02.08 - officeinsightarchive.officeinsight.com/dist/oi020816.subscriber.pdf · 2016-02-08 ·...

02.08.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS

CITED:“TRUTH IS A CHAMELEON THAT ONLY SHOWS ITS TRUE COLOURS WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING.” —EDWARD WILSON, “THE ENVOY”

Spotlight | Baldur by Krownlab

Rustic barn aesthetics have had a great run in interiors of the past several years, in residential and commercial markets alike. But, as with many trends, the best-case scenario often lies in iterations of the design that take a more thoughtful, down-played approach in combination with other influences. A new hardware product called Baldur, by Portland-based architectural hardware designer and manufacturer Krownlab, will inspire designers and clients who want to push past the rustic barn aesthetic to mod-ern designs that feel fresh, yet still retain all the good feels that oversized sliding doors and large-scale wood floors can offer.

FULL STORY ON PAGE 3…

Narrowing the Space Between Designer and Client – Part Two

Interior designers find themselves in expanding roles, ones mov-ing them closer to their clients. In this second installment of a two-part series on the changing role of the interior designer, we’ll explore why an interior designer’s set of tools now includes great-er use of human psychology and knowledge of decision-making processes. Changes in the interior design industry are bringing to the surface new thinking about the effects of personality and psychology on a designer’s engagement with technology, with client expectations, and with the complexity of business relation-ships.


thread collective | The Resiliency Problem-solver

In 2016, an ideal world in architecture and design points to all things resilient – buildings and their interiors, public spaces, coastlines, transportation modes, and many other forms of urban planning. Through its involvement in microgrid and urban agriculture projects, thread collective, a Brooklyn-based archi-tecture and design firm, has woven a commitment to building a low carbon, resilient and sustainable world into the heart of its design process.


02.08.16 GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 2 OF 34

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Rustic barn aesthetics have had a great run in interiors of the past several years, in residential and commercial markets alike. But, as with many trends, the best-case sce-nario often lies in iterations of the design that take a more thoughtful, down-played approach in combination with other influences.

A new hardware product called Baldur will inspire de-signers and clients who want to push past the rustic barn aesthetic to modern designs that feel fresh, yet still retain all the good feels that oversized sliding doors and large-scale wood floors can offer.

Baldur, by Portland-based architectural hardware de-signer and manufacturer Krownlab, is a versatile, hubless sliding-door hardware system for commercial and large residential interiors.

Baldur’s sleek-factor is high. Rather than making a wheel that has a small bearing inside of it, Krownlab designers instead fashioned a wheel out of a massive custom bearing

four inches in diameter, leaving the center open. Using a much larger wheel ensures super smooth movement; the larger the wheel, the smoother it travels.

Spotlight | Baldur by Krownlabby Mallory Jindra

Baldur Hardward by Krownlab at Skylab office. Photography: provided by Krownlab

Detail of Baldur hardware at Skylab office


productsThis patented “hubless” wheel

design, meaning it has nothing anchoring it in the middle, provides Baldur’s movement and presents an uncommon aesthetic quality that dis-tinguishes it from other door systems on the market.

Many of Krownlab’s products revolve around Krownlab Founder and CEO Stefan Andrén’s fascina-tion with bearings, and Baldur is the company’s most ambitious effort yet in this exploration.

“There’s something so beautiful

about exposing something usually found on the inside,” said Mr. Andrén, a former product design director for Nike and Motorola. “Almost everything that spins has a wheel with an axel right through the middle. Baldur has nothing in the middle, and the effect is really cool.”

Krownlab created Baldur as a high-end, interior iteration of the classic sliding barndoor with plenty of design possibilities. Mr. Andrén noticed a gap in the hardware market between American-made traditional barn door hardware with a rustic aesthetic and in many cases a cheaper price point, and higher-end European counterparts with more elaborate designs. Baldur, and many of Krownlab’s other hard-ware products, capture a modern, streamlined design at a reasonable price point, which is important to the company.

“Part of making a great product is making smart decisions regarding how it’s designed and manufactured so that it benefits our customers,” said Mr. Andrén.

Stefan Andrén, Krownlab founder and CEO

Skylab office

Skylab office


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Baldur can be mounted to door panels in three ways (top mount, face mount and glass mount), allowing de-signers flexibility in applying Baldur to work with panels of nearly any size and material, weighing up to 400 lbs. The product’s wide steel-on-steel contact surface between its bearing and track

ensures even the heaviest doors glide smoothly. The hardware can be used in a variety of door configurations and is easy to adjust onsite.

Baldur is available in three finishes – Brushed Stainless, Black Stainless and Polished Stainless). Fabricated from 300- and 400- series stainless

steel, it won’t patina or develop rust, even in damp or humid environ-ments. The product has been tested to 130,000 open-and-close cycles, which is equivalent to 10 years of heavy use, and is suitable for high-traffic commer-cial environments, requiring virtually no ongoing maintenance.

Mounting options

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productsMr. Andrén founded Krownlab

in 2009, but he first began toying with hardware designs when he was building his own house in Portland, OR. Originally from Sweden, he had studied in Chicago and lived in Milan, Italy, before landing in Portland.

“I’d wanted to live in a fantastic loft ever since I lived in Chicago, where there was a lot of that style,” said Mr. Andrén. “But there was very little of that loft style in Portland. I designed my house to feel like a loft. The house was very budgeted, and the space very constrained, so I wanted to use sliding doors to save space. I couldn’t find a product out there that I liked that I could afford. I put together some very basic design drawings and had a friend who welds put them together.”

Baldur in polished stainless

Baldur in black stainless

Baldur in brushed stainlessBaldur detail in polished steel


productsA few serendipitous articles in the

press led to a flurry of activity that never quite died down. Mr. Andrén decided to do a professional market scan, and indeed found a gap in the hardware market that could make his business viable.

Utilizing steel hand-cast locally, Krownlab fabricates its hardware in Portland and sells direct in the com-mercial architectural interiors mar-ket throughout North America. The 13-person company does all design, development, engineering, prototyping and testing in-house. Krownlab out-sources its manufacturing to carefully selected local companies, and then the products return to Krownlab hands for assembly, inventory and send-out, ensuring a high quality of customer service.

“We’re building a company around products that have a chance at being timeless if we do them really well.” n

Baldur in black stainless Baldur hardware in action at Vanillawood offices


products

Baldur hardware by Krownlab in residential applications


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02.08.16

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GIVING VOICE TO THOSE WHO CREATE WORKPLACE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS PAGE 10 OF 34

Interior designers find themselves in expanding roles, ones moving them closer to their clients. In this second install-ment of a two-part series on the changing role of the interior designer, we’ll explore why an interior designer’s set of tools now includes greater use of human psychology and knowl-edge of decision-making processes.

Changes in the interior design industry are bringing to the surface new thinking about the effects of personality and psychology on a designer’s engagement with technology, with client expectations, and with the complexity of busi-ness relationships.

Open communication must be established because it creates value for the design process. A psychological benefit appears when clients realize the extent of the work performed by their designers. Communicating and educat-ing clients brings them to a turning point when they know what is being proposed is not simply plucked straight out of a catalog.

Elizabeth Lyman, an interior designer at Steelcase dealer-ship Tangram Interiors in Newport Beach, CA, works for a variety of clients, with varying intentions for the level of involvement in their projects.

“Whether deeply involved, as some clients like to be, or in a smaller role, we want all of our clients to feel confident about what they are purchasing,” said Ms. Lyman. “Clients start to realize a desk can have many configurations, details and finish options that affect its overall aesthetic and price.”

The result of this exchange of information and under-standing is a client that places higher value on the design work. This valuation connects with the client’s feelings of confidence toward the designers, the process and the design firm or dealership as a whole.

Ms. Lyman suggests these factors are especially useful with new projects for established businesses or organiza-tions that have undergone previous renovations. It could be called the Been There, Tried That Syndrome.

Years can pass between top-to-bottom renovations or even refreshes, she noted.

“Leaders who have a long tenure sometimes believe they’ve lived it all before. That’s not to say they are uniformly conservative or closed off from new ways of working.”

She says it is usually clear from initial meetings where a client ranks on the conservative-progressive spectrum, and how current the client is about directions in workplace design. Success, then, often means aligning the design concept with its value to their business.

Narrowing the Space Between Designer and Client – Part Twoby Stephen Witte

Elizabeth Lyman, interior designer, Tangram Interiors

02.08.16

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“We sometimes have to challenge them a bit to think dif-ferently about their workplace.”

The tools for visualizing and taking clients on a fly-through of their space often help ease them into a progres-sive design, she added.

Tangram’s showroom is an ideal environment for these presentations and an advantage in the psychological selling of the project. Ms. Lyman and her colleagues seize this home court advantage whenever possible.

“When we host potential clients in our Newport Beach showroom, we always work to include a demonstration of our CET Designer capabilities,” said Ms. Lyman. “Even if it is simply a five-minute segment of our time with them.” Brief as it might be, Ms. Lyman believes “it makes Tangram stand out.”

