Opening up the office with BoConcept's planning tools for professionals
In 1952, Jens Ærthøj and Tage Mølholm, two young Danish cabinetmakers, began their furniture business with the ambition of introducing quality furniture to a broader audience. Today, this is BoConcept.
Brand story by Sisse Bro | Herning Denmark | 02.12.22
The Danish company's wealth of online resources supports planners in creating attractive work environments that promote activity-based working – just like its own HQ in Herning…
For Danish furniture brand, BoConcept, actions speak just as loud as words. As one of the world’s most global furniture retailers, the company is making concerted efforts to spread the word about its flexible interior design service. Through international as well as more locally targeted campaigns, the company tells a story of how to customise interior spaces, both private and public, without having to compromise on design vision or aesthetics. it’s not only talk, however, BoConcept walks the walk, too.
Comfortable, creative and productive
BoConcept’s headquarters is situated in the town of Herning, right in the middle of Denmark. Since 1962, the company has been run from this location – today an office of 85 people. Here, they have decided to implement a working environment which is as adaptable as their furniture, an environment that encourages employees to be creative and productive while at the same time feeling comfortable and at ease. This office-interior concept is known as ABW (Activity-Based Working) and dates back to the 1980s and 90s when the first steps around the idea of ‘activity settings’ in offices were taken.
Chief Marketing Officer at BoConcept, Paula McGuinness, describes the transition to the new office structure as a success, pointing out the importance of proper implementation: ‘New ways of working and change can be daunting for some, whilst others embrace it. However, in the majority of cases, the advantages gained far outweigh the initial fears of working in a new way. If done well, on average nine out of ten employees surveyed would not return to traditional ways of working after implementation of ABW.’
Here, they have decided to implement a working environment which is as adaptable as their furniture, an environment that encourages employees to be creative and productive while at the same feeling comfortable and at ease.
The advantages of Activity-Based Working
BoConcept welcomes ABW as it closely relates to their own convictions of how big an influence interior surroundings have on our general wellbeing. In Herning, if you need silence to concentrate, you can sit down quietly in the ‘Library’, and if you are meeting up with colleagues for a discussion or a brainstorm, you head to the ‘Collab & Project Room’. As McGuinness elaborates: ‘ABW is all about employee empowerment and the flexibility to choose the environment that makes them most productive, and this benefit far outweighs the conventional static office desk environment. ABW encourages cross-functional working and injects fresh thinking and perspectives across departments.’
Denmark is well known for its culture of flat workplace hierarchies, where people relate to one another as equals regardless of job titles and formal positions. At BoConcept, this working culture thrives through ABW: ‘All levels of employees from top management to student workers live the ABW principles,’ says McGuinness, ‘It opens up huge opportunities for knowledge sharing, relationship building and common understanding across all levels of the organisation – one day you are sitting next to the CEO discussing business performance and the next you’re getting insight into the product design process!’
‘It opens up huge opportunity for knowledge sharing, relationship building and common understanding across all levels of the organisation’
Hygge in Tokyo
A few years back, the BoConcept Aoyama office in Tokyo was also re-designed with an ABW approach. The office space, fully furnished with BoConcept products, works both as an office for the company’s staff and as a showroom that is open to corporate customers. The space offers a live experience of how much the furniture design, the materials and colour choices impact the atmosphere, people’s mood and activity. With niches of soft lounge seating, warm colour tones, exotic green plants and delicate pendant lights, the Danish term ‘hygge’ has been implemented to underline BoConcept’s proposal of a ‘work as you live’ working style.
Tools for creating ABW environments
BoConcept is recognised for its vast collection of highly customisable and modular pieces that can be adapted to multiple spaces and purposes, but is also on hand when it comes to providing support with planning and research. Professionals need look no further than the contract area of BoConcept's website to discover a comprehensive planning resource that includes B2B business tools, downloads and design inspiration.
In the new online product lookbook, for example, an extensive portfolio of products suited to the contract market is made accessible. This I-paper catalogue can be used as a tool to explore and discover different ways to configure an interior layout as well as how to best combine materials and finishes and, together with the helpful library of 3D drawings, represents a perfect guide for anyone who may be curious about setting up their own ABW environment.