From a to a - Bruno Wickart€¦ · ingly becoming a mark of our time; in the case of Walter Knoll...

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NEW WORK: EUROPE’S MOST INNOVATIVE MEDIA HOUSE UNDERGOES CHANGE From a brand to a brand space How furniture and interior design are accompanying the media makers on their journey into the future Embodying values Excellence, innovation, clarity: a company’s premises show what makes the company Moving people From open space to silent room: in times of agility changing place is a help in the office Promoting creativity Eye-catchers in a room bring people together – and give rise to new ideas

Transcript of From a to a - Bruno Wickart€¦ · ingly becoming a mark of our time; in the case of Walter Knoll...

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NE W WO RK : EU RO PE ’S MOST I N NOVAT I VE MED I A HOUSE UNDERGOES CHANGE

From a brand to a brand spaceHow furniture and interior design are accompanying the media makers on their journey into the future

Embodying valuesExcellence, innovation, clarity: a company’s premises show what makes the company

Moving peopleFrom open space to silent room: in times of agility changing place is a help in the office

Promoting creativityEye-catchers in a room bring people together – and give rise to new ideas

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M A R K U S B E N ZCEO, Walter Knoll

S V E N A F H Ü P P EEditor-in-Chief, Handelsblatt

Dear Readers,People, brands and furniture. Everything at Walter Knoll focuses on these aspects. People shape progress, create knowledge and innovation. Brands guarantee performance, offer orientation. Furniture turns the promises the brands give us into real sensuous moments. They translate values into experience.

Every de tail of every piece of furniture has something to say. Its design language is increas­ingly becoming a mark of our time; in the case of Walter Knoll it is laying claim to a validity which extends far beyond the moment. The ma­terial and crafting of a piece of furniture, the compo sition of the elements within a room and the experience of their use; these are all stores of attitude which ultimately lead to excellence.

And we sense this attitude at once. This is an important transfer in the age of digitalization which is often any thing but sensuous. Every employee, every cus tomer who feels appreciated becomes part of the value added process. When that happens, we have done something right. And that is the case at the Handelsblatt. And we would like to show you the shape that takes over the following pages.

Yours sincerely,Markus Benz

Dear Readers,The Handelsblatt has been going through a phase of transformation for three years now. The con­ventional producer of a daily newspaper is becom­ing a modern media house, the success of which is based on three pillars: print, digital and live jour­nalism. We were recently named Europe’s best daily newspaper. The move to our new building is proving invigorating for this transformation. Col­leagues are changing their viewpoint; they now see the Handelsblatt as much more modern, trans­parent and agile. The open room structure has shortened communi cation paths, we have state­of­the­art technology and attractive quiet areas.

Walter Knoll has furnished this architecture in a way that also shapes our workflow – from the morning briefing round a custom­built table through telephone calls made from a stylish Silent Chair through to approving the print version from a barstool. The editorial team is more than happy to be making a contribution to the fur niture from Walter Knoll on the following pages because the palpable excellence in craftsman ship, material and design reflects the demands we make of our own work: excellent furniture for an excellent business model.

Have fun browsing and reading!Sven Afhüppe

ContentCreative minds need creative spaceThe Handelsblatt is changing into a media house of the future – with furniture from Walter Knoll

Shaping new conference worldsFlexible, networked, homely? All of those! Media makers need space for every kind of meeting

Furniture makes a brandMasterly and excellent: when an armchair embodies the character of a company

Giving decision-makers space to make decisionsStability in times of New Work: executives need a place that exudes calm

Excellence on every levelFrom the conference room to the coffee kitchen to the silent room: how furniture promotes the workflow

Planning for chance encountersPeople have the best ideas where they meet up spontaneously

Finding the right mixCleverly combined, furniture from Walter Knoll has an unmistakable character

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P U B L I C AT I O N D E TA I L S Publisher: Walter Knoll AG & Co. KG, Herrenberg | Concept: Grauel Publishing GmbH & Tom Leifer Design GmbH | Editorial staff: Hiltrud Bontrup, Carsten Jasner | Art direction:

Tom Leifer | Photos: Andrea Flak, Benne Ochs, Handelsblatt Media Group GmbH & Co. KG (portrait of Sven Afhüppe), Sirisak Chantorn (portrait of Markus Benz), Walter Knoll AG & Co. KG (product images) |

