The following paragraphs describe considerations that should go into crafting an RFP (Request for Proposals) to office furniture dealers and distributors supplying technology-compatible modular office systems. Managers may place more weight on certain considerations over others, but should insist that their vendors strive to meet all of these desirable features. 1. Office Cubicles Panel Considerations Start with the basics. Modular systems get a lot of hard use. Structural systems (the skeleton or framework) that support panels, accessories and work surfaces should be constructed of 16-gauge cold-rolled steel. This provides strength and rigidity when in use and enables the systems to remain distortion-free during MACs. Panel tiles should be at minimum 24-gauge 1 BOSTI ? The Buffalo Organization for Social and Technologic Innovation steel while shelves and filing cabinet drawers should be of 18 and 20-gauge steel. Most manufacturers offer solutions that restrict flexibility in managing space and placing components. A new approach called off-modular design allows much greater freedom in locating bins, shelves and divider panels. Similarly, factory-assembled structural systems were traditionally limited to what fits into an elevator and confined designs to linear or right angle configurations. Newer technologies such as knockdown and ready-to assemble structural elements overcome traditional restrictions and, as a bonus, add flexibility while reducing production and erection costs. These new features give designers and installers virtually unlimited options in tasktailoring today's office and workspace layouts. Another benefit of this new construction technology is the stackable panel frame ? an innovation taking office furniture systems literally to the next level. Load-bearing walls 30 inches to ceiling high can be constructed, moved and reconfigured quickly and efficiently to create spaces in harmony with the work being performed or support a wholesale job change. Size, height and functionality limitations disappear when specifying load-bearing stackable panel systems that are shipped with knockdown, ready to assemble structural components. Bins and shelving can be attached where needed; glass, solid and airflow panels are easily and intuitively inserted, moved or removed. 2. Office Cubicles Cable Management Cable management for power and voice/data/video is a major challenge to be addressed in technology-intensive workplaces. Vendors should confirm that their cabling installers are trained and certified for power and data installations, and that all wiring and cabling conform to local codes. Power systems should not share channel space with voice and data systems, and should be available for positioning either above or below the work surfaces. The power distribution system should provide a minimum of one dedicated circuit plus a maximum of 3 common circuits sharing a 10-gauge neutral wire for each workstation. Duplex receptacles should be easily installed and removed. The design should support ?plug and play? moves, adds and changes (MACs) by trained office technology personnel. The horizontal voice, data and video cabling system serving the office must conform to applicable industry standards such as TIA/EIA 568-A and 569-A2. More recently, the TIA has introduced new guidelines in response to the growth of open offices. Called TSB (Technical Services Bulletin) TSB-753, it specifically addresses cable management for office layouts characterized by frequent MACs. Most office cubicle manufacturers are only now beginning to address cable management. The pioneer was MAiSPACE, Inc of Fairfield, NJ in collaboration with The Siemon Company, Watertown, CT, introduced MAiSPACE as the first office cubicle modular system in compliance with TSB-75. It uses a simple ?plug and play? design that permits employees equipped with a minimum of training to handle in a few hours the MACs that formerly would require trained outside technicians working several days to accomplish. The cost of change can drop to $50 per cable vs. $500 in conventional systems.
Furniture Buying Tips; Companies planning remodeled, new or expanded office facilities have the advantage of a wide variety of vendors from which to choose. Googling ?Office Furniture Systems? yields more than 1 million results. Enter ?Modular Office Furniture? and the choices narrow to 125,000. Furniture buyers can ease their task by becoming familiar with what to look for in systems furniture then seeking suppliers that offer not only product but ongoing support ranging from office floor plan designs through furniture installation and performance guarantees over the life of the system.
For more than 15 years, smart buyers and facility planners have looked to a company called MAiSPACE as one synonymous with best value in systems furniture. The company's innovative products hold a ?Best of NeoCon? award, one of the most prestigious in the contract furniture industry, yet are priced up to 40% less than manufacturers whose names frequently are top of mind.
MAiSPACE is a name based on the contract furniture industry's term ?Modular Architectural Interiors.? The company's Vice President Mark Bassil explains, ?When planning office interiors companies must realize that floor plans and requirements are going to change at some point. This calls for modular products that do it easily without sacrificing structural soundness - which is the premise of MAiSPACE. The benefit is improved flexibility moving forward while reducing costly installation and reconfiguration time. It also diminishes the need to buy new parts every time modifications are made.?
Voice, Data and Power Cabling Made Easy
MAiSPACE systems revolutionized the contract furniture industry by incorporating standards-compliant plug-and-play cable management systems in its superior quality stackable panel system. Patented, knocked down and ready-to-assemble (RTA) frames equipped with self-aligning connectors simplify moving elements into and throughout the building, thereby reducing installation costs. This design can also reduce the number of framing components required.
?Frames provide unobstructed cable pathways end to end and top to bottom,? says Bassil. ?Cable runs are laid in behind lift-off panel segments. This differs and is superior to competitive designs requiring that cables be bundled and fished through structural elements.
As a research driven company MAiSPACE constantly evaluates and updates product options to enhance furniture system furniture capabilities and keep step with advancing technological, ergonomic and architectural innovations. The core system features off-modular design allowing flexibility in workspace size, configuration and in locating bins, shelves, and divider panels.
Buying Tips Systems Furniture
Easily removable panel segment options include laminate, Coverseal, veneer, painted metal, embossed steel, brushed stainless steel, airflow, clear glass, frosted glass, or textured glass, fabric, tackable/acoustical, power/data, marker board and paper management. Segments are designed to facilitate access to the MAiSPACE lay-in cable management system and are available up to 6 feet in length.
