Biodesign and office well-being
_VANK at ORGATEC 2022
The iconic event in Cologne, a platform for the premiere of the most important trendy solutions aimed to simplify office life and improve work environments, will be an opportunity to meet VANK. This young brand, already experienced with industrial life, will take part in ORGATEC for the first time. The company’s appearance will also be an occasion to unveil the environmental transformation it has undergone in the past two years.
Join us October 25-29 in Cologne to learn about our vision of design and our approach to contemporary office environments.
_In response to how we work now
VANK will share the results of months of work — by making it possible to try out its new products and meet the brand’s creators. We believe that face-to-face meetings are the best opportunity to get to know the thoughts of opinions of all customers, which is extremely valuable to us. We want to explore the question of how and what each company can contribute to making the office a holistically ergonomic, sustainable, and value-generating place. We know that for a modern workplace, it is not individual desks or shelving solutions, but coordinated systems of products and materials that are all-important. In addition, today’s work environments are more multidimensional than ever. Work happens in many places. Different urban and suburban spaces are being adapted to respond to this post-pandemic phenomenon. The possibility of furnishing an office the agile way, in line with the “office everywhere” concept, became especially important during the health crisis and has since remained a mainstay of the hybrid work model.
_The brand’s first appearance at ORGATEC
At its stand in Hall 8, in keeping with this year’s theme of WELLBIOING, VANK will offer a comfortable meeting space and the atmosphere of a green, user-friendly office of the future. There will be new configurations of acoustic solutions, options of customisation, surprising biomaterial forms, and a number of essential mobile features to guarantee adaptability. VANK’s stand is an expression of the versatility of sustainable interior design, highlighted by the colours featured — white, beige, and green, all referring to the used eco-friendly materials.
_Biodesign for you and the planet
Office well-being will be presented through the use of natural materials such as VANK_BIO. It is created through modern technology using a biocomposite based on flax and hemp fibres. These plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere during their growth phase and convert it into biomass through photosynthesis. Therefore, biodesign is about products with a much lower carbon footprint than other office furniture. In addition, they are based on fast-growing fibrous plants that are annually renewable, do not require irrigation or fertilisation, and are safe and human-friendly due to their natural origin. VANK_BIO is durable and soundproof. As a typical porous material made of bast fibres, it contains diverse channels and cavities that allow sound waves to penetrate into the structure.
Using renewable resources is an important means to achieve the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions leading to climate change — which is one of the biggest threats to the natural environment, our society, and our economy. VANK’s eco-transformation and contribution to the development of the circular economy was recognised by the juries of the Green Product Award 2022 and Iconic Design Awards 2022. As a result of its efforts, the brand received both awards. The biodegradable VANK_PANEL_BIO made VANK also one of the finalists shortlisted for the Sustainability Award Design 2022.
In Cologne, VANK will showcase a stand built of its VANK_BIO acoustic panels that lend a minimalist, natural look to every interior. It’s a combination of pro-environmental values and every individual’s need for well-being. Thanks to the organic texture of the material, the colour scheme, and the geometric rhythm of the panels, the interior becomes full of harmony. The soft, creased, velour-covered surfaces of the seats and high backrests from the VANK_RING collection improve the acoustics of modern office interiors, which contributes to the well-being of those present. Thanks to the furniture’s recycling-friendly design, the cushions removed from armchairs and poufs, filled with recycled foam, can be used as meditation cushions. High bar furniture — new RING sofas, tables, and barstools — make great spaces for comfortable, casual meetings, so much in demand in modern-day offices. New VANK_PEEL chairs, lounge chairs, and tables with an innovative natural veneer finish impart a sense of connection with the original, earliest human environment. The collection has come to being out of concern for natural resources. The use of wood-saving technology has made it possible to comply with the “reduce” idea, in line with the principles of eco-friendly activity.
VANK_BIO acoustic panels have also been presented on multifunctional pods and walls, which reduce the levels of acoustic smog and stimulate concentration and creativity. Supporting neurodiverse people, they form clearly defined zones and relaxation areas. A bigger pod for meetings, video conferencing, and online training comes with VANK_CO mobile barstools and a whiteboard for brainstorming. The medium-sized VANK_BOX is designed for individual focused work: performed at a desk and made more pleasant by music, for recording podcasts and webinars. The smallest pod is a solution for quick and confidential phone or video calls. Thanks to castors, all pods can be easily rotated or moved away from sources of visual or acoustic distractions depending on the organisation’s current needs.
_ See it first! What does VANK have in store?
VANK_SCREEN_BIO, which is a mobile office wall made of bio-based panels, will additionally be showcased in ORGATEC’s special exhibition zone — Materials4Future, which features curated solutions designed to reduce the carbon footprint of office furniture products.
So far, the products made from biomaterial have been wall panels, mobile walls, and acoustic pods. But there’s a new player in town, going by the name of VANK_CUBE_BIO. And it will be shown first at ORGATEC. The solution enables setting up an eco-friendly workplace anywhere, in any space. This modular system is based on a single element — the cube — and makes it possible to easily transform the interior in response to changing needs. A single module looks like a box, but the system can be a bench, a desk with a pouf, a counter, a shelf, a shelving unit, or a wall dividing the space. With such building blocks, it’s possible to freely shape and form the space as well as configure and reconfigure the available furniture in an infinite number of ways. The collection supports creative teams and collective work culture, but also lets individualists working remotely and independently to have some fun.
One of the major changes in the VANK brand portfolio is the unlimited configurability of its acoustic products and 5 panel styles: DIAMOND, WAVE, FLAT, ELLIPSE, and COLUMN. There’s more freedom when it comes to matching pods, partitions, and wall panel compositions. Designers have a wide range of possibilities. They can mix, blend, play, and create — meaning doing what they like best. Acoustic panels can be ordered in any quantity for wall finishes or come as preconfigured, ready-to-hang acoustic works of art.
What makes VANK unique as a manufacturer and brand in the office market, in addition to the extensive use of eco-friendly materials, is the ability to offer complete mobile rooms finished with 3D panels both on the inside and outside. This translates into an even greater level of acoustic comfort in open-plan office environments.
_Well-being and health in the workplace
VANK supports ideas designed to respond not only to the need for ergonomics and aesthetics and to climate change, but also to the concern for people’s physical and mental health.
That’s why the outcome of this year’s collaboration with architecture and design studio workingwell and virtual reality technology provider Magic Horizons is the new acoustic pod re:mind BOX. Visitors to ORGATEC can try out a mobile room for brief relaxation both at the VANK stand and in a special zone arranged to mimic the perfect workspace — Inspired Hybrid Office. Come to Hall 8 and experience this complete office solution, design to improve the health and well-being of employees by enabling them to better cope with increasing work demands and daily stress.
But that’s not the end of the action-packed agenda. At the VANK stand, workingwell academy coaches will deliver one of their activating online training courses: Deep Work – Health Hacks for improving your wellbeing at work. VANK’s partner and workplace consulting specialist — workingwell from Munich — offers practical guidance on subjects such as: New Work, New Leadership, Hybrid Working or New Culture. Through customised training, workingwell academy provides managers and employees with a motivating approach to leadership and work.
See you at our stand C-041 with 112 m2 of surface area, Hall 8.1
ORGATEC, 25-29.10, Mon-Fri 9 am — 6 pm, Sat 9 am — 4 pm
Koelnmesse, Messeplatz 1, 50679 Cologne, Germany