Illustration: Timo Müller (portraits), Sarah Ewald (infographic) | Translation: Catherine Baker-Schmidt | Lithography: MWW Medien GmbH, Hamburg | Printing press: F & W Mediencenter GmbH, Kienberg

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Creative minds needcreative rooms

The Handelsblatt in transition: from a traditional daily paper to an agile media house. The quality remains but the work is more flexible. At the new company headquarters, Walter Knoll has designed an interior where people intuitively find the right furniture for every task

This is where the day is planned: the Handelsblatt editorial team holds its morning briefing around the Scale-Media table. Liz chairs and Silent Chair armchairs from the Seating Stones collection, all from Walter Knoll

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O P E N S PAC E O F F I C E

The enhanced open-plan office: colleagues sit opposite each other and tasks can easily be discussed. Employees in the open space nevertheless need some rules of conduct and places where they can withdraw for longer discussions and concentrated activities

“The Circle sofa is an eye-catcher and topic of conversation among all visitors. It lends the room harmony.”K E R S T I N JAU M A N NHead of Press and Communication, Handelsblatt Media Group

Bringing a feeling of airiness to the open space: Keypiece Management Desks, Leadchair Management swivel chairs, Storage System, Circle sofa, occasional table and pouf from the Seating Stones collection, all from Walter Knoll

Anyone visiting the new premises of the Handelsblatt in Düsseldorf will notice one thing above all else: diver­sity. The minimalist lines of the swivel chairs surround the luxuriant curves of a sofa that winds its way through the room like a sculpture to be sat on. The busy hum­ming from the newsroom, where editors produce up­to­ the­minute news, ends at the doors to the silent rooms where people can sit in armchairs with high, protective backrests to contemplate matters or make quiet phone calls. The matt gray of an elliptical conference table is framed by bright orange and yellow chairs. About one hundred people work here.

Ask them how they feel and they will tell you about the comfort of being able to swap ideas in different rooms, about the joys of discreet technology and splashes of color, about the pleasure they take from retreat rooms and their favorite armchairs.

This is the world developed by Walter Knoll. It is a highly promising example of the vision of New Work: a creative combination of open space and rest areas, day­to­day business and brainstorming, flexible discus­sions and confidential interviews. This work environ­

ment therefore owes much of its success to the fact that Walter Knoll understood what drives the people at the Handelsblatt – what the media house is striving toward. And it is not a question of luck. Both companies feel a partner­like connection, sharing certain similarities.

The Handelsblatt editorial depart ment is currently undergoing major change. The once traditional daily newspaper is turning itself into an agile media group, calling on all publication channels from printed matter through a website and social media to events broadcast live. The Handelsblatt was recently named the most innovative media house in Europe. Walter Knoll enjoys a similar dynamic. With more than 150 years’ experi­ence in designing and developing furniture, it has become a leading service provider. The company’s

skills lie in creating furniture that satisfies even the most stringent demands, from head offices through show rooms to exquisite hotels. No one has a better understanding of how to gain an insight into a com­

pany’s strategy, organizational needs and self­percep­tion, and how to translate this into inte rior design. Walter Knoll can express brands through furniture.

“A table and chair do not, in themselves, make a person more creative,” says Markus Benz, CEO of Walter Knoll. “Moreover, two different tables can make two entirely different statements. It is therefore a question of selecting the right furniture.” kpage 9

Playing with shapes: the curves of the Circle sofa and the organic forms of the Seating Stones flow around the straight lines in the open office, all from Walter Knoll

C R E A T I V E M I N D S N E E D C R E A T I V E R O O M S H A N D E L S B L A T T

The Handelsblatt is the most innovative media house in Europe

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B R A N D I N G

These days, companies need a place that makes their brand identity tangible. Buildings and interiors perform this task – when furniture embodies all the facets of the brand message, always in line with the room and its function

Far from the hustle of the newsroom, another room provides a chance to relax. FK Lounge armchairs, Kupanda carpet, Oota Table and Joco Stone occasional tables, all from Walter Knoll

“My favorite piece of furniture in the new building is the FK Lounge armchair. It’s a prestigious item that embodies ultimate relaxation. If people are as enthusiastic about the Handelsblatt as they are about these armchairs, then I’ll be a happy man.”FR ANK DOPHEIDE Management Spokesperson, Handelsblatt Media Group

