pioneering ergonomics company honors the legacy of designer niels diffrient & the first ever self-adjusting chair with activations around the world and throughout the year.
this year marks the twentieth anniversary of niels diffrient’s freedom chair. launched by humanscale, the freedom chair revolutionized the seating industry as the first ever self-adjusting chair. it is revered for its elegant simplicity, functionality and timeless design. to mark the occasion, humanscale is launching a year long initiative that will include various events and activations around the world.
“niels shared our belief that form flows from function, and therefore, created something that is honest, timeless and as relevant in new york as it is in helsinki and singapore,” says humanscale ceo and founder robert king.
introduced in 1999, the freedom was the first chair to remove the traditional manual knobs and levers and replace them with the sitter’s body weight and the laws of physics. this resulting self-adjusting mechanism allows users to move freely from posture to posture without thinking about it. diffrient effectively reinvented the modern task chair and changed the way people sit.
shortly after its launch, the freedom was praised by the new york times for ‘setting the gold standard’ in seating. today sales total over 2 million pieces. freedom has also won 10 international awards and been featured in close to 50 tv shows and films.
“perhaps more interesting is that the self-adjusting mechanism is increasingly relevant in today’s work environment. in fact, now, twenty years later, the large furniture companies have finally launched self-adjusting chairs claiming it’s the future of seating. that’s just another testament to niels’ foresight,” adds king.
the iconic chair is set to begin an official world tour throughout 2019, making monthly appearances in cities and important events around the globe, including milan (salone del mobile), london (clerkenwell design week), new york (icff) and chicago (neocon) and more. as the first chair to adapt to real people and real movement, these activations will give trade and consumers the opportunity to personally experience and celebrate freedom’s intuitive ergonomic design and the legacy of niels diffrient.
[ humanscale ]
humanscale leverages new technology and functional design to transform traditional offices into active, intelligent workspaces. as the leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance ergonomic products, humanscale improves the health and comfort of work life. committed to making a net-positive impact on the earth as well as our customers, humanscale offers award-winning products designed with a focus on function, simplicity and longevity.
neonon marks its 51st edition as the world’s leading platform and most important event of the year for the commercial design industry.
carol ross barney, faia, founder and design principal, ross barney architects, shares her work and commitment to the role architecture plays in life quality. carol received aia chicago’s lifetime achievement award in 2017.
honored with more than 100 design awards, most recently for the chicago riverwalk, carol ross barney has been in the vanguard of civic space design since founding her firm in 1981. carol’s projects vary in type and scale but uphold a deep commitment to the role architecture plays in life quality. this has manifest itself in spaces that transition urban dwellers from point a to point b and enrich the metropolitan experience; to buildings that are environmental stewards, showcasing sustainability in an overtly compelling way; to spaces that inspire young children and the brightest minds of tomorrow to learn, invent and break boundaries.
aia chicago is an association partner of neocon.
this event is free with online registration by june 8. registration on site is $40.
asid and design studio k&co (in collaboration with department and d. s. & durga) will cross design barriers with the queue; an immersive experience that will allow you to enter multiple environments through the use of your senses. visitors will meander a queue-like maze encountering experiences based on everyday human events in which one may find themselves in line, challenging visitors to consider the ways in which our lives may be framed around the cyclical process of waiting.
the queue || june 11-12 from 9-5pm, june 13 from 9-3pm, asid lounge, first floor west pass through
neocon attendees are in for a treat! jabbrrbox will offer visitors the opportunity to experience their new “space-as-a-service” solution, jabbrrx, in two different locations. their on-demand workspace will be reservable for complimentary use in 15-min increments on the 2nd floor adjacent to marshall’s landing, where it will be installed permanently. in addition, jabbrrbox’s booth (7-3082) on the 7th floor will include a jabbrrx, a jabbrrbox one, and a jabbrrlounge featuring gunlocke, hbf textiles and pillows from bolé road textiles. also, on 12 june , jabbrrbox will be serving handcrafted wine from cooper’s hawk winery — we hope you can join! co-founders brian hackathorn and jeremy jennings will be on hand for appointments and demonstrations. let us know if you want to reserve a time to test-drive the new design!
