Teknion IIDEX Exhibit 2007
Practice Area
Client
Teknion
Project Vision
For its expanded 3,400-sq.-ft. exhibit at the IIDEX/NeoCon Canada show, Teknion’s goal was to express its commitment to sustainability and to create a compelling space in which to showcase two of its newest office furniture products.
Vanderbyl Design used the company’s tradeshow floorspace for an ecological commitment statement writ large and bold. The quotation on the floor inspires others to take steps toward sustainability: “At Teknion we believe that every leap forward is the sum of many steps. Small moves can create a big shift leading us towards our larger goal of shaping a truly sustainable future.” The exhibit’s primary wall treatment is an organic pattern that was CNC cut from panels made of recycled post-industrial waste. It is fully recyclable. The treatment is opaque and yet provides translucency; the effect is modern but with traditional allusions to nature. The ceiling was fabricated of aluminum components and stretched polyester fabric. Recycled and recyclable materials were used throughout, as well as sustainable wood and wall finishes. The overall palette creates a neutral backdrop to exhibit the client’s newest product offering, while avoiding visual clutter. Teknion’s Altos and Optos walls define the exhibit space and also function as the means to exhibit other products.
The exhibit combined two show spaces with an aisle to provide a larger Teknion presence. The aisleway through the exhibit encourages maximum pedestrian flow and the bisected space provides two venues to display Teknion’s two most recent product offerings, including District, a furniture-based solution that optimizes smaller spaces and Marketplace, a worktable that minimizes barriers to interaction. Like the products themselves, the exhibit emphasized intelligent use of resources, including space, light, and materials.
Project Details
An excellent case of type speaking from the floor. Fine emotional thinking. The statement in the walking area is a promise-a real one. While this project's sustainability goal is foremost in its description and would by default be a basic assumption in any design exercise today, I love the play of the textures of wall and floor that are created within this context. The pattern and transparency of the CNC-routed wall panels define the product world within and simultaneously entice visitors to come inside and explore this world. The scale of the typeface on the floor and the stark contrast of black on white provide a means of uniting the space and conveying the underlying corporate message. A dynamic and inventive use of materials to create image and place.
Design Team
Michael Vanderbyl (principal in charge), Peter Fishel (project manager/senior designer), Dave Hard
Project Area
3,400 sq. ft.
Fabricators
Taylor Group