Steelcase NEXT Student Design Competition 2024
Winter 2023 | Commercial Design
in 2024, Steelcase challenged students to create an architecture and design office for the fictitious company NEXT. This design focuses on exactly what is next and the trajectory of the design industry, creating a space for designers of today as well as designers of tomorrow. The following design posits a solution that energizes employees by providing them a variety of working environments, provides access to emerging technology in the design industry, and utilizes a combination of sweeping arcs and directional angles to create a space that is as kinetic as the company that occupies it.
Imagery of trajectory was pulled from a variety of sources, from images of trajectory in space to the site of the office itself in Dallas, Texas. The overarching visual language emerges that utilizes a contrast between grand, sweeping curves and sharp, energetic angles. The palette is drawn from the imagery as well, with a stable base of blues and neutrals offsetting flashes of magenta and gold.
Flexible workspaces empower employees to choose how they work best, encouraging people to come back to the office. Individual workspaces include adjustable, ergonomic furniture and a work cafe provides more casual collaborative spaces.
The office provides designers with spaces that can be used not only for client presentation, but for design development as well. The VR space allows for immersive critiques and the library allows for cutting edge material experimentation.
Continuing with the theme of flexibility, a learning classroom was designed that can be assembled and broken apart to create a variety of spaces well suited to numerous activities such as lecture-based learning, collaborative group learning, discussion based activities, and small group collaboration.