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T R A N S F E R O F VA L U E S

Elegant surfaces, solid materials and meticulously hand-finished details express appreciation for employees. In this, customers and business partners recognize a clear commitment to excellence and sophistication, integrity and stability

“Quality is quite literally a cornerstone here. The Handelsblatt sees itself as a quality medium, and you can feel this value on the boardroom chairs, on George.”R E B E C C A N I C K I S C H Content Manager, Handelsblatt Morning Briefing

With its comfortable George chairs, the solid Tadeo Conferencing table and its Media Stele (top and far right), the prestigious boardroom conveys the company’s stringent quality demands to visitors. Deputy Editor-in-Chief Sebastian Matthes (right) has a place for guests in his office. Lox Table, Liz chairs, Bellows stool, Leadchair Management swivel chair, all from Walter Knoll

That is why Markus Benz always asks the same ques­tions at the beginning of a project: how does the com­pany see itself? How does it want to be perceived? The answers to these questions provide “the picture of performance that needs to be furnished”.

At the Handelsblatt, the picture is one of a creative broker of economic expertise. The company is aware of its quality and cultivates journalistic insights along with promising media technologies. It shows itself to be value­conscious and open­minded. This should be perceived by employees, visitors, customers and business partners alike.

Flexibility and solidity, agility and integrity – Walter Knoll developed solutions to take account of these polarities, combining longstanding expertise in the fields of business and private homes, an eye for functionality and experience in dealing with livable materials. The office is coupled with a sense of well­being. Expressed as keywords, the solutions include flexible meetings, depth and excellence of materials, intuitive use of technology and upscale meeting places.

Cultivating well-being and performance

The quality of materials plays a key role. People can feel it throughout the entire day. Excellence in materi­als is a guiding philosophy at Walter Knoll. Haptic pleasure is combined with strength and durability. Table surfaces with a scratch­resistant, micro­textured varnish caress your hand. Breathable cotton and linen upholstery is sympathetic to your sense of touch and lends the room a natural feel – as does the top­quality soft leather selected and processed by Walter Knoll on the back of 150 years of expertise.

The Handelsblatt promotes a balance between togetherness and retreat, open space and silent rooms. Decision­makers have individual offices, but even these boast a variable structure. The once static orga­nization of office buildings – employees’ offices at the front, managers’ lairs at the back – is a thing of the past. Today, functions have merged into processes and employees perform different duties. At the Handelsblatt, the same space might serve a range of different purposes at different times such as the morning briefing, research, brainstorming sessions, production, personal inter­views and the reception of visitors.

The rooms at the Handelsblatt prove that well­ being and performance can support one another. The secret of this design lies in the art of expressing corporate philosophy in spatial terms. The furniture reflects the brand – a blend of sophistication and freshness, high­tech and comfort, stability and change. An inspiring environment for creative minds. Branding at its best.  

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Furniture makes a brand

What does an armchair say about a company? And how does furniture inspire employees? Handelsblatt Management Spokes­person Frank Dopheide is a brand expert. He developed the new premises together with Walter Knoll. A discussion on the impact of top­quality materials and the critical view of journalists

Frank Dopheide, Management Spokesperson of the Handelsblatt Media Group, in the Silent Chair. The arm­chair, together with the occasional table and pouf, belongs to the Seating Stones range from Walter Knoll

Mr. Dopheide, what furniture do you have in your office?I don’t have an office – that is part of the cultural change that we are going through. Publishing houses are extremely hierarchical, making it very difficult for the management to gain a sense of the mood among the employees. That is why, day in day out, I find a place for myself among my colleagues. But from eight till nine in the morning, I sit downstairs in the foyer.You work in the foyer?I read our newspapers and the expressions on my colleagues’ faces – to see their frame of mind as they come to work. Everyone knows and sees that I am approachable. Some might hesitate a few days, but they always come to see me. Sometimes it’s about a difficult customer, other times it’s to do with the office dog. Many things are too small to require a formal appointment with the management but can nevertheless place a strain on day-to-day office life, so we quickly find a solution.Do you already have a favorite item among the range of new office furniture?My favorite is the FK Lounge armchair. It’s a prestig-ious item that embodies ultimate relaxation. I enjoy sitting on the FKs with customers in the entrance hall. If people are as enthusiastic about the Handelsblatt as they are about these armchairs, then I’ll be a happy man.What will the Handelsblatt of the future look like?We are shifting from a distinguished business paper to an innova-tive media group. We want to share economic expertise with society as a whole, be it in printed, digital or live format. Our news-paper was founded 73 years ago and many people appreciate our experience as they did that of Helmut Schmidt – our capacity to stand for order amid all the chaos. That is great, but we cannot allow ourselves to be stifled by sobriety. That is why we must bring the old forward into the future.How are you addressing this transformation?Our new building is a cornerstone of the process. We wanted a flag-ship store. As our products become increasingly virtual, it helps to have a place where employees, readers and customers come into

