects, in collaboration with Jonas Edblad, Spira took its inspiration from the local heritage. The long tradition of glassmaking is evident throughout, while the orange tinted glass panels pay tribute to Jönköping being the home of the Swedish match. This 15,000 square meter centre of culture has four stages and can host up to 1,700 visitors. From theatre and dance to classical music and jazz, Spira collates a wide repertoire of performing arts throughout the region. Img 1 "When Gert Wingårdh asked me to get involved I was honoured, exited – and a bit scared”, admits Ingegerd Råman. ”Although glass is my element, I’d never worked with artificial light and luminaires before. Not in this way. The real challenge was the difference in scale. It’s so big. I’m used to work with millimetres, but this time the proportions were quite different”, she explains. As the queen of Swedish crystal,famous for her collaborations with leading crystal brands, she knows her material. In 1995 she was granted a professor’s title by the Swedish govern-ment, in praise of her unadorned and functional design that always has a silver lining. She has collaborated with Wingårdh before, in a project for the Swedish Embassy in Washington and knows the drill. "Gert had given me free reign, only saying that he wanted luminaires instead of traditional art work. I was very clear in my vision; I wanted the luminaire to be a piece of art in speaking with architecture.” Q Ingegärd 2 At an early stage, Ingegerd was introduced to Istvan Magyarovari, Engineering Designer at Fagerhult. Inspired by the new LED-technology he presented an innovative material solution. "Glass is extremely heavy and hard to handle in those kind of large scale installations. By using acrylic sheets with milled grooves, we could combine excellent light performance with the artistic expression”, says Istvan Magya-rovari. The LED-modules, hidden in – and by – Ingegerds design, distributes the light through the grooves in a way that reminds of cut glass. "The hard part was to achieve the simplicity of the light lines. With this solution the light blends naturally with the fittings. With the LEDs hidden in the construction it is possible to look directly into the light without being blinded”, Istvan concludes. Ingegerd Råman is delighted with the result and how the four luminaires have developed, creating streaks of light, moving as you walk through the room. When realising a project like this – balancing on the edge of new technology, exploring new materials and designs – collaboration is crucial. For Ingegerdand Istvan, who both are used to work with industrial serial production, the Spira luminaire was a true challenge. When combining their skills and expe-rience they stretched the boundaries of what’s possible. Although aesthetics was the main object, practicalities such as safe installation and operation couldn’t be overseen. Q Ingegärd Together with involved partners and subcontractors every detail was formed to perfection. "I’m known to be quite stubborn”, Ingegerd laughs. "I wont take ‘can’t be done’ for an answer. It’s the designer’s objective to make the participants in a project go that extra mile. Of course, you have to be responsive and humble to other professionals – and you have to know the limits – but in a project like this, old truths should be challenged.” In this case, Fagerhult actually formulated a new, innovative lighting technology. The principle of beaming LED-light into a reflector sheet, creating big, even surfaces of light, has been applied to the award winning Appareo-pendant. "To succeed with this kind of project – and now I’m talking both about the Spira luminaire and about the actual building – you need to have a foresighted project owner. A person with visions and the guts to stand up for it. This person existed in the Spira project in form of property manager Erik Pålsson”, explains Ingegerd Råman. "It’s people who dare, who make the difference.” Img 2