Systems Furniture For Public Areas

By Author: Mel Joelle
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The term systems furniture might conjure up an image of modular office furniture used in employee workspaces. But systems furniture is far more versatile and can be an attractive, economical means to create a welcoming environment for company visitors, to meet privately in conference areas or to participate in company discussions in board rooms.

The reception area sets first impressions for visitors, whether they are potential employees, customers or vendors, says Mark Bassil, co-founder and vice president of MAiSPACE, a Mt. Olive, NJ, based manufacturer of modular office furniture systems. Reception areas set expectations and can be designed to support those expectations, he says.

In addition to projecting the desired company image, reception areas should be designed to make guests feel welcome and comfortable. Elements of design include reception desks with counter tops to ease passing materials back and forth. Seating, tables and lighting along with decorative touches such as artwork and plants combine to send the message ‘welcome, we are glad you are here', Bassil says. An extra touch, well within ...
... reasonable cost, is providing ‘touch down' work areas where visitors can connect to the Internet while waiting for their appointment.

Conference Rooms
Extending systems furniture into conference room designs supports the creation of a cohesive visual impression. Colors, textures, lighting, MAiCHAIR ergonomic conference seating and tables, accent furnishings and access to data ports are among the elements of good conference room design, says Bassil. Privacy from activity going on outside the conference room is another desirable feature. MAiSPACE full wall conference room solutions with a 32-35 sound transmission coefficient meet these and other criteria at surprisingly affordable prices. Because wall segments attach non-destructively to floors and ceilings, they can be relocated without damaging carpeting or ceiling tiles. Alternatively, MAiSPACE stackable/destackable panel system based on the company's off modular design enables construction of load-bearing walls to 14 feet in height.

As with systems furniture used in open offices, modular conference room configurations can be quickly and easily changed without the high cost, noise, dirt and distraction accompanying alterations to permanent wall construction.

Board Rooms
While few would be quick to equate systems furniture with executive boardrooms, advances in designing and manufacturing make this solution ideal for to creating magnificent boardrooms that bespeak success.

Design to the prime function is a good first step toward planning a new or renovated boardroom, Bassil suggests. Then select wall components that support the prime function. As with conference rooms, privacy issues can be addressed with either floor-to-ceiling wall panels and solid doors or stackable panel systems. In both instances an isolated feeling can be avoided with double-glazed clear, patterned or frosted glass panel segments that can be positioned at will in the wall components and still support privacy. They allow external lighting to provide illumination if the room does not have exposure to natural light.

Multi-Use Areas
Companies with floor space limitations will most likely design meeting rooms for multiple functions that can include staff meetings and training sessions.

For whatever use these rooms are put they must support technology. Integral to MAiSPACE modular office systems furniture is a patented plug-and-play voice, data and power cabling system. It is laid in behind the room's panel segments and below the floor to support multimedia, applications of any type and allow participants to either plug in their laptops or to access Wi-Fi. As with MAiSPACE cubicles and other options in open office systems furniture, the cabling system in these rooms can easily be modified or moved without disrupting the entire office network.

Design Freedom at Affordable Prices
With MAiSPACE, facility managers and office interior designers have a broad choice of colors, textures and finishes from which to craft tailor-made public spaces at price points averaging 40% below those quoted by some of the country's oldest names in the contract furniture industry, Bassil says. With glass we offer 18 varieties of panel segments including brushed, perforated, patterned and painted steel; fabrics in a wide range of textures and colors; tackable tiles, marker board and beautiful wood grain finishes such as cherry, maple, walnut and mahogany.

Our global sourcing, supply chain management, just in time manufacturing and nationwide distribution system enables us to install move-in ready spaces within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving an order and starting at $12 - $15 per square foot, Bassil says. This low price is not at the expense of quality as we offer a lifetime warranty and guarantee against obsolescence.
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