physical contact with the strength of our brand. The rooms and furniture must make our brand and our values tangible.What do you feel now when you touch your furniture?Excellence, independence, clarity, community and innovation. Excellence is fundamental – our desks, upholstered benches and sofas make that abundantly clear. Every employee feels that the desire for excellence also applies to them. Innovation must be obvi-ous at first sight. Every visitor, regardless of whether they are a cus-tomer or a job applicant, should see us as a future-oriented company.Do job applicants choose their employer from the inside?It is mind-boggling how much of our lives we spend at the office. And, consciously or subconsciously, our workspace impacts on our decisions. If you don’t care about the furniture, the technical equipment or the quality of the coffee machine, that shows your indifference. It is precisely these details that convincingly convey the values of a company. That is why we paid such great attention to the equipment in our new building.What did you want to avoid at all costs?Manufacturers providing solutions that were contemporary, space-

efficient yet mundane. The finished product had to look as if it were designed specifically for us. We selected items from the Walter Knoll range, but I have not seen the same combinations, details or impact twice.Why did you opt for Walter Knoll?The company suits us to a T – like us, it stands for excellent products. And astounding experi-ence. Markus Benz and his team displayed the utmost empathy and creativity.

How did you brief Walter Knoll?We handed them our entire brand strategy. We then worked together to determine which values were to be conveyed and which area played which communicative and emotional role. It was sometimes something of a struggle, but the result is perceptible and quite exceptional.What do your visitors think?They say that they want to stay and work here. They praise the concentrated power and the pleasant atmosphere. The employees’ perspective has changed noticeably. They now tend to see us as being much more flexible and modern. It is important to remember that many of them are journalists, a highly critical breed if ever there was one. Praise from them is the ultimate accolade. 

F U R N I T U R E M A K E S A B R A N D H A N D E L S B L A T T

As our products become more virtual, we need a place where people can feel the strength of our brand”

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Planning for chance encounters

When people meet by chance and start talking, new ideas often coalesce – creating assets for a company. Interior designer Claudia de Bruyn on the art of designing inspiring places

Why is the coffee kitchen often such a long way from our desk?Because it forces us to walk a little. This allows your thoughts to wander as you walk, and then you meet colleagues in the kitchen. Ideally, they are people from other departments who have a fresh perspective on a task that we are turning over in our minds. At the Handelsblatt, the kitchen is deliberately located as far as possible from the newsroom. The shape of the Lox bar-stools allows you to sit upright and relaxed.… and the kitchen floor glows bright yellow. What effect do colors have?Contrasts refresh and open the mind to something new. Anyone going to the editor-in-chief’s office comes across a canary- yellow upholstered bench in the hallway. Suddenly, the hallway becomes interesting. Sitting on it, you feel the soft felt while looking through the window over a park. It’s a pleasure to wait there and gaze out-side, exchanging a few words with anyone who might go by.In this respect, the serpentine Circle sofa seems unbeatable: in the Handelsblatt’s open office, it attracts considerable attention.It cries out, “Here I am!” And so it should, as it combines several functions. Circle focuses the entire room on this point, forms a barrier to the manager’s area and also has something of the playful about it. Visitors try different positions, because the depth of the seat and height of the backrest vary. Do I want to sit upright or adopt a semi- lying position? Do I want to look this way or that? Employees who meet there for a cup of coffee love to pull their legs up under themselves. The sofa makes you want to get comfortable. Anyone who has been sitting rigidly and seriously at their desk will relax again here. It happens by chance but is designed that way intentionally.So can interior design encourage chance encounters and creativity?