Then there are client presentations where the role of supporting player falls to Tangram. Ms. Lyman explains that Tangram nurtures partnerships formed over the years with A&D firms in Los Angeles and Orange Country.

“When a design firm refers their client to us, they want to know their client is in good hands,” said Ms. Lyman. “We’re here to be a resource, and to make a positive contribution to their project. As the recommended dealership for their project, it is vital that we create a good relationship with the end user. It reflects on the A&D firm and how they value us as their partner.”

In 2013, a research team at Gensler investigated the significance of decision-making throughout the design process. Its project, Design Process Innovation, suggested that an analysis of the design process should follow the flow of decisions.

While the team made no assertions about the means of making those decisions, it justified the relevance of “deci-sion-focused design processes” in confronting the increas-ingly complex realities of design. Perhaps no other place of business beats California’s Silicon Valley in experiencing those complex realities of design. Natalie Engels, IIDA, LEED AP, is a senior associate at Gensler’s San José office.

Natalie Engels, IIDA, LEED AP, senior associate, Gensler


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Ms. Engels speaks passionately of practicing interior design in Silicon Valley, where the world’s best-known high-tech workforce goes to the office. Hers is a career energized by a personal turning point in particular, to which many can relate.

“After 9/11, there was a moment when I wondered why I’m doing interior design,” said Ms. Engels. “I thought, ‘Why am I not helping save the world?’”

Her introspection led to an epiphany. “I wanted to use design to make a positive impact in

someone’s life. This notion was just bubbling up in work-place design.”

She observed people spending nine, 10, 11 hours at work every day, many of those hours limited to cubicles, confer-ence rooms or small offices.

“What kind of life was that?” asked Ms. Engels. “Those employees had no choices in their work environment; they could not even see outside to know the time of day.”

The design thesis Ms. Engels undertook was identifying a human being’s needs for thriving in the workplace. Taking the concept further, she considered what a group requires, and, ultimately, what the elements of a thriving, successful workplace are.

“The shift for us was practicing socially-conscious de-sign,” said Ms. Engels.

It has been a heavy lift, one might say, but Ms. Engels suggests that “doing good” on the planet where humans live and inside the buildings where they work are “merging now.”

In her practice of socially conscious interior design, Ms. Engels came to a professional revelation.

“I love being in front of clients,” she said. Having never before categorized herself as a marketer, it was a wholly un-expected development, and one she delved into with vigor.

“I became savvier in how businesses operate and go about doing what they do,” said Ms. Engels. “I wanted to understand the end user’s worldview, so in presenting to them, I could speak some of their language.”

She was, of course, fluent in the language of design in all of its dimensions. “That’s for inside the studio, among the team, because we naturally understand each other. Clients speak the language of their businesses.”

How does Ms. Engels view the matching of freshly gradu-ated junior designers with client-facing activities at Gensler? She believes in seeing how they develop in the studio, in the profession and in what interests them.

“When we interview for junior designers,” she explains, “We see aspects shared by all of them – hope, aspiration, enthusiasm for the future, entrepreneurial outlook; they’re brimming with ways to improve things.”

Knowledge sharing between teams and projects, and

in mentor-mentee relationships, is part of the fabric of working at Gensler.

“In a way, Gensler is a huge knowledge base, and the building and sharing of that knowledge is encouraged throughout the firm,” said Ms. Engels.

She noted that benchmarking, pulling trends from the data, has led more than a few designers to “geek out” over possible ways of interpreting trending data. Many designers at the firm find inspiration by focusing that energy outside the firm as client advisors.

“Clients gravitate toward the designers who can take them on deep dives into knowledge, and this is a helpful trait for designers who also enjoy leading client presenta-tions,” said Ms. Engels.

She added that whether designers grow into mentors inside the studio or advisors presenting knowledge to prospects and clients, both roles are important to the firm.

Presenting knowledge to clients, especially those in the high-tech sector, is part art, part science.

“We want beautifully conceived projects that are artful in their form, but the science of the design is critical,” said Ms. Engels.

Communicating the art and the science can be an exercise in opposites.

“Start-up companies and even those that might be beyond the start-up phase relish their ‘outsider’ status and want to stay apart from the ‘establishment’ of more mature tech companies,” said Ms. Engels. “Many of them want that ‘scrappy’ edge just as prevalent as when were working out of a garage.”

02.08.16

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At Gensler, presentations to these clients are laid out very informally with sketches and magazine imagery.

“We tailor their presentations to their view of them-selves and their perception of the world around them.”

Ms. Engels has a unique insight into the tech mind-set, and how that mindset processes the details of an interior design project. Many of the tech companies build applications for the Internet. Getting that sort of product finished and to market is largely a matter of writing code.

“As these firms walk us through their ‘agile process’, what becomes apparent is that they speed their product releases along by adding more people to the effort,” she said. “We do some educating with them around the idea that design projects involve time for us to think and elements that are built by hand – that there is a physical craft aspect, and it isn’t a matter of putting more people into the mix so the project gets finished faster.”

More established clients prefer evidence-based de-sign, which has been on the rise since the late 2000s, noted Ms. Engels. The introduction of LEED and the health and wellness benefit represent big changes from the 80s and 90s.

“Presentations used to focus on the decade, period styling and the trend of the moment,” said Ms. Engels. “A thoughtful presentation now will capture in detail how the space will look, and much more. We also express how the changes will benefit the bottom line, the effect

on employee recruitment and retention, and the impact on productivity, health and wellness.”

Highly detailed renderings result in less of a surprise when clients walk into their new space.

“The photo-realistic renderings are very exacting about the look and volume of a space to the point where there is no reason a client should say, ‘I didn’t know it was go-ing to feel like this.’”

Occasionally those details can be a source of confu-sion, as Ms. Engels has found. “On a walk-through, a member of a client’s team will say, ‘Hey, where’s the blue pillow from the rendering?’ We now try to remind clients of what content is literal and what is interpretive in the renderings.”

A more informed and invested client base has indeed narrowed the space between interior designers and their clients. Interior design now calls for more open commu-nication. But more importantly, the profession now calls for communication that includes superior knowledge transfer, as well as superior visualization and presenta-tion techniques. n

As researcher, writer, and commentator, Stephen Witte reports and advises on trends shaping the future for the A&D community, manufacturers, and distribution chan-nels. His background includes corporate roles in product management, product development, and public rela-tions. He can be reached at [email protected].

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As we move into February, perhaps the bleakest of all months, many of us are already beginning to fall off the wagons of new year’s resolutions we pinned ourselves to so religiously on January 1st. We might be battling winter blues, but that doesn’t mean we can’t daydream about ideal worlds of interior design and architecture.

In 2016, an ideal world in architec-ture and design points to all things resilient – buildings and their interiors, public spaces, coastlines, transporta-tion modes, and many other forms of urban planning.

With more mega-storms and hur-ricanes forecast for coming years, and increasingly alarming reports from the scientific community warning about climate change, it’s now more impor-tant than ever that architecture and design communities infuse their work with resilient, sustainable elements that can help protect the future of our living environments.

thread collective, a Brooklyn-based architecture and design firm, has woven a commitment to building a low carbon, resilient and sustainable world into the heart of its design process.

Many states are modernizing their electrical grinds, and some business and neighborhood groups are investing in local power sources, which often use renewables as their basis. New com-munity-based microgrids in vulnerable areas often use solar power, providing clean, renewable power to their commu-nities. thread collective pursues projects sensitive to resiliency, and it’s helping lead a high-profile effort to make more microgrids a reality on the East Coast.

Led by architect and community organizer Gita Nandan, R.A., thread collective is part of a team developing innovative local energy networks in-dependent of the larger utility compa-nies. During extreme weather events, blackouts and other emergencies, the microgrids power individual customers and crucial public services. The firm was selected for RISE:NYC, a program for creating small-scale, innovative “Re-silient Power Hubs” (micro-grid power plants) in three New York City locations.

thread collective also landed a state-sponsored feasibility study for building-based systems to benefit the Red Hook community in Brooklyn, NY, whose reconstruction plan Nandan co-chairs. The new Red Hook Commu-nity Microgrid aims to improve “power resiliency” for critical facilities and operations to sustain the waterfront community on a day-to-day basis as well as in future emergency events.

thread collective | The Resiliency Problem-solverby Mallory Jindra

thread collective: Gita Nandan, Elliott Maltby and Mark Mancuso. Photography: courtesy of thread collective and NYC Housing Authority

The Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn will be one of the first sites of a high-profile effort to make more microgrids that use renewable power a reality on the East Coast.


a&dThe microgrids are thread collec-

tive’s first foray into energy indepen-dent systems. One might ask how an architect or designer’s work fits into these projects. Energy and power resil-iency is its own animal – a specialized area of work that requires extensive knowledge of the science behind energy systems.