hbf + hbf textiles will debut their 2018 launches at neocon 50, highlighting their dedication to humanistic workplace solutions and dynamic design. in showroom 387, hbf’s latest + greatest will be on display—ranging from an elegant, collaborative seating line mod by the award-winning henrik schulz to an imaginative, high-performance textile collection curious crowd from the colorful ghislaine viñas.
this year are hbf’s impressive team of product designers including henrik schulz, todd bracher, ghislaine viñas, and scott wilson.
june 11-12 from 9-5pm, june 13 from 9-3pm
prosecco toast || june 11th from 3-5pm, hbf + hbf textiles: showroom 387
interfacedebuts: visual code designed by david oakey, is the combination of various trends that interface has been seeing leading up to neocon. and drawn lines designed by kari pei, is luxury vinyl tile (lvt) that can be used with modular carpet tiles.
they’re also introduceing #carbonneutralfloors accelerating their mission to create a climate fit for life. check out our products that support #climatetakeback at #neocon50
showroom 10-136.
maharam will be launching several new textile collections at their showroom, located in suite 1188 of the mart, in a showroom display created in collaboration with leon ransmeier. see new items from alexander girard, paul smith, doshi levien, jonathan olivares, and more will be on display, including designs from leon ransmeier and carole baijings of scholten & baijings
wolf-gordon will be debuting the innovative matter collection by dutch designer mae engelgeer at neocon 2018 alongside other new collaborations and additions to established product lines. the star of this year’s show, matter, is a sophisticated commercial upholstery series with high loft and chic metallic filaments. the three high performing, wool blend textiles have intricate detailing and geometric forms for an unparalleled visual and tactile appeal.
wolf-gordon will also preview introductions with two new designers in its curated collection of digital wallcoverings: me and general design, a team whose unconventional start on film sets and performance stages gives them a signature edge, contains four graphic wallcoverings that present a stylistic mix of urban, modern, and chic; and, brenda houston, whose affinity for gemstones and fossils give her a distinct perspective, exposing the organic beauty of weathered wood and minerals.
additionally, the american surface design company will introduce a new line and showcase the growth of some its most iconic collections. woven upholstery 03 will launch with four textural fabrics, brio, gabrielle, barrington, and static, and three multi-color patterns, radiator, checkmate and static. next, two new designs add sensuality in form and texture to london chic commercial wallcoverings. finally, three elegant textile looks will be previewed for contract wallcovering 02.
wolf-gordon will host a showroom cocktail party with mae engelgeer on monday, june 11th from 3 to 5:30pm in their 10th floor showroom, #10-161.
welcome to neocon and the teknion (#1048), studio tk (#1041) and luum textiles (#1043) showrooms. last year, our neocon theme centered on the launch of our new book, the true measure of a space is how it makes us feel. this year we continue the discussion by adding new client-based perspectives, focusing on how the needs of different types of companies influence elements of workplace design.
we are extending the discussion to more directly support specific application needs. no two companies are alike. no two require a particular design strategy or office interior. all, however, will benefit from an intelligent, human-centered approach to workplace design. and this is what you will discover as you explore our new neocon products.
studio tk showroom opening party
we welcome neocon 2018 with exciting news! studio tk is opening a new showroom in the merchandise mart, on the 10th floor immediately adjacent to the teknion and luum showrooms. designed by multi-disciplinary san francisco creative agency tolleson, the space will highlight studio tk’s new alliance with venerable, 128-year-old dutch seating company artifort. celebrate with us and meet khodi feiz, creative director of artifort, at the studio tk showroom opening party: monday, june 11, 3pm – 6pm, space #1041. come early or come late. we can’t wait to see you!
