Seating: Come Together: Gather Collection by Allsteel

Collaborative workspace is the new paradigm for many of today’s offices, forcing contract manufacturers to rethink the functionality of office furnishings. To address this matter, Allsteel enlisted Grand Rapids–based industrial design studio IDa Design and designers from various offices of architecture firm HOK to create the Gather Collection.

Comprising seating, tables, storage units, and accessories, the collection endeavors to offer dual functions or contours that accommodate a variety of work postures and habits. Sketch, for example, is a sleek, mobile space divider that doubles as a dry-erase marker board, and Linger is a lounge chair with a back shape that promotes perching or leaning. Other products in the line include Hedge dividers with built-in standing-height worksurfaces; Scooch pull-up stools shaped for multiple postures; Rise tiered upholstered seating; Mind-Share banquette-style seating; View multipurpose credenzas; Belong occasional tables; Take-5 lightweight chairs; All-Around versatile tables; and Transfer side tables with pull-up tablet worksurfaces.

In June, Gather earned the Best of NeoCon® Silver award in the Education Solutions category; Silver in the Seating/Sofas & Lounge category; and Editor’s Choice in the Seating/Benches category specifically for Mind-Share and Rise.

The Gather product line champions teamwork, but was the design process a too-many-cooks situation? “I was amazed at how a group of people with different strengths and backgrounds worked together. We had honesty, camaraderie, and trust,” says Annie Bergeron, design leader for HOK’s Toronto office. Other HOK team members included Louis Schump, senior associate, and Steve Hargis, global workplace leader, both of the San Francisco office, and Tom Polucci, director of interior design in the New York office. —Sheila Kim