Anyone can plop some solar panels down on the ground or onto a rooftop, but that will do nothing to help change

the mindset that solar systems are un-attractive. It can be difficult to find an appropriate design for a solar system that feels like a natural extension of the building itself, and that is where an ar-chitect or designer enters the picture.

“We want to shift the perspective away from viewing energy efficiency solutions as detracting from the aes-thetics of a building,” said Ms. Nan-dan. “There are innovative ways we can build integrated solar systems that

fit in with the building’s architecture.”In one of its projects, thread col-

lective devised a way to take out a building’s existing skylights, redesign them to accommodate solar panels, and then refit them back into the building. In another project, the firm fitted a solar panel system to act as a shade canopy on a building site, rather than simply using a traditional shade canopy that would serve only one purpose.

Urban resiliency has many faces, and energy in the form of nourishment is a growing concern as well. As more humans gravitate toward urban areas, food deserts – geographic areas where affordable and nutritious food is hard to obtain, often found in impoverished areas – must be addressed.

In the realm of urban agriculture (“urban ag”), thread collective’s land-scape architect Elliott Maltby and Ms. Nandan also designed one of the first models of a working farm on public housing property. The Red Hook West Urban Farm, developed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and a local nonprofit called Added Value, is a one-acre working farm in Red Hook, Brooklyn, that donates produce to families in need as well as selling it at farmers markets. The new outdoor space will serve as a prototype to be replicated on at least five other sites, as part of the NYCHA’s Urban Agriculture Initiative.

As with many public projects, the farm serves multiple purposes within its community; a food source is not the farm’s sole mission. The Red Hook West Urban Farm is a built represen-tation of thread collective’s work in urban agriculture, green infrastructure and resiliency, and serves as a site of education, job training and com-munity engagement. In this way, it is the opposite of the urban food desert, and a source of both knowledge and economic vitality.

The Red Hook West Urban Farm acts as a force against the prevalence of urban food deserts, and serves as a site of education, job training, community engagement and economic vitality.

The Red Hook West Urban Farm in Red Hook, Brooklyn, is one of the first models in the nation of a working farm on public housing property, developed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and designed by thread collective


a&dThe Red Hook West Urban Farm is

indeed a working farm – not a com-munity garden, and that distinction is important. Ownership and scale are two Community gardens often spread ownership and responsibility among several people or groups, but farms are almost always managed by a singe individual or group. For example, the Red Hook West Urban Farm is maintained and operated by Green City Force’s Clean Energy Corp, an AmeriCorps program based in NYC. And while community gardens typically feature planter sections in the 4x8-foot range, farm planter sizes are much larger, in the 50x80-foot range.

One key design element that sets the Red Hood West Urban Farm apart from other “urban ag” spaces is its open, inviting blueprint. thread collec-tive’s landscape design overlays exist-ing, informal pedestrian paths over the east-west orientation; the concept is an optimal one for growing fruits and veg-etables, and yields a dynamic pattern of planters and gathering spaces.

“Most farms are usually protected with a fence of some sort, but our design encourages people to walk through it,” said Ms. Maltby.

thread collective’s future projects are brimming with urban ag and energy efficiency components.

For example, its work on Low-lands, a vision for the public spaces of NYCHA housing developments, involves recommending varied “green infrastructure strategies” to boost com-munity engagement and ecological resiliency. Through its involvement in the Lowlands project, thread collective hopes to make urban housing safer and healthier, while also strengthening existing corridors and linking together residential, commercial and retail sites.

Ms. Nandan also noted the firm’s future involvement in a project that will build an urban ag element into an office interior.

“Offices with an urban ag component will become more popular in the future,” said Ms. Nandan. “How people are inhabiting offices and other spaces is evolving, and people are becoming more comfortable with things like small kitchen gardens and other urban ag ideas.”

The firm’s mission statement on its website reads, “We see our role not just as architects but as visionaries and leaders to help transform design, and collective thinking to create build-ings and environments that will sup-port a more just, creative, and resilient future…the decision making process is

one of the most challenging aspects of resilient and sustainable design. thread collective’s skills as educators bring a deep understanding of how to situate problems, clarify issues and broaden discussion through design, informing our clients to help them understand and select the best solutions.”

What’s happening in Red Hook is of course only one example of new micro-grid installment and urban farm planning initiatives springing up around the country; it is hopefully just a small slice of what’s to come in the next few years. n

thread collective’s landscape design of Red Hook West Urban Farm features informal pedestrian paths that encourage people to walk through the space.

Red Hook West Urban Farm


r-d connectionRESEARCH-DESIGN CONNECTIONLighting Design Challengeby Sally Augustin, Ph.D.

The Newsham team, from the Na-tional Research Council Canada, faced a design challenge – one that made most office lighting projects seem like a piece of cake. As they detail, “We conducted a lighting retrofit study at Canadian Forces Station Alert (latitude 82°30’N), the world’s most northerly, permanently inhabited settlement. Ex-isting recessed fluorescent troffers with nominally 6500K T8 lamps on elec-tronic ballasts, providing ambient light-ing in selected offices, were replaced, one-for-one, by 5000K LED luminaires. The new luminaires had higher ef-

ficacy and a high colour rendering index, and were dimmable at the room level with a wall control. A variety of wellbeing measures pertaining to the office occupants, and energy use data, were collected before and after the ret-rofit. Preliminary results suggest that, as predicted, the enhanced features of the LED system led to a generally better appraisal of the lighted environ-ment, and substantial lighting energy savings of [approximately] 30%.”

Lights were modified in a section of the station’s offices and data were collected from users during one of the area’s darker months, February. The station experiences no daylight during the height of North American winter and the reverse situation during its summer. Energy consumption was monitored over a two year period. n

Guy Newsham, Jennifer Veitch, Chantal Arsenault, Steven Kruithof, San-dra Mancini, Anca Galasiu, and Gisele Amow. 2015. “Improving the Well-Being of High-Arctic Residents By Modifying Light Exposure While Saving Energy.”

NRC Publications Archive and Proceed-ings of the Illuminating Engineering So-ciety of North America (IESNA) Annual Conference, 2015-11-09

Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive sci-entist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesigncon-nections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest re-search findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psycho-logical Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychol-ogy for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwith-science.com) and can be reached at [email protected].

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>Nevins’ new Koen Col-lection of conference and training tables features a strong steel base and beautifully engineered top. The sleek and visually open steel base design allows light to pass through, creating an impression of space, while still providing stability and ef-fective user workspace. Koen offers two leg styles – angled and straight leg – to support a range of classic and collab-orative spaces. Read More

>Smith & Fong Co. expanded its award-winning Sound™ Collection (formerly Plyboo-Sound) architectural panels with sound-dampening tech-nology. Seven new designs push a predominantly linear look in both an asymmetrical and parallel-lined panel made from FSC® 100%-Certified bamboo. With each design comes a subtle background pattern emanating from the interior carving that contrib-utes to the sound-absorbing characteristics of these panels. Sound incorporates QuietWall™ noise dampening

with a Noise Reduction Coef-ficient up to 0.70. Panels are produced with the company’s RealCore™ technology, which ensures the highest structural integrity. Sheet sizes are 4’x8’ x 3/4” thick and available pre-finished or unfinished. Panels can also be special ordered in sizes up to 10’ length. Read More

>Spinneybeck’s new Ar-chitecture Research Office Collection combines the natural beauty of full grain leather with repetition and pattern to create modular architectural wall finishes. Composed of full grain leather vacuum-formed to extruded foam or PET substrate, ARO Plank enables variation across large areas by combining standard modules. Available in 36 qualities and 945 col-orways, the modular planks

assemble to yield a continu-ous architectural finish that evokes movement and is quietly animated by light and shadow. Planks install quickly and easily with Spinneybeck’s Interlock Mounting System. ARO Plank 1 has two distinct half round modules available in four standard configura-tions. ARO Plank 2 has two distinct faceted modules, Wide and Narrow, feature angled edges and rotate 180 degrees for additional varia-tion in pattern and is available in five standard configura-tions. ARO Plank 3 has one faceted module which is rotated and repeated. ARO Plank 4 has three distinct modules – Wide, Narrow and Rib – creating a striped, corrugated effect. ARO Plank 5 draws inspiration from the clapboard siding at Archi-tecture Research Office’s Martha’s Vineyard House with three modules set at varying depths to cast compelling, evolving shadows. Read More


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officenewswireNOTEWORTHY>Al Rothschild, president of MDC Wallcoverings, received The Justin Allman Award from the Wallcoverings Asso-ciation. The industry’s high-est honor, this award is pre-sented each year to a leader whose long-lasting contribu-tions have helped shape the future of the wallcoverings industry. It was established in 1946 and is named for the founder of the Wallcoverings Wholesalers Association, the WA’s predecessor organiza-tion. Mr. Rothschild has shared his time and that of MDC employees with the WA over the last 50 years to work on the organization’s board of directors and initiatives such as the development of the NSF/ANSI 342 Sustainability Assessment, seminars for WA members, and outreach and education for consumers and specifiers. Read More