Absolutely. Places where people would nor-mally just pass through offer just such an opportunity. I deliberately design them to be attractive. The same is true of the first floor of the Handelsblatt building that is open to the public. We call it the town hall. In addition to the reception, we have installed an exchange forum for print media, a two-story multimedia wall, a 360- degree arena for events, an exhibition area, a long coffee bar and a staff restaurant with several dividers. People come here for different reasons. Employees and business partners, journalists and readers, visitors keen to see an exhibition and who take a newspaper away with them when they leave.That all sounds very playful, relaxed and communicative. Are there also places which offer peace and quiet and en cour­age concentration – as well as the possi­bility of a chance encounter?There are five conference rooms on the second

floor that are reached by a corridor that at one point opens out into a lounge. You only have to walk ten or twenty meters along the dark hallway and turn the corner into the lounge to experience a com plete change of scenery. You leave a cool, func tional envi ronment and enter a much more organic one. The floor is softer, the forms more flowing and the light is warmer. You see inviting armchairs that you seem to recog-nize from somewhere.… the FK Lounge armchairs from Walter Knoll.Even people who aren’t familiar with fur-niture design have almost certainly already seen this classic design. It creates a pleas-ant recognition effect as well as looking ele-gant and comfortable. Inspired by African land scapes, the Kupanda carpet radiates earthy warmth.

If this place has a totally different effect from the rest of the hallway, do employees really

make use of it or do they simply stop and stare?Both. They have the chance to sit down alone or with others, to turn back and forth on the armchairs, to chat or to lose them-selves in t heir thoughts. If they simply want to marvel at it, fine – they are experiencing something unusual and have something to talk about.And anyone withdrawing into one of the silent rooms is looking for an encounter with their inner self?Exactly, with the help of the inspiring design. The carpet is in vibrant colors and the armchairs are either classics, upholstered almost solemnly with black velvet, or highly sculptural with splashes of color. Discon-nected from the daily routine, anyone look-ing for peace and quiet is sure to meet their inner self here. This contact always has something of the random about it, some-thing new: I follow my associations and feelings and discover something new, some-thing unexpected. Everyone is familiar with this process: we call it creativity. 

N E W W O R K

Working in the 21st century is all about peer-based working in a digital, networked environment that is flexible both in time and space. Furniture creates multiple surroundings for constantly-changing teams and needs, lively discussion and a creative, uninterrupted flow

“In the little kitchen, I have lots of pleasant encounters with colleagues from the Graphic Design and Photography Editing departments as well as with a number of the management staff. The Lox barstools are ideal for a spontaneous discussion.”A N N E W I K T O R I NEditor on the newsdesk, Handelsblatt

Clockwise from the left: kitchen break with stools and bistro table from the Lox range. Meeting on FK Lounge armchairs at Oota Table. Silent room with 369 and 375 armchairs, Votteler Chair and Oota Table. Away from it all for a confidential phone call with Seating Stones, Lox Table and Bellows stool. All furniture from Walter Knoll

P L A N N I N G F O R C H A N C E E N C O U N T E R S

Interior designer Claudia de Bruyn and her office Two Space helped design the interior. Together upholstered bench, Lox Table, both from Walter Knoll

H A N D E L S B L A T T

Anyone who has been sitting rigidly and seriously at their desk will relax again here”

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Giving decision- makers space to make decisions

Not all tasks are suited to open space. People carrying responsibility need discretion as well as rooms and furniture that adapt to the work situation

Modern working has changed interior design. Office spaces are becoming larger and more open, divided into different areas by means of cleverly designed fur-niture. Discussions and individual work, production and brainstorming can all take place in one single space. Very often, it is difficult to recognize who the boss is. Modern managers like to work in the middle of it all. They want to keep their fingers on the pulse of the company and communicate with employees. They attach less and less importance to external signs of rank. Most of them nevertheless enjoy one privilege: their own office.

