Dezeen Magazine

Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt

Pernilla Ohrstedt and Jonathan Olivares explore contemporary office spaces for Vitra exhibition at Orgatec

During this year's Orgatec trade fair, Vitra took over an entire hall, filling it with products by 12 brands and small tech startups.

It was the first time the Swiss furniture brand used the entirety of the huge exhibition hall. To realise the project, titled Work, it enlisted the help of London architect Pernilla Ohrstedt and designer Jonathan Olivares.

Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt

"We wanted to come up with an interesting way to approach this unique situation," Ohrstedt told Dezeen. "It's the one time every two years that all of Vitra's sales staff and dealers come together in one place."

"We wanted to use it as a tool to talk about work and where work is going, and what is the future of the workplace."

Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt

The pair masterplanned the hall as a "marketplace". Each of the 12 brands exhibiting had their own stand, they were also displayed together in a series of "collage offices".

These three collage offices were designed to show the individual needs of different workplaces, and manifested in three typologies: an office with a need for a high degree of flexibility, a workplace environment for digital nomads, and a studio-like office that merges the gap between the workspace and home.

Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt

A cafe and plaza offered visitors a place to relax, furnished with the Bouroullec brothers Circle Benches.

The whole space was enclosed within a five-metre-high "horizon" made from fabric panels with a gradient that changes colour from soft pink to blue.

Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt

"This shared horizon was there to provide a backdrop, and also to create this artificial passing of time," said Ohrstedt. "When we talk about work or a workplace, it's the place where we spend time."

"We wanted to create this movement from sunrise to sunset, a circular movement in the space."

Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt

Participating brands included Artek, Kvadrat and Laufen, along tech companies like Samsung and Swisscom.

Vitra's Work project was on show at the Orgatec trade fair in Cologne from 25 to 29 October 2016.

Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt

Among the Vitra products presented within the installation were design duo Barber and Osgerby's "visually calm" Pacific chair, and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullecs' homely office furniture range.

Earlier this year, Ohrstedt designed a collaborative work environment for Dezeen's new canalside office in east London, filling it with custom-built tables.

Photography is by Daniele Ansidei.

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Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt
Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt
Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt
Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt
Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt
Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt
Orgatec stand by Pernilla Ohrstedt