>Ola Rune, one of Sweden’s most established architects working in the global market, was selected as Kasthall’s new Creative Design Adviser. With an extensive knowledge of the textile industry, Mr. Rune and his colleagues at Claesson Koivisto Rune have

worked with Kasthall for many years, “so it feels like a natural choice for us,” said CEO Eva Boding. As creative design adviser, Mr. Rune will act as a sounding board for the design team and also support Kast-hall in design work for new collections. His contributions will help to fill the void left by chief designer Gunilla La-gerhem Ullberg, who passed away in December 2015. Kasthall has been designing and manufacturing woven and hand-tufted rugs in Sweden since 1889. Read More

>Allsteel’s Mimeo task chair designed in partnership with Bruce Fifield of StudioFi-field, Milan, won a 2015 GOOD DESIGN™ award in the furniture category. The honor acknowledges Mimeo’s advances in technology and aesthetics. The chair’s inno-vative weight-activated motion automatically delivers the appropriate amount of tension for every desired posture, from full upright to full re-cline. Available in eight fabric

colors, Mimeo is appropriately scaled for use in open office plans without overwhelming the environment. Read More

>Kimball Office announced the 2015 winners of Virginia Tech University’s Student Design Competition/Awards Scholarship, which it has sponsored for the past five years. As part of the competi-tion, students are asked to incorporate Kimball Office collections into their interiors in new and unique ways. Using real life furniture col-lections provided a highly engaging design experience for the students. The project critique process was just as impactful with a jury made up of the Kimball Office leader-ship team, designers and marketing specialists. The 2015 Student Design Com-petition/Award scholarship was awarded to Ali Conley, a junior in the Interior Design program. Additionally, the Interior Design students voted on Best Overall Design for the semester, which was pre-sented to Emily Seifert, and the person who contributed the most to helping other stu-dents, which was Ali Conley. As a key sponsor to the pro-gram, Kimball Office contrib-uted an annual scholarship amount of $5,000, totaling

Ola Rune, Claesson Koivisto Rune and Eva Boding, CEO Kasthall

Kimball Office: VA Tech, Ali Conley


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officenewswire$25,000 over five years. The company’s financial contribu-tion has also helped to fund travel for design students to experience influential industry tradeshows such as High Point Furniture Market and NeoCon East. Read More

>Multiple products by Teknion, Teknion Studio and Teknion Textiles were honored with 2015 GOOD DESIGN™ Awards. The annual award celebrates the most innovative industrial, product and graphic designs around the world. The Good Design Awards program is presented annually by The Chicago Athenaeum. The upStage workplace furniture system (pictured), Livello Height-Adjustable Bench, Qui collection of seating and surfaces designed by Monica Armani, and Infinito + Masalla lounge seating and tables by Toan Nguyen were all winners. Bandeau, Presse, Boucle Grid and Lustrado, plus Line Language – all from Suzanne Tick’s new Textured Edge collection for Teknion Textiles – were also honored. Read More

RE-SITED>Robert “R.J.” Fritz joined Flairwood, a West Michigan-based manufacturer and supplier of cabinets and carts for the education, healthcare and contract furniture markets. As an account manager, Mr. Fritz will provide bid proposals and estimates as well as project management oversight and liaison work with the architec-ture and construction com-munity. He previously worked at Superior Wood Products, where he took on increasing responsibility during his more than 30 years with the firm. Flairwood, located in Norton Shores, MI, is marking its 40th year in business in 2016. Read More

>Rebecca Leonardis joined Structure Tone as vice president, Marketing and Corporate Communications, responsible for building the company’s brand. Ms. Leonardis will be based in Structure Tone’s New York headquarters and report to CEO Robert Mullen. She joins Structure Tone following a 15-year career with Stantec, where she most recently served as regional marketing manager for the Northeast region. At Stantec, she man-aged a team of more than 25 marketing and design profes-sionals and played a signifi-cant role in Stantec’s recent brand refresh as well as the design and implementation of a new, content-driven web-site. Prior to joining Stantec, she held public relations and marketing roles of increasing responsibility at Vollmer Asso-ciates, HLW International and Thornton Tomasetti Group. Read More

>Landscape Forms an-nounced the appointments of Daniel Waugh, PMP, as vice president, Group Op-erations and Jodi L. Havera, CPA, as vice president, Finance and Chief Financial Officer.

In the newly created Group Operations role, Mr. Waugh is responsible for integrating Production, Supply Chain, LEAN and Engineering to en-sure alignment and improve efficiencies that create a world-class product develop-ment and production system. Prior to joining Landscape Forms, Mr. Waugh had a 25-year career at Steelcase, most recently as global program manager, where he man-aged product programs for multiple business categories with combined $190M annual sales. In this capacity, he achieved notable success in creating new frameworks and processes to drive innovation and operational efficiency. He has been awarded seven patents and is named on 11 patent filings. Ms. Havera, who will assume her position effective Apr. 1, will be responsible for provid-ing oversight of all Landscape Forms finance and auditing functions and leadership of Teknion: upStage, Good Design Award


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https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/teknion-earns-multiple-good-design-awards/

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officenewswirethe IT Department. She was formerly chief financial officer for Ship-Pac, Inc. and acted as its financial representative during the sale of the com-pany to HP Products in 2014. Following the sale, she was responsible for the profitability of Ship-Pac as a branch of HP Products and acted as the liaison between Ship-Pac and two parent companies to im-plement corporate objectives while maintaining Ship-Pac expertise and differentiation in the market. Read More

ENVIRONMENT>HDR’s San Francisco architecture studio won the employee participation, small organization category in the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Great Race for Clean Air competi-tion. The competition chal-lenges Bay Area companies’ employees to reduce the most CO2 by carpooling, van-pool-ing, biking, walking or riding transit to work instead of driving alone. During the fall of 2015, 526 employees from 47 companies logged their daily air-friendly commutes, and winners were chosen in three categories: highest CO2 savings, highest percentage

of “clean commute days” logged, and highest percent-age of employee participation. HDR’s San Francisco office won the latter category with a 35% participation rate. It will be awarded with a Great Race for Clean Air trophy on Feb. 23 on the heels of its designa-tion as a Green Business of the City and County of San Francisco. Read More

>Steelcase Inc. entered a 12-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Apex Clean Energy for 25 mega-watts of wind power. Since 2014, Steelcase has invested in renewable energy credits equivalent to 100% of its global electricity consump-tion. This latest investment will make up nearly half of Steelcase’s renewable energy purchases, directly support the construction of a new clean energy facility set to begin operations in 2016, and further diversify the company’s renewable energy portfolio. Under Steelcase’s long-term PPA with Apex’s Grant Plains Wind project, a 150-megawatt facility in Grant County, OK, Steelcase is committed to support production of approximately 100 million kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable wind energy each year. This amount is equal to approximately 70% of Steelcase’s U.S. electricity usage, or roughly the electric-ity needed to power 9,100 homes per year. Read More

PROJECTS>Dillon Kyle Architects, an award-winning Houston-based architecture firm, broke ground on a three-story, 5,800 sq.ft. office building and design studio. The new building affirms DKA’s accomplishments in Houston, where for over two decades it has built an excep-tional reputation. Marking its 20th anniversary of practice this year, DKA is widely recognized in Houston and throughout Texas for its cus-tom single-family residences, commercial and cultural buildings, and educational facilities. With an expected completion date of August 2016, the building is on target to receive a LEED Silver rat-ing. Read More

>NELSON released its 2015 Year in Review. During the year, the firm added two new offices and three new practice areas, and welcomed more 100 new teammates to the NELSON family. In March 2015, merger with Atlanta based VeenendaalCave cre-ated NELSON’s first “super

region” in the Southeast. VCave brought teammates with expertise in interior plan-ning and design for corporate offices, health and wellness, industrial and tenant ser-vices to the NELSON family. NELSON completed 1,350 projects during the year including Fieldglass, The Tie Bar and GAF. Read More

EVENTS>The University of Califor-nia, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) opened its new building to the public on Jan. 31, and the first day of regular programming was Feb. 3. Following a Grand Opening Gala attended by approximately 900 guests on Jan. 28, BAMPFA welcomed more than 12,000 members of the greater community to explore the new building at an all-day free event on Jan. 31. The building was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, known for such projects as the High Line elevated park in New York; The Broad museum in Los Angeles; and

