Herman Miller, Inc. has renewed its presence in Los Angeles with a new showroom space that reflects the company's commitment to forward-looking, problem solving design and environmental stewardship. The company celebrated the completion of the 18,000-square-foot facility, located at 3641 Holdrege Avenue, with a grand opening event on Thursday, October 8, 2009, more than 60 years after the debut of Herman Miller's first Los Angeles showroom, which was designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1948.
A former warehouse built in1956, the facility's dramatic bowstring wood trusses and significant potential were intriguing both to Herman Miller and architecture and design firm tvsdesign. The result of their collaboration includes a space that offers dynamic spatial flow for the company's solution portfolio, with room for multiple product configurations, knowledge display and hospitality for groups ranging from intimate gatherings to large audience events.
Steve Clem, the showroom's lead architect and interior designer and principal at tvsdesign, believes guests will enjoy the sculptural shaping of the showroom and the extensive level of detail and craft.
"There was a significant effort to complement Herman Miller's design legacy throughout the showroom," he notes. "This was accomplished through a collection of curved walls and freestanding forms. Eames plywood screens, for example, are not only used as space dividers, but also as artwork. These are the types of details that make the space so delightful and unique."
Herman Miller also incorporated many environmentally sensitive measures to create a space that could serve as an example of the company's commitment to create a better world. Sustainable elements of the LEED (CI) Platinum-pending showroom include a 10-year lease, which encourages conservation of resources and reduction of waste from frequent moves or new construction; its location within an area close to public transportation, local businesses, and restaurants; energy efficient light fixtures and occupancy sensors throughout the space; and MBDC, BIFMA level and GREENGUARD certified products and materials, to assure an environmentally responsible interior and superior indoor air quality.
"Sustainability is an essential component of this project. It's imperative that the space be a model for sustainable practices now and in the future," says Lori Gee, Herman Miller's Director of Workplace Solutions. "We've designed more than just a showroom—it's a platform from which we can educate others about the environment and demonstrate how they, too, can make a difference."
According to Gee, 20 percent of the building materials and products in the project were manufactured within 500 miles of the site. Plus, a construction waste management plan ensured over 75 percent of all construction waste was recycled and diverted from landfill during construction.
The showroom also utilizes an energy efficient, programmable electrical infrastructure, which includes the latest advancements in power distribution through the company's Energy Manager device and subsidiary Convia's Energy Track dashboard system.
"Energy Manager is the first technology application that enables occupancy and energy consumption to be monitored, measured and controlled at the workstation cluster level," Gee adds. "Since workers spend more than 50 percent of their time away from their desks, this technology will allow us to optimize our use of space and lower our overall operating costs."
Through Convia technology, applications such as lighting, HