Author: iroco-admin

When Design Shanghai opened its doors last month at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, IROCO Design provided the hospitality contract furniture for the common areas in the venue – as it has done, every year (IROCO Design supplies hospitality furniture for most of Hong Kong’s major exhibitions)– but there were some important differences to the show itself. The venue included two new design halls (one dedicated to kitchens and bathrooms, the other to home office,) and for the organisers, there was a confident expectation visitor numbers would easily exceed the 46,000 who crammed into the 2016 show – itself, a 15% increase on the previous year. In fact, visitor numbers exceeded a record-breaking 50,000!

An expanding furniture market

Traditionally, most exhibitors have been established European brands, keen to capitalise on the rise of the new urban Chinese middle class, who are eager to invest in their homes. The rise is, after all, exponential. According to a recent McKinsey report, only 4 per cent of households were classified ‘middle class’ in 2000 (earning between $9,800 and $37,000 annually); by 2012, 68 per cent of China’s urban population fell into this bracket – and McKinsey predicts that by 2022, a new upper middle class (earning $17,300 to $37,000) will account for 54 per cent of residents in China’s cities.

The rise of Chinese furniture designers

But interestingly, the growth at Design Shanghai primarily accommodated China’s rapidly expanding pool of talented home furnishings designers; names that are, increasingly, making waves on the global stage. These designers are marrying traditional oriental craftsmanship and style with western aesthetics and showing how, like Nordic design, this combination can be elegantly incorporated into contemporary homes – with thrillingly original results. Pioneering designers include Yao Yejun of Studio Mushitiangong, who produces wonderful designs inspired by nature and native handicraft techniques (see his Lotus Coat Hanger); Tianyu Xiao of Tianyu Design who created Writable, a traditional Chinese tea table fitted with reversible wood and slate panels that can be written on; and Zhiming Lian and Ke Wang of Idee, creators of the extraordinary Jellyfish Crystal Chandelier. A host of talent with breathtaking new designs and ideas are coming up behind them. Watch this space.

Over the last twenty years, the healthcare industry has begun to take a keen interest in the relationship between physical environment, human response and healthcare outcomes. There is growing consensus that thoughtful, human-centred design in hospitals or clinics has an indisputably positive effect on patients and caregivers, but facility managers are often faced with a dizzying assortment of choices and decisions. A typical new 200,000 square foot, 120-bed inpatient hospital may have over 1,600 individual pieces of hospital contract furniture, and this will likely be replaced many times. Where then, to start?

What makes a comfortable, safe hospital?

The California-based Center for Health Design (www.healthdesign.org) compiled a checklist in 2011 for furnishing successful health and wellness environments, and this includes much sound advice. Hospital furniture in Hong Kong should have smooth, non-porous, easily cleanable surfaces with no joints or seams, for example, and materials for upholstery should be impervious. When it comes to ergonomics, however, there are more complicated factors to consider. Ideally, hospital furniture should be sturdy and stable without sharp or hard edges, to reduce falls or associated injuries; seat heights should be adjustable with posterior tilt angles and seat back reclines, with space beneath the chair to support changes in foot position; and locking casters should prevent rolling away. Furniture should be flexible enough to be configured into different groupings, for smaller or larger family groups, and research shows attractive, non-institutional designs that suggest a link to nature make a positive difference.

Building the future of healthcare furniture

Herman Miller has partnered with Nemschoff to focus on these human needs, producing a number of innovative hospital furniture designs that improve how people deliver and receive care. The Ava recliner has a lean form and thoughtful features that appeal both to patients and caregivers. Both comfortable and comforting, the recliner maximizes maneuverability with pivoting arms, easy to use controls and reverse recline. Italian manufacturer Pedrali also has credentials in the healthcare area. A good example of a perfectly outfitted space is the Matilda Hospital in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong. IROCO Design worked closely with the hospital to provide Pedrali’s stunning Volt (https://iroco.com/product/volt-5/) chairs for the catering area, and Kuadra chairs (https://iroco.com/product/kuadra-12/) for the conference room (see images below).