Dillon Kyle Architects


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https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/san-francisco-architecture-studio-wins-great-race-for-clean-air-award/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/steelcase-announces-new-wind-power-investment-with-apex-clean-energy/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/dillon-kyle-architects-celebrates-20-years-of-design-in-houston/

https://officeinsight.com/officenewswire/nelsons-2015-year-in-review/


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the Institute for Contemporary Art, Boston. Located in down-town Berkeley at the intersec-tion of Oxford and Center Streets, directly across from the UC Berkeley campus, the new BAMPFA provides exemplary spaces for exhibi-tions and film screenings, as well as access to BAMPFA’s encyclopedic collections of art and film. BAMPFA’s inaugural exhibition in the new building, Architecture of Life, explores the ways that architecture – as concept, metaphor and practice – illuminates aspects of life experience: the nature of the self and psyche, the fundamental structures of reality, and the power of the imagination to reshape our world. The exhibition presents an international selection of more than 250 works of art, architectural drawings and models, and scientific illustra-tions made over the past two thousand years. Architecture of Life occupies all of the gallery spaces in the new BAMPFA through May 29. Read More

>The Design Center at the Merchandise Mart announced the designer line-up for the 12th annual DreamHome. This annual installation brings to life the talents of six of Chi-cago’s top interior design firms as they each curate a room in the home using the luxury home furnishings resources only available at the Design Center at the Merchandise Mart’s showrooms on floors 6, 14, 15 and 16. The 2016 Designers are Blutter Shiff Design Associates (Foyer); Hunter Kaiser (Dining Room); jamesthomas Interiors (Sun-room); Kadlec Architecture + Design (Library); Michael Del Piero Good Design (Bedroom); and Soucie Horner, Ltd. (Living Room). DreamHome’s Grand Opening Celebration will take place Apr. 14, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., $75 ticket price. DreamHome is open to the public Monday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Apr. 15 through Dec. 4. Admission is free, but dona-tions are accepted on behalf of Almost Home Kids, which provides transitional care in a home-like setting to children with complicated health needs. Read More

>LAUNCH by Editor at Large will present an online course, The Ins & Outs of Licens-ing, on Thursday, Feb. 25, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The course will be presented by Kate Verner of Kate Verner + Associates, who has worked with clients including David Easton, Laura Kirar and Rockwell Group to develop and launch countless product lines and is well versed in the world of wholesale, retail, and trade commerce. She will share valuable advice for designers who dream of designing their own collec-tions – be it fabric, furniture, lighting, rugs, bedding, table-top, hardware and more – but don’t exactly know where to start and what’s involved. Topics will include: The differ-ence between licensing and private label; What a success-ful licensing deal includes and requires from a designer (SKU counts, approvals, manu-facturing, distribution and commitments to marketing and advertising); The essential role Intellectual Property plays in licensing; and How to use licensing to build a design brand. Read More

>The Keynote Speaker at ME-TROCON16 Expo & Confer-ence will be Holly Hunt, CEO of Holly Hunt Enterprises, Inc. A native Texan and Texas Tech University graduate, Ms. Hunt has an eye for what is now and what is next. Known for a look that is consistently at the forefront of style and qual-ity, HOLLY HUNT showrooms and collections lead the indus-try in luxury furnishings. The company designs, produces and showcases custom made product including indoor and outdoor furniture, lighting, rugs, textiles and leathers. METROCON16 will take place Aug. 11-12 in Dallas. METROCON is also asking facility or sales professionals working in the A&D or com-mercial real estate industry for feedback in a quick survey. Conference organizers are developing “Leading Edge Learning” [LEL] Seminars with topics that will lean toward business and professional development. For 2016, they are starting with two 1-hour LEL Seminars, but if they are well-received, more could be added for future shows. The survey aims to gauge which topics are of most interest. Read More

BAMPFA


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businessRAYMOND JAMES BRIEF 2.3.16BIFMA: December Orders -3%; Shipments -3%

Analysts: Budd Bugatch, Bobby Griffin, David Vargas

>On Monday evening, the Business and Institutional Furni-ture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) released its market statistics for December 2015. The month’s order and ship-ment statistics were derived from a sampling of 32 companies in the contract office furniture industry, the combined ship-ments of which account for ~77% of industry volume.

>BIFMA estimates December orders declined 3% year-over-year, down versus the flat reported November order growth. The prior-year hurdle for December was more difficult relative to November (December 2014 orders increased 12% vs. a 1% order decline in November 2014). Thus, the two-year stacked order growth rate for December 2015 was +9%, compared to -1% in November 2015. December orders decreased ~1% sequentially, versus the 20-year median November to Decem-ber percentage change of -3%. Trailing 12-month (TTM) orders totaled $10.10 billion, ~3.5 % above the prior year. TTM orders are now ~33.4% above the February 2010 $7.57 billion trough.

>According to BIFMA, December shipments also declined ~3% y/y, below the ~5% y/y shipment change reported last month. Recall that BIFMA uses the reported companies’ growth rates (~77% of total industry volume) to estimate the overall U.S. industry volume and growth (orders and ship-

ments). At times, the reported combined growth rates from the U.S. reporting companies (32 total companies) can differ slightly from the overall estimated industry volume. The prior-year comparison for December was also more difficult relative to November (December 2014 shipments increased 14% vs. a 4% increase in November 2014). Consequently, the two-year stacked shipment growth rate for December 2015 was ~11%, compared to ~9% in November 2015. TTM shipments totaled $10.25 billion, up 4.8% year-over-year and ~34.4% above the April 2010 trough of $7.62 billion.

>Thoughts on December’s numbers and current industry trends: The weak reported BIFMA order growth rates over the last six months understandably have capital markets par-ticipants (ourselves included) concerned about the possible specter of a longer-term industry slowdown. After a series of mid-single-digit/low-double-digit order growth statistics to start 2015, y/y order growth rates hovered at 2% from July through October and decelerated in November and again further in December. Calendar year 2015 was the tale of two halves in the office furniture industry. First half orders were up 6.4% in 2015, while second half orders were up a meager 0.7%. Given the more challenging prior-year comparison hurdles, it is not entirely surprising that second half 2015 order and shipment growth rates moderated versus the beginning of 2015. For reference, industry orders increased 7.4% y/y in the second half of 2014, compared to 0.3% growth for the first half of 2014. Nonetheless, the 0.7% second half order growth rate

2.5.16 12.31.15 10.2.15 6.26.15 3.27.15 12.26.14 %frYrHi%fr50-DayMA

HMiller 24.1 28.7 29.2 30.5 27.4 29.6 -26.4% -8.6%

HNI 31.6 36.1 43.7 53.2 53.8 51.5 -45.3% -5.9%

Inscape 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.3 3.2 2.6 -16.0% 7.3%

Interface 15.9 19.1 22.5 25.2 20.6 16.6 -41.4% -8.4%

Kimball 10.4 9.8 9.9 11.9 10.2 9.9 -19.8% 4.6%

Knoll 18.1 18.8 21.9 25.9 22.7 21.4 -30.7% -0.3%

Leggett 40.8 42.0 42.1 49.7 45.4 42.6 -20.5% 0.4%

Mohawk 159.9 189.4 189.0 193.2 181.2 155.3 -24.6% -8.7%

Steelcase 12.4 14.9 18.6 19.7 18.9 18.5 -39.5% -9.0%

USG 21.0 24.3 27.4 28.5 25.9 27.9 -36.0% 1.8%

Virco 3.2 3.3 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.5 -17.7% -2.4%

SUM 340.5 389.4 410.3 443.8 412.0 378.4

DJIndust 16,205 17,425 16,472 17,947 17,713 18,054 -11.7%

Industry Stock Prices


businessis admittedly lower than we probably would have “guessed” for the industry back in summer of 2015. For the year, 2015 orders improved 3.5% y/y on top of 3.8% in 2014 and 1.9% in 2013. 2015 shipments increased 4.8% y/y on top of 4.5% growth in 2014 and 0.9% growth in 2013.

>The reported decline in December orders is less surprising in light of Steelcase’s commentary on its F3Q16 confer-ence call regarding a pullback in year-end orders from its large customers. Through the first seven weeks of the quarter, Steelcase’s North American orders averaged at +7%, but fell off rapidly and declined ~9% through the last six weeks of the quarter (11/27/2015 end). Steelcase management said that its North America segment orders through the first three weeks of December have recovered some, but were still “modestly” down y/y. On the other hand, a week before, Herman Miller’s F2Q16 North America sales increased 10.4% y/y, while organic North America improved 10.3% y/y, on top a 3.1% order decline in the prior year.

>Clearly, the industry remains choppy, which inherently makes sense to us and was in line with our expectation. Over the past 12-24 months, the contract office furniture industry has become lumpier, and the recent slowdown in the y/y order growth rates along with sizable differences in prior-year order comparisons demonstrate this characteristic. Irrespective of the month-to-month variation, trailing 12-month order and shipment growth rates remain positive, a trend and metric that we find encour-aging. So, while deceleration and lumpiness makes us more concerned now than we were a few months ago, we are not persuaded that the entire office furniture market is “rolling over.”

>We continue to believe the overall health and fundamentals of the contract furniture industry are intact. And, given the shift over the past 12-18 months towards more project-based business, we are not entirely surprised by some of the month-to-month variability in the BIFMA numbers. We expect this “shift” will continue in 2016. Nevertheless, projects (compared to day-to-day business) typically involve new construction or a significant redesign/reengineering of an existing building/space, each of which is beyond the company’s control. So, while the shift to more project-based business likely amplifies some of the monthly volatility and some reduced visibility into quarterly earn-ings, it does not change our positive view about the industry.

