Oce memo
From soft-edged library and lab design to spot-on desk lighting
‘ROOKIE’ CHAIR^
by Konstantin Grcic
Unsurprisingly, the mighty Swiss furniture
brand Vitra believes strongly in the future
of the oice. The company’s ‘Work’ exhibition
at the Orgatec trade fair in Cologne this
October will explore all facets of tomorrow’s
workspaces, distilling new ideas on lexibility
and freedom into spaces that are sometimes
seen as immutable. Overseen by architects
Jonathan Olivares and Pernilla Ohrstedt,
‘Work’ comprises three installations, by
Sevil Peach, Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby,
and Konstantin Grcic, the last including the
German designer’s new ‘Rookie’ chair. ‘It’s
designed for environments that encourage
the creation and exchange of ideas,’ he says.
Price on request, by Konstantin Grcic,
for Vitra, vitra.com‘XTA SINGLE’ LIGHT^
by Tobias Grau
A trusty task light that combines elegance
with eiciency will always ind favour at
Wallpaper* HQ. German lighting specialist
Tobias Grau’s new ofering, the ‘XT-A Single’,
is a slender desk-mounted design, available in
black and white versions. Part of a collection
that also includes loor and ceiling lights, the
desk lamp has an otherworldly proile,
hovering over the work space like an alien
visitor, dispensing an even, optimum light
from a source that always remains parallel
to the desk surface and provides perfect
glare control. The design received a 2018
iF Award and can be connected to other
products from the Tobias Grau range for
synchronised dimming.
From €898, by Tobias Grau, tobiasgrau.comMAYA S SOMAIYA LIBRARY, INDIA
by SP+A
An array of global inluences came together
to create sculptural magic in this new library
for the Shri Sharda school in Kopargaon,
a small town in Maharashtra state, nearly
200km north-east of Mumbai. SP+A drew on
traditional Catalan tile vaulting, the structural
gymnastics of legendary Uruguayan engineer
Eladio Dieste and software developed by
ETH university in Switzerland to conjure up
the snaking brick roof. ‘We tried to push the
local or regional paradigm to evolve beyond
the clichéd image,’ says founding principal
Sameep Padora. ‘Our process drew on
a combination of techniques across both
time and geography.’ The architects also
designed the wooden furniture, shelving
and low Kota limestone stools. The result is
a new landscape that expands the children’s
horizons, both physically and intellectually.
sp-arc.netWRITER: JONATHAN BELLPhotography: Edmund Sumner
∑ 163
Officepaper*