Review: NeoCon

HOTELIFICATION OF THE OFFICE

Q: What is hotelification?

A: Think of office interiors based on high-end hotels – a warm, inviting ambience and design which promotes collaboration and stylish coworking spaces with plenty of amenities. Furniture that is highly functional and flexible.

Integra Seating and its Pax Poufs range

The Spino sofa from Scandinavian Spaces

PHYGITAL WORKPLACE DESIGN

Q: What does phygital mean?

A: The blending of the digital and physical realms fast-tracked by hybrid working. Phygital environments seamlessly sync remote and in-person workflows.

Hollman’s Amani Collection Acoustic Locker

NEOCON 2022 REVIEW MAKING a STATEMENT

This year’s NeoCon exhibition proved once again why it is still the leading North American commercial interiors show – by Michelle Sturman

Held at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago over three days (13-15 June) and now in its 53rd year, NeoCon 2022 retains its place as the hub for connecting and sharing the latest innovations in commercial design. The show is an absolute must if you want to know where the workplace of the future is heading.

This year’s theme ‘Design Makes a Statement’ did exactly that, with over 400 brands showcasing thousands of new products. There was a wealth of engaging installations, renovated showrooms, as well as on-site activations, events and a jam-packed educational programme.

Overall, 47 virtual CEU-accredited seminars were on offer from leading industry experts spanning eight tracks: Workplace, Healthcare, Education, Facilities, Wellness, Sustainability, Design Skills, and Industry Direction.

Bruce Mau

NeoCon Director of Programming Allison Kearns commented: “From examining how to make spaces more accessible to implementing biophilic design practices and exploring how non-fungible tokens and the metaverse will shape the future of design, we curated our 2022 CEU lineup to centre around themes that are rapidly growing in importance for our industry.”

The three keynote speakers were renowned artist Nick Cave alongside Bob Faust, founder of art and design studio Faust, designer and educator Bruce Mau, and design futurist and author Shashi Caan. Other presentations included talks by industry experts from entities such as Gensler, Mohawk Group, CBRE Design Collective and the Design Museum of Chicago, to name but a few.

The Best of NeoCon programme saw 99 awards handed out in 52 categories, with HALCON Furniture’s HELM table crowned the Best in Competition 2022 winner. It was also awarded Gold in two other categories.

The jury noted: “This groundbreaking table has a professional and high-end feel, while also meeting current user demands and expectations for wellness. It is seamless and well-executed in all ways.”

The future of the office is always a hot topic. This year, the shift in workplace needs has given rise to the major new trends of ‘hotelification’ and ‘phygital’ (page 50) as well as the increasing movement towards privacy and adaptability, and biophilia and well-being in the work environment.

HALCON Furniture’s HELM table Nick Cave (l) and Bob Faust

BIOPHILIA AND WELL-BEING

Not a new trend in the workplace, but one that is receiving plenty of attention as employees return to the office.

Lichen Community by Mohawk Group

PRIVACY AND ADAPTABILITY

A burgeoning trend before the pandemic, providing private spaces is a must in today’s work environment.

The HON Company’s Astir Lounge