>Lastly, projected office completions growth in 2016-2017 suggests a long-term positive for office furniture orders and shipments. While we are more cautious now given some of the recent industry commentary, we continue to postulate that we are in the middle innings of a non-residential economic recov-ery and office furniture demand should trend higher in 2016. That said, office furniture produces no revenue for its buyers, thereby creating the likelihood the industry will remain choppy.

And, also recall that the better 1H15 now means that compari-son hurdles are higher until we get past mid-year 2016.

>Positively, December orders were slightly above our pre-report expectations (orders of ~$786 million, down 5% y/y vs. December 2014 orders of $830 million). Recall that our pre-report expectations are calculated from a 20-year median of sequential changes. While the methodology seems like a ra-tional (and perhaps defensible) attempt to predict one month’s orders, it is highly prone to surprise and variability depending on the number of years analyzed. Accordingly, we caution investors not to get overly concerned or optimistic on the basis of one month’s data. Furthermore, as the industry has become lumpier, the sequential order growth changes are deviating further away from the 20-year median.

>Using our same (admittedly flawed) sequential methodology and looking ahead, the 20-year median change in orders from December to January has been roughly -13%, which would imply January 2016 orders of ~$698 million (up 3% year-over-year vs. January 2015 orders of $675 million). The prior-year comparison is difficult again for January, as January 2015 orders increased 8% year-over-year.

>The following commentary elaborates some of those posi-tive and/or improving key drivers for office furniture. While the pace of job growth has moderated, the trend remains relatively strong by historical standards and has been positive since October 2010. Ongoing improvements in employment in 2015/2016 should continue to benefit industry demand. Over-all, corporations are experiencing strong levels of profitability (based on the Bureau of Economic Analysis data). This should also benefit the industry moving forward as long as the macro and geopolitical environments do not drastically deteriorate.

>In addition, while the absolute level of office construc-tion spending remains below prior peaks, trends continue to nicely improve (based on Census Bureau data). December 2015 (the most recent month available) office construction spending (not seasonally adjusted) improved 16.4% year-over-year and the trailing-12-month office construction spending trend improved 22.0% y/y in December. Trailing 12-month office construction spending has been positive since December 2013. The Architects’ Billing Index, which we believe leads non-residential construction by 8-13 months, was 50.9 in De-cember (most recent month available), slightly above 50.0 - the line of demarcation between expansion and contraction. The rolling 12-month average was 51.7 in December, above the 50.0 line of demarcation.

>According to Reis, net office space absorption was positive by ~32.0 million square feet in 2014 and is forecast to con-tinue to slowly improve going forward (Reis is currently fore-


businesscasting ~43 million square feet of net office space absorption in 2015, followed by ~61 million in 2016). Vacancy rates peaked in 1Q11 and have begun to tick lower, but they remain elevated in historical terms. This should support continued office churn as corporations move and/or consolidate space, taking advan-tage of favorable lease rates and motivated landlords.

>On December 1, 2015, BIFMA updated its 2015 and 2016 industry forecasts that are prepared for it by IHS (formerly the Global Insight forecast). For 2015, BIFMA projected orders and shipments to grow by 4.3% and 4.9%, respectively. As noted above, actual reported orders increased 3.5% y/y in 2015, and shipments improved 4.8% y/y. For 2016, BIFMA is projecting orders and shipments to increase 5.8% and 4.2%, respectively.

>As we detailed in our industry note following BIFMA’s last forecast (September 1, 2015), we respect the consumption-based methodology used by IHS to develop the current- and next-year forecasts, but believed it lacked some understand-ing of the industry’s structure, specifically related to imports. As a result, many industry participants and observers have been conditioned (by experience) not to put too much weight on the point estimates because the track of the forecasts typi-cally looks significantly higher at the left axis than at the middle or right - at least until we move into the current year. Positively, with this updated forecast, IHS updated the component in its model that accounts for imports. According to IHS, its earlier model was particularly sensitive to exchange rates, so a small movement in exchange rates would create a larger movement in the estimate for imports. Given the significant movement we have seen in exchange rates throughout 2015 (stronger USD), this prior issue likely caused some of the shift we saw in September’s forecast.

>We view price-to-earnings multiples for Steelcase, Herman Miller, Knoll and HNI as attractive given our positive longer-term view on the cycle and prospects for higher sales and margins in coming years. In general, industry margins should benefit from favorable mix (normalizing levels of commercial vs. government business), better net pricing/input costs, and im-proved efficiencies due to more consistent production, partially offset by increasing levels of investment in product develop-ment, marketing, and other growth initiatives. Strong balance sheets and positive cash generation also seem likely to benefit shareholders through further deleveraging, dividends/stock buybacks, and tuck-in acquisitions.

>We believe office furniture is a structurally attractive indus-try for investors. Collectively, the four publicly traded manufac-turers (Herman Miller, HNI Corporation, Knoll and Steelcase) hold a North American market share of roughly 60%. While the industry is highly competitive, it is largely rational. Furthermore, the industry has historically been successful at passing through

pricing to recover input cost inflation. In contrast to residential furniture, office furniture has also been resistant to significant import penetration given the high degree of customization and exacting requirements of architects and building managers.

>In our opinion, each of the companies we cover is well managed and of high quality, boasting solid balance sheets, positive cash flow, attractive operating leverage, individual competitive strengths, and somewhat differentiated strate-gies. Despite choppy macro conditions, we continue to believe we are in a multiyear revenue and margin recovery, which bodes well for shareholder returns given the high historical correlation between industry volumes and equity performance. That being said, we are selective on which stocks we prefer (more detail below).

>Our Market Perform rating on Steelcase remains intact. Our prior positive investment thesis on SCS hinged on im-proved EMEA operating performance in the back half of fiscal 2016 and ultimately delivering breakeven to modest operating income in FY17. Following its recent results, this thesis is no longer defensible and management now opined improvement for the back half of FY17 – and even that needing some “vol-ume” help. Irrespective, Steelcase is not an expensive stock and we still have high regard for Steelcase and its management team. Moreover, despite the order slowdown in the last half of its F3Q16, its North American operating margins are at industry leading highs. That said, SCS is likely to be in the “penalty box” for a period of time and we prefer to remain on the sidelines until we get more tangible proof of the EMEA turnaround. Steelcase trades at 10.6x our calendar year 2016 EPS estimate of $1.17 and offers a 3.6% dividend yield.

>We reaffirm our Market Perform rating on Herman Miller. While Herman Miller’s North America office segment (~60% of sales; ~70% of EBIT) continues to improve, its Design Within Reach (DWR) and legacy consumer business face some near-term challenges, in our opinion. Similar to SCS, MLHR is not an expensive stock and we still have high regard for Herman Miller and its management team. Nonetheless, with near-term competition looming from the recent launch of a major modern furniture merchandising effort (Restoration Hardware-RH Mod-ern), and our preference for Herman Miller’s office furniture peers, we remain on the sidelines - at least until the dust settles a bit. Herman Miller trades at 11.6x our calendar year 2016 EPS estimate of $2.12, and offers a 2.4% dividend yield.

>We reaffirm our Outperform rating on Knoll, which we believe is well managed and generates strong free cash flow that management has used to deleverage the balance sheet and return capital to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks. With the government headwinds now further behind it, we believe Knoll’s office furniture segment will benefit as


businessindustry demand improves in 2016. In addition, Holly Hunt seems likely to have a positive and meaningful impact on con-solidated results, thereby helping margins to improve further as Knoll broadens exposure to the ultra-high-end, high-design residential furniture segment (well above that of Herman Miller and other retail-oriented competition). Lastly, Knoll uniquely benefits from the stronger U.S. dollar versus the Canadian dol-lar, each penny of y/y change equates to ~$750,000 improved gross margin; and versus the euro, it will benefit from lower cost imports in its coverings and studio segments. Inventories in those segments turn an estimated one time per year, thereby suggesting there could be more improvement ahead. Knoll cur-rently trades at 11.0x our calendar year 2016 EPS estimate of $1.63 and offers a 3.3% dividend yield.

>We reaffirm our Outperform rating on shares of HNI. HNI is the number-two player in the worldwide office furniture market (78% of sales in FY14) and the market leader in hearth products (~22% of sales in FY14). HNI comes to market with the broadest product offering across price points and product lines and serves all the major channels in the office furniture market. In addition, HNI’s hearth products segment serving the new construction and remodel/retrofit channels continues to perform well due to the current housing market recovery. HNI currently trades at 11.7x our calendar year 2016 EPS estimate of $2.76 and offers a 3.3% dividend yield.

