designing the office of the future

Interesting excerpt from an article in the Grand Rapids Business Journal Express:

As he (Lodato, an industrial designer working for Herman Miller) sees it, the role of office design will be to absorb or manage those elements. Much of this will come from integrating technology into furniture, but not in the manner designers have traditionally used. For example, this would likely not include building computer components into furniture. The next-generation office will likely reverse that paradigm, using technology to add value to furniture.

Technologists envision a workplace that essentially manages itself. Individual workstations could be outfitted to recognize users, adjusting climate control and light settings. A next-generation Aeron chair might remember ergonomic settings for each user.

“You could create an intelligence in the fabric that will understand your weight and chemistry,” Lodato said. “It could recognize who you are, and maybe that you’re perspiring too much and overstressed. It’ll know you’ve put in a long week and say, ‘Hey, it’s Friday, take a break.’ The chair talks to you.”