The designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have created Workbays as an organic system which redefines the working environment and breaks up the rigid planning grid of regular offices. Workbays offer employees the freedom to retreat to the environment which best suits the type of work they are doing. They are an ideal multifunctional furniture system for solving the practical problems office planners face.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have created Workbays as an organic system which redefines the working environment and breaks up the rigid planning grid of regular offices. Yet Workbays not only provide office planners with an innovative multifunctional furniture system. They also offer employees the freedom to retreat to the environment that best suits the task at hand: Workbays are ideal for concentrated individual work (‘Retreat’), for meetings with two to four people (‘Meet’), or for larger combined zones comprising various work situations (‘Meet & Retreat’).

Workbays respond to the necessity for noise reduction and help to absorb disruptive sounds in the surrounding environment. Thus they can spontaneously serve as telephone booths, video conference rooms, reading corners, quiet spots for a coffee break or meeting rooms – without sending participants behind closed doors.

Workbays fit into virtually any space. The office system can easily be expanded as needed or adjusted to meet changing conditions – it grows organically along with the space. The concept is based on four curved, straight or star-shaped wall sections in two different heights. These elements make it possible to create diverse configurations, from meeting areas to single workstations within larger micro-architectural clusters.

Workbays are constructed from slender aluminium profiles and organically shaped wall elements made of pressed polyester fleece. New to the furniture industry, the fleece material is light and robust with noise-reducing characteristics and appealing tactile qualities. Workbays are available in eight different colours, which can be used to create a wide range of work atmospheres, from calm to stimulating.

designer: erwan and ronan bouroullec
producer: vitra
period: 2013