BUSINESS AFFAIRS>Kimball International, Inc. on Feb. 2 released its second-quarter fiscal year 2016 results (dollars in thousands except EPS):

3 Mos. Ended 12.31.15 12.31.14 %Ch.Net Sales $163,819 $151,418 8.2%Gross Profit $53,268 $46,596 14.3%SG&A $41,236 $43,422 -5.0%Op. Inc. $10,018 -$161 -Inc. from Cont. Oper. $6,502 -$1 -Net Inc. $6,502 $2,677 142.9%EPS from Cont. Oper. $0.17 $0.00 -EPS (dil.) $0.17 $0.07 142.9%

6 Mos. Ended 12.31.15 12.31.14 %Ch.Net Sales $320,388 $295,864 8.3%Gross Profit $104,350 $93,779 11.3%SG&A $81,407 $86,927 -6.4%Op. Inc. $19,743 $3,517 461.4%Inc. from Cont. Oper. $12,124 $1,516 699.7%Net Inc. $12,124 $10,673 13.6%EPS from Cont. Oper. $0.32 $0.04 700.0%EPS (dil.) $0.32 $0.28 14.3%

Adjusted income from continuing operations for the second quarter of FY16 was $7.7 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, which excludes charges related to a previously announced restructuring plan.

“We continue to see growth in orders, up 6% on a consolidated basis when compared to the prior year second quarter,” said Chairman and CEO Bob Schneider. “Office furniture orders increased 13% compared to last year, while hospitality orders declined mainly due to the receipt of a large, $13.8 million custom order in the second quarter of last year that shipped over several quarters. This size order is quite rare. Excluding this large hospitality order, we saw a 27% increase in hospitality orders compared to the prior year second quarter as this indus-try continues to remodel and expand with new construction. The strength in office furniture orders was driven in part by our renewed focus on design leadership, resulting in recent awards won for our new products. We were recognized with Best of the Year, New Product of the Year, and Readers’ Choice awards for several new products as well as a Best of Year award for the design of our Chicago showroom. We are thrilled that Kimball International brands have been recognized so highly by the design community.”

Mr. Schneider continued, “I am also pleased to announce that our earnings this quarter were the highest in the last 15 years, and that we reached a 7.5% adjusted pro forma operating income as a percent of net sales. At this earnings level, our return on capital of approximately 22% is among the best of public competitors in the office furniture industry. I can’t say enough about the efforts of our employees this past year. It is their dedication and hard work that has resulted in our strong order growth and earnings performance, and prompted us to again raise our earnings guidance.”

Second quarter gross profit as a percent of net sales increased 1.7 percentage points over the prior year second quarter, at-tributed to price increases, favorable discounting, leverage on higher sales volumes, and reductions in material and freight costs.

Selling and administrative expenses in the second quarter de-clined as a percent of sales by 3.5 percentage points on lever-age from higher sales coupled with lower costs, and decreased 5.0% in absolute dollars compared to the prior year. Selling and administrative expenses were lower primarily due to $1.7 million of spin-off expense in the prior year.

Pre-tax restructuring costs in 2Q16 totaled $2.0 million and were related to the company’s previously announced restruc-turing plan to consolidate its metal fabrication production from an operation located in Post Falls, ID, into existing production facilities in Indiana. The restructuring plan is expected to be completed by Jun. 30, with restructuring expenses running


businessnear plan and required capital expenditures running approxi-mately $3 million lower than plan.

Operating cash flow for 2Q16 was a positive cash flow of $8.9 million compared to a positive cash flow of $8.5 million in 2Q15. The prior year figure includes Kimball Electronics’ oper-ating cash flows up through the Oct. 31, 2014 spin-off date, as cash management was centralized prior to the spin-off.

The company’s cash and cash equivalents balance was $26.1 million at Dec. 31, 2015, compared to Jun. 30, 2015 cash and cash equivalents of $34.7 million. The decline was primarily driven by $9.7 million expended for the repurchase of common stock.

Results by End Market Vertical (dollars in millions):

NET SALES

3 Mos. Ended 12.31.15 12.31.14 %Ch.Commercial $54.4 $52.5 3.6%Education $9.4 $7.8 20.5%Finance $18.4 $13.6 35.3%Government $24.0 $27.3 -12.1%Healthcare $19.4 $14.8 31.1%Hospitality $38.2 $35.4 7.9%Total $163.8 $151.4 8.2%

6 Mos. Ended 12.31.15 12.31.14 %Ch.Commercial $103.8 $101.8 2.0%Education $23.0 $20.6 11.7%Finance $34.4 $28.9 19.0%Government $52.3 $54.5 -4.0%Healthcare $34.9 $29.4 18.7%Hospitality $72.0 $60.7 18.6%Total $320.4 $295.9 8.3%

ORDERS

3 Mos. Ended 12.31.15 12.31.14 %Ch.Commercial $54.6 $54.0 1.1%Education $10.4 $8.0 30.0%Finance $18.6 $14.6 27.4%Government $23.2 $23.6 -1.7%Healthcare $23.0 $14.8 55.4%Hospitality $38.4 $44.0 -12.7%Total $168.2 $159.0 5.8%

6 Mos. Ended 12.31.15 12.31.14 %Ch.Commercial $112.5 $108.2 4.0%Education $22.0 $18.3 20.2%Finance $36.5 $29.0 25.9%Government $51.1 $52.3 -2.3%Healthcare $40.9 $30.6 33.7%Hospitality $71.1 $82.5 -13.8%Total $334.1 $320.9 4.1%

The majority of the 2Q16 sales increase was in three vertical markets – finance, healthcare and education – all aided by new product introductions and improved marketing efforts. The only vertical that declined was the government vertical, attributed primarily to lower federal government shipments.

Sales from new office furniture products introduced in the last three years increased 45% compared to the second quarter of last year. New product sales approximated 22% of total office furniture sales in the second quarter compared to 17% in the second quarter of last year.

Orders increased significantly in the healthcare, education and finance verticals, for the same reasons attributed for the higher sales for these verticals during the quarter. Orders in the hospi-tality vertical, which is historically volatile due to the existence or absence of large orders, declined 13% compared to second quarter last year, which included a large, $13.8 million custom order that shipped over several quarters. Excluding the impact of this order, hospitality orders increased 27%.

Guidance

Restructuring activities are expected to be complete by Jun. 30, and are expected to generate savings of approximately $5 million annually thereafter, with approximately $1.25 million benefit occurring quarterly. Previously Kimball projected to reach the low end of 7% to 8% operating income as a percent of net sales in the quarter ending September 2016, which is the first quarter after the restructuring is completed. However, the company has achieved this level during the current quarter, nine months earlier than expected. Because of order trends and earnings performance through the second quarter, the company is now increasing its earnings projection to reach 8% to 9% operating income as a percent of net sales in the quarter ending September 2016. Specifically, it projects the following: net sales to range from $170 million to $180 million; operating income to range from$14 million to $16 million; effective tax rate to range from 35% to 38%; and earnings per diluted share to range from $0.23 to $0.27. At this level of earnings, the return on capital of Kimball International would be among the best in the office furniture industry. The company’s guidance assumes that economic conditions do not significantly worsen and negatively affect the industries which it serves.

The full text of Kimball’s 2Q16 earnings release, including all tables, and a webcast replay of the company’s Feb. 3 confer-ence call, including a PDF file with supplementary slides, may be accessed at www.ir.kimball.com.

http://www.ir.kimball.com


business>USG Corp. on Feb. 5 reported its 2015 fourth-quarter and full-year results (dollars in millions except EPS):

3 Mos. Ended 12.31.15 12.31.14 %Ch.Net Sales $925 $954 -3.0%Gross Profit $172 $160 7.5%SG&A $80 $109 -26.6%Op. Profit $98 -$24 -Net Income $812 -$53 -EPS (dil.) $5.51 -$0.36 -

12 Mos. Ended 12.31.15 12.31.14 %Ch.Net Sales $3,776 $3,724 1.4%Gross Profit $691 $654 5.7%SG&A $317 $339 -6.5%Op. Profit $381 $162 135.2%Net Income $991 $38 2,507.9%EPS (dil.) $6.73 $0.25 2,592.0%

“We finished 2015 on a strong note by achieving impressive margin expansion in our Gypsum and Ceilings businesses,” said James S. Metcalf, Chairman, President, and CEO. “Improved pricing in both businesses, coupled with our cost discipline, drove this increased performance.”

During 4Q15, $731 million of USG’s net income and $4.96 of its diluted EPS was driven by the release of an income tax valuation allowance. On an adjusted basis, net income of $62 million and diluted EPS of $0.42 in the fourth quarter of 2015 increased from $31 million and $0.21, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Foreign currency unfavorably impacted net sales by $18 mil-lion, and it unfavorably impacted consolidated net income by $8 million during the fourth quarter.

On an adjusted basis, the corporation generated full year 2015 net sales of $3.8 billion, net income of $259 million, and diluted EPS of $1.76. For comparative purposes, on an adjusted basis, USG recorded net sales of $3.6 billion, net income of $146 million, and diluted EPS of $1.00 for the full year of 2014. 2015 sales and adjusted net income include the unfavorable impact of foreign currency of $65 million and $28 million, respectively.