But what for? What do they do there? Do they come up with particularly good ideas in their splendid isolation? “I rarely have good ideas in my office,” says Sven Afhüppe, Editor-in-Chief of the Handelsblatt. He has his best ideas in the shower, on the bus or cycling the 12½ miles to work. Or sometimes even in the roof garden of La Tête, the new media house. “When the sky is the only thing left above me.” Creativity is a less frequent occurrence at a desk, something that Markus

Benz – CEO of Walter Knoll – knows only too well. “Whenever I’m dealing with something, I become

restless. There is a certain energy that drags me out of my chair. I feel a need to move about.” He already spends ninety percent of his time outside his office – in discussions and conferences or on business trips. The main task of managers these days is to communicate.

This is equally true for the management team at the Handelsblatt. Sven Afhüppe estimates that he uses his office maybe once a week. He does the majority of his work in conference rooms, the editorial newsroom, in lectures or in background discussions with people from the fields of politics and economics. Sebastian Matthes, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Head of Digital, even claims not to need an individual office. He could do all his work in the open space, as he did at the online news network Huffington Post, which he managed for four and a half years. Sebastian Matthes sees him-self as a “pathway between worlds”, a bridge builder between analog and digital planets, which naturally means that he is often in transit.

And yet everyone enjoys the chance to take a little time for themselves. “An individual office is important for sensitive discussions,” says Sven Afhüppe. Recently, a high-ranking politician called to complain about an article. He prefers to take such calls in more peaceful and quiet surroundings. The same is true of confiden-tial performance reviews. Sebastian Matthes shuts himself off when working on a text or editing an article by a colleague. Markus Benz needs his office “to collect his thoughts for a few minutes in peace and quiet,” or to weigh up an important issue before he takes a decision.

Individual offices meet managers’ needs to collect their thoughts and consider matters without being interrupted before reaching for the phone, writing a decisive e-mail or inviting someone in to talk. To this end, they surround themselves with high-quality mate-rials and carefully thought-out design. Sven Afhüppe is glad that he can adjust his desk. He has programmed two heights using his touchpad: 1.10 meters to read while standing up and 84 centimeters to write while sitting on his chair. The change is good for his back. 

In private: Sebastian Matthes, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Head of Digital, gives an author feedback on a text. Exec-V desk, Leadchair Management swivel chair, Bellows stool, Liz chair and Storage System: all furniture from Walter Knoll

An individual office is important for sensitive discussions, for example if a politician calls”

Prestigious and ergonomic: The Exec-V desk adapts to different needs. Editor- in-Chief Sven Afhüppe raises it to read (top left) and lowers it to write (bottom left). He adjusts the height at the push of a button on his touchpad. Leadchair Management swivel chair, all furniture from Walter Knoll

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Shaping new conference worlds

You spontaneously want to announce some news, talk to colleagues all over the world, focus on finding solutions: different scenarios need different spaces – but something they all need is the best possible equipment

FLEXIBILITYAn intimate strategy meeting, international video conference or spontaneous meeting with one hundred employees: the large conference area is the perfect venue for all of them as it can be turned into three smaller rooms in a flash thanks to movable walls. The Conference-X table system can be configured in a number of ways. The elegant structure of the table framework conceals the Easy Handle connection technology: the mecha-nism clicks into the table top, handles fix the locks. Liz chairs, Media Stele and Media Wall, all furniture from Walter Knoll

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D I G I TA L I Z AT I O N

It is now permeating all areas of life: analog information is being transformed into digital information, journalists are constantly publishing news online. And the technology that makes all this possible is perfectly integrated in the furniture, promoting fast work

“The colorful conference room is the editorial staff ’s interface with the world. The technology is state of the art. And it reflects exactly what we want to be: the most modern daily paper in Europe.”S E B A S T I A N M AT T H E S Deputy Editor-in-Chief Handelsblatt

NETWORKINGIf you are working digitally on a global scale, you are going to need premium connections. Brilliant pictures, clear audio and fast data transfer around the world are essential. Walter Knoll developed aesthetically appealing solutions for the editorial conference room of the Handelsblatt. The commu-nication technology is integrated in the Scale-Media table, the Media Wall connects the editors in the Düsseldorf HQ with colleagues in the local Berlin and Düsseldorf offices. Ministers or CEOs are often invited to take part in the morning briefing. The lightweight yellow and orange Liz chairs clearly signalize: this is where the Handelsblatt is put together

“ Our editors make high de-mands – both of themselves and of the technology”

A N K E O T T E R B E C KHead of Project and Building Management, Handelsblatt Media Group

“The collaboration with Walter Knoll was very pleasant because the company and its media technology partner Zgoll simply got their heads down and created solutions. We said what we needed, and the partners set about providing us with what we wanted. They independently worked on problems and questions.