Customer Support from Day One
A pillar of the MAiSPACE value proposition is a professional in-house design team to produce the best and most cost-effective layout not only to satisfy customers? current staffing demands, but also to plan ahead. The company's designers understand facility issues and employ the most appropriate product and space planning layouts. This entails the use of the latest versions of AutoCAD and GIZA specifying software to achieve furniture and floor plans that are virtually fault free. Related to this are accurate detailed specifications, product lists and installation drawings.
?Our objective is to provide customers with beautiful and functional offices without sacrificing affordability or performance,? Bassil says. ?Moreover, we commit to meeting project time frames, quick turnarounds and fast resolutions to revisions. These services are free with a signed purchase order or order placement.?
Looking Behind the Panels
From a construction standpoint, the MAiSPACE product starts with a 3 1/2 inch wide frame constructed of 16-gauge cold-rolled steel to provide strength and rigidity, allowing it to remain distortion-free during installation and later MACs. To demonstrate this, a MAiSPACE panel configuration composed of 8-foot panel frames stacked 10 feet high and supported by two 24? return panels was rated to 2.5 tons on the work surface in a test conducted by Underwriters Laboratories.
?This is the highest load rating in the industry,? Bassil comments. ?That strength also means the load-bearing panel frames can be used to build walls from 30 inches to 14 feet in height. Panel height can be increased without removing existing panel frames or disturbing power, voice and data cabling, another pillar in the MAiSPACE value proposition in terms of reduced product and labor costs.?
Buying Systems Furniture
Knockdown and RTA framing components equipped with self-leveling connections simplify moving elements into and throughout the building, reducing assembly costs and the number of framing components required. ?For example,? explains Bassil, ?only two horizontal sub-assemblies plus two shared vertical uprights are required to support panel frames up to 8 feet wide. Frames can easily be added to or removed from runs without disturbing adjacent structures.?
Panel segments are constructed from 24-gauge steel for exceptional durability and effective sound dampening. ?This allows us to provide a .80 NRC and a 35 STC rating, the highest the industry,? Bassil says.
A Closer Look at Cabling Systems:
The company's patented zone distribution system includes plug-and-play connectors, lay-in cabling and the largest cable capacity in the industry. With a 4-Circuit, 8-Wire system, it supports any network or power requirements needed by customers today, but is designed to grow and change with business. ?As suggested earlier, managing voice, data, and power cabling is a snap with MAiSPACE because cable runs are laid in behind lift-off panel segments, not bundled and fished through structural elements,? Bassil says. ?Office reconfiguration time is reduced from days to hours without disruption of the entire network.?
MAiSPACE conforms to telecommunications industry standards for horizontal cabling systems in open offices. Standard belt line access and easily accessible consolidation points provide an interconnection between work area outlets and telecommunications closets creating a zone distribution system. Unrestricted cable pathway access simplifies changes to the existing network. Factory-terminated and tested modular cable assembles in copper or fiber support plug and play office reconfigurations. A wide variety of cable types are available to meet specific customer needs. ?This includes Category 7 cabling, which is available for data-intensive and video applications, surpassing all current industry standards,? Bassil notes.
Product Innovations Broaden Customer Base
focusing on small and mid size companies, MAiSPACE saw a need to develop a sister product called MORSPACE. As described by Bassil, ?MORSPACE is a system designed with greater flexibility and more capacity than a monolithic system but at a lower price. With interchangeable tiles, stacking frames, built in cable pathways and multiple filing and storage options, MORSPACE offers all the features of premium modular office systems, including off-modular capabilities, but at a price that falls within even the tightest of budgets.?
?Both the MAiSPACE and MORSPACE lines are the most environmentally safe systems on the market,? Bassil points out. ?Unlike most office systems, which are filled with fiberglass that doesn't break down in landfills and is a source of airborne glass, we use post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from ground up soda bottles. We hope other manufacturers will follow our lead. Due to the large number of plastic containers being discarded, much of this material goes unused. We've found a use for it that makes sense from every perspective.?
Ergonomic Seating:
Seating rounds out the MAiSPACE product offering. MAiCHAIR is the most affordable, fully functional ergonomic seating line on the market today. ?It incorporates all the comfort, style and adjustment features usually reserved for much more expensive chairs,? Bassil says. ?MAiCHAIR's flexible backrest conforms to the spine and provides critical support in the lumbar region. The contoured seat cushion and waterfall edge improves blood flow, and the syncro-tilt mechanism helps maintain the correct posture through a full range of motion.?
MAiCHAIR's adjustable features include a 5-position headrest, an engineered, flexible plastic backrest, adjustable arms, and a lightweight five-star base. The state of the art syncro-tilt provides adjustable tension resistance, pneumatic seat height adjustment and multi position tilt-lock control in one easy to adjust mechanism. Unique to this dynamic, cost effective chair, is that the seat and back cushions are designed with special fasteners that allow for quick and easy removal permitting replacement without tools.
Ongoing Customer Support
MAiSPACE provides a service program that matches the pace of customers? requirements. ?This is comprised of in-house support services and a team of dedicated professionals,? Bassil says. ?Additionally, we can access our nationwide network of resources to find reputable local contractors for services such as Move Management, Inventory Assessment, Storage and Warehousing and Furniture Removal and Disposal.?
Both John Tang & Ravii Kumarr are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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