The corporation’s Gypsum segment generated $93 million of operating profit during the quarter. On an adjusted basis, op-erating profit of $77 million in the Gypsum segment improved

by $9 million over the fourth quarter of 2014, led by the US Gypsum business which realized 240 basis points of improved operating margins. The wallboard business provided $1 mil-lion of this improvement, while the surfaces and substrates business drove $5 million of improved profit and lower SG&A spending contributed $6 million in incremental profit. Improved operating performance of $3 million in Canada and Mexico was more than offset by the impact of $6 million of unfavorable foreign currency.

The Ceilings segment earned $19 million of operating profit in 4Q15 compared to $18 million of operating profit in 4Q14. Stronger pricing in all tile categories was the primary driver of record fourth quarter margins of 16.7% in the US Ceiling business. The impact of an improved cost position in ceilings products was offset by lower volumes.

The Distribution segment earned $5 million of operating profit in the 4Q15 compared to $7 million of operating profit in 4Q14. Same store sales increased 3%. Improved volumes were more than offset by higher costs.

The USG Boral business generated $15 million of adjusted equity method income in the quarter compared to $14 mil-lion in the same period last year. This $1 million of improved performance was driven by $6 million of operational improve-ment offset by the impact of $2 million of unfavorable foreign currency and the absence of a $3 million insurance recovery recorded in the fourth quarter of 2014.

“In 2015, we realized operating margin expansion in all of our businesses and generated the most earnings since 2006 when demand was 50% higher,” Mr. Metcalf said. “With growth expected in every market that we serve, a continued focus on controlling costs, and our commitment to innovative new prod-ucts, I’m excited for what lies ahead in 2016.”

The full text of USG’s 4Q15 earnings release, including all tables, along with a replay of the company’s Feb. 5 webcast, is available on the USG website, www.usg.com, in the Investor Relations section. In addition, a telephonic replay of the call will be available until Friday, Feb. 19, at 1-888-843-7419 (1-630-652-3042 for international callers); pass code 413087775. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=115117&p=irol-news&nyo=0

http://www.usg.com/

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=115117&p=irol-news&nyo=0

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=115117&p=irol-news&nyo=0


JOB SITETo place ads or to get a price quote contact Bob Beck [email protected] 972 293 9186

Find all our ads all the time at www.officeinsight.com/careers.

At National, we pride ourselves in having a world-class team that champions growth, diversity and operationalexcellence. We’re creating an environment that inspires an insatiable desire to learn, stretch and do things betterevery day. We have immediate openings and are seekingindividuals to be key players on our team.

District Manager Positions

Washington/Oregon (preferred location Seattle, WA or Portland, OR)

New JerseyNew York (preferred location New York City)

Responsible for territory management with focusedattention on dealer development, vertical market end-users as well as the A+D community.

Successful candidates must:

• Be personally responsible, focused and effective utilizing a full array of resources for sustained growth

• Leverage sales tools, such as our enhanced dealer programs, new product introductions and exciting sales incentives

• Focus on areas of opportunity within our key vertical markets and identify opportunities to exploit for future growth in the market

• Develop and follow-through on long term strategies to win project business

• Possess strong communication and organizational skills inaddition to strong business planning and business development skills

• Have the proven ability to manage and develop relationships

• Be analytical thinkers with creative problem solving aptitude for overcoming business challenges

• Have a sound foundation in report analysis with excellent understanding of sales and marketing functions

• Hold extensive knowledge of the office furniture industry and 3+ years of demonstrated successful sales growth

As a business unit of Kimball International, we offer anattractive salary and flexible benefits package including aretirement plan with 401(K) feature.

National is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants willreceive consideration for employment without regard to race, color,religion, sex, age, national origin, genetic information, disability orprotected veteran status.

To learn more and apply for these positions, go to www.NationalOfficeFurniture.com/Careers.

Rep Group or Independent Sales Reps - New York Area and Georgia (including Tennessee, Alabama & Mississippi)

Fast growing, high-end, MADE IN AMERICA, contract furniture maker is seeking an Independent Sales Representative or Rep Group to lead sales growth in strategic market areas.

Responsibilities: Managing existing and new accounts, improving and building new relationships, prospecting potential clients, preparation and delivery of sales presentations.

Requirements: Minimum of 5-years office furniture industry experience required, dealer or design experience preferred. Ideal candidate will be a self-starter, motivated, goal-oriented, enthusiastic, team player.

If you have a proven track record of sales success in the contract furniture arena and believe you are the right fit for our goals, contact Nicole Bailey, Vice-President of Sales at: [email protected]

About Cabot Wrenn

Founded in 1981, Cabot Wrenn is a manufacturer of fine contract furniture. Our mission is to make the best product possible in the areas of materials, construction, tailoring and seating comfort. We combine timeless design with a full range of ergonomic features such as comfort, style and durability.

All our product is made in America, and our areas of manufacturing include customizable lounge seating, side chairs, executive chairs, traditional seating and tables. Beyond designing solutions for the corporate world, we are commited to the industries of hospitality, higher education, healthcare, and senior living.

Along with a Graded In Fabric Program, we also place an emphasis on fine leather. We carry a broad selection of leather and have a separate facility that works directly with customer’s own material for custom orders.

We have over 500 employees in three facilities located in the most prominent domestic furniture manufacturing region in the United States. While there are many employees, we work much like a family. This translates to a positive team approach and providing proactive, quick responses to the needs of the marketplace.

With a commitment to service, Cabot Wrenn is flexible enough to handle small projects, but has the resources to handle large, multifaceted projects as well. We are very proud of our 99% on time delivery record and continue to carry on a tradition of excellence.

http://www.officeinsight.com/careers


http://www.officesite.com/classifieds/




Rep Group Partner - New York, NY

This is a great opportunity to become a partner in a long established rep firm in the New York City market.

Pringle Ward, a highly respected organization with high volume lines is looking for an experienced person to join our sales group as a partner. No financial investment is needed. A combination of ambition and experience will help to secure your future in office furniture. As a partner you will be a major part of our organization with the opportunity establish financial security.

For more information contact: Roy Lamendola [email protected]

212-689-0300 Ex. 217

National Sales Manager - Dallas, TX

Smith System is seeking a National Sales Manager to report to the VP of Sales to call on school districts, A&D community and dealers. The preferred location of the candidate is at our factory in the DFW area.

Essential Functions:

> Willing to travel extensively to areas not currently cov-ered by our Regional Sales Managers.

> Self planned, scheduled and executed calls with schools, dealers and A&D firms.

> Dynamic personality for presentations.

> Proven success develop-ing relationships to drive growth and new business.

Required Experience:

> 5 years in school furniture or contract furniture world.

> Solid presenter and closer. > Proficient in Microsoft Of-fice applications.

Please send your cover letter and resume in confidence to [email protected]

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer

Regional Sales Manager - DC, N. VA, MD

An exciting career opportunity with a well-established and growing architectural and moveable wall company based in S.E. PA

Transwall Office Systems, Inc is seeking a sales professional residing in the DC metro area to represent the Transwall brand with a focus on Commercial Business and A&D. Great career and financial opportunity for the ideal candidate.

This position requires 5+ years sales experience with knowledge of architectural products and demonstrated record in generating and closing project sales. A great opportunity with a company that is growing and dedicated to providing the best products for their customers.

Forward resume’ and salary history to [email protected]

EEO/AAP Employer, Gender/Minority/Veterans/Disabled

Sales Representative - Chicago

Carnegie, a leading textile/wallcovering company is seeking sales representation in the Chicago/Illinois market.

Preference for candidates with sales experience and strong standing in the A&D community. Tremendous

opportunity to represent a design oriented, environmentally focused company in an important market.

Submit resume to Erika Gaies at [email protected]







PO Box 967Cedar Hill, TX 75106

Robert [email protected] 972 293 9186

Mallory [email protected] 219 263 9006

www.officeinsight.comwww.officenewswire.com© 2016 officeinsight,LLC

Bradford J. Powell, Hon. [email protected] T 203 966 5008

Sales Representative - Seattle/Portland

Luna Textiles, an innovative, international contract textile company based in San Francisco currently has an excellent opportunity for a dynamic and highly motivated sales professional.

The individual will have responsibility for the sales and service of the Greater Seattle region plus the city of Portland. The candidate must be based in Seattle. No relocation will be considered.

The ideal candidate will have strong relationships with A & D, furniture manufacturers, dealerships and end-users, along with considerable knowledge of the consultative and strategic selling process in the contract textiles & furniture industry.

Must be sales goal driven, self-motivated, well organized, and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Previous sales experience with textiles and knowledge of the contract furniture industry is required.

Interested candidates should submit their resume along with a cover letter to Carl Blando, Vice President of Sales, [email protected]

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