A few months back I was researching office furniture that supports privacy and came across BuzziSpace, a somewhat quirky line of furniture that aims to create privacy solutions for individuals as well as small groups.
My first impression is some of the pieces reminded me of children’s furniture (vibrant colors, simple forms, soft materials). The whole line makes me feel like I could mix and match pieces, easily moving them around to create my own spaces, given the soft, lightweight look and feel of the components. Since first stumbling upon their site, I’ve found myself bringing them up on several occasions when discussing workplace trends and new furniture solutions. So I decided to revisit their site and provide some more thoughts on a few pieces in their product line.
Buzzi Hood
Another take on the “cone of silence” concept, Buzzi Hood offers individual privacy. Their web site only shows one size, so I wonder if they plan to make a hood for 2-3 people to huddle under. I can’t think of too many uses for the one person hood other than making a private phone call. The fact that you have to stand in one spot while talking seems a bit awkward. And the form and color of the hood will probably draw more attention to the person using it than desired. There is a strong sensory connection between visual and acoustic privacy, so it’s hard to imaging people will feel very private using this hood. The whole solution comes across a bit awkward.
Buzzi Wings
Buzzi Wings is an interesting ceiling mounted solution to create semi-private zones. The forms are simple enough to have broad appeal and work within a variety of office aesthetics. I’d like to see more options for the scale of the pieces (i.e. variety of panel widths, maybe a way to orient the panels in a more horizontal fashion, variety of materials to choose from, can I do it in a circular pattern, etc.). I also wonder how sturdy the panels are and if they’d hold up to getting bumped into by people or chairs over time. But overall, I can see this product being specified by designers in limited applications. It seems like they would provide a decent balance of visual and acoustical privacy for semi-private meetings. Here in the States, there may also be building code issues to consider with these panels not touching the floor.
Buzzi Hub
I’m seeing more and more furniture products that have this look. Is it a booth? Is it a couch? I like seeing the evolution of these semi-private furniture solutions for small informal collaboration, but not sure if this one is solving any new problems. My first impression is that the scale seems bulky, maybe taking up too much space in an office. It also reminds me of Vitra’s Alcove high back couch or Allsteel Gather Mind Share, but not as sophisticated. I could see these being used in certain open collaborative zones in an office. It might look awkward to just have one of them standing out in the open, though. They could be used to break up the rhythm of endless rows of workstations and start to create neighborhoods throughout an office.
Overall, I think this line is moving in the right direction. Some of the pieces need refinement to have broad commercial appeal (if that’s what they’re going for), while others show real promise in a continuing trend to re-shape the way we think about office furniture. With so many office furniture solutions available, it can be overwhelming for a company to weed through the regurgitated solutions that aren’t solving any new problems and the truly new and innovative solutions.