What is really important to us is homogeneous technology. We had a dozen different systems in the old Handelsblatt building. Before editors could go into a conference, they had to read the operating instructions because the technology in each room worked in a different way. And that of course was not only time-consuming but ex - asperating. Now we have a common standard that can be operated intuitively. The electron-ics in the furniture ensures fast data transfer and provides high image resolution. It is extremely flexible and new components can be added to it. And that was something else we wanted Walter Knoll to provide: sustainability.

And the ‘look’ is something else we appreci-ate. How the technology is integrated in the fur niture – very elegant. And that is certainly something that is worthy of mention as lots of manufacturers don’t pay any great attention to the ‘look’. But Walter Knoll sets great store by having visually matching models. The com-ponents are unobtrusively incorporated into the table. The flaps over the connectors for elec-tricity, computer network and video technology are flush with the desk/table surface, are in the same color and made of the same material.

The technical furniture does not just look good, it also sounds good. The quality of sound coming from the loud speakers is impeccable. Our journalists make high demands, not only of themselves but also of their working envi-ronment. All in all I find that our project with Walter Knoll has been a genuine success.“

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F L E X I C U R I T Y

A term made up of the two words “flexibility” and “security”. Companies have to be able to respond in an agile way to new demands. But employees need an atmosphere of stability to be creative. And they are given that atmosphere in an interior that exudes strength and solidity

L I V I N G I N T H E O F F I C E

Residential furniture is turning the office into a feel-good place: armchairs and sofas in elegant shapes, color accents and soft textures surround the straight lines of desks and conference tables. Resulting in a harmonious whole

AMBIENCEPremium materials show appreciation, of both em-ployees and visitors. Here Walter Knoll combined relaxing and invigorating elements: stripes and a vitalizing orange with dark wood, leather and velvet. Keypiece conference table, Leadchair Management swivel chairs, Foster 512 upholstered bench, Oki occasional tables, 375 armchairs and Votteler Chair, Storage System and Media Wall, all from Walter Knoll

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Finding the right mix

This is what the variety in the Handelsblatt building looks like. All the furniture is from the Walter Knoll range, but the composition is unique. And that determines the character

L I ZConference room, Single officePages 1, 3, 8, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21

J O C O S T O N ELoungePage 7

G E O R G EBoardroomPages 8, 9, 13

S T O R AG E S YS T E MConference room, Open space, Single officePages 4, 5, 16, 22

S C A L E - M E D I AConference roomPages 1, 3, 12, 20, 21

L OXBreak room, NewsroomPages 12, 15

L E A D C H A I R M A N AG E M E N TConference room, Open space, Single officePages 4, 5, 8, 16, 17, 22, 23

O K IConference roomPage 22

VO T T E L E R C H A I RConference room, Silent roomPages 12, 15, 23

L OX TA B L EBreak room, Interim zone, Single officePages 8, 12, 14, 15

K E Y P I E C E M A N AG E M E N T D E S KOpen spacePage 4

K E Y P I E C EConference roomPages 22, 23

O O TA TA B L ELounge, Silent roomPages 7, 15

375Conference room, Silent roomPages 12, 15, 23

E X E C -VSingle officePages 16, 17

TA D E O C O N F E R E N C I N GBoardroomPages 8, 9, 13

S E AT I N G S T O N E SConference room, Silent room, Open spacePages 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 15, 21

C O N F E R E N C E -XConference roomPages 13, 18, 19

B E L L O W S C O L L E C T I O NSingle office, Open spacePages 8, 12, 15, 16

C I R C L EOpen spacePages 4, 5

3 6 9Silent roomPages 12, 15

F K L O U N G ELoungePages 6, 7, 15

F KFoyerPage 13

LEGENDS OF C ARPETS: KUPANDALoungePages 6, 7

F O S T E R 512Conference roomPages 22, 23

M E D I A WA L LConference roomPages 19, 20, 21, 23

M E D I A S T E L EConference roomPages 8, 9, 13, 18

T O G E T H E RConference room, Interim zonePages 1, 12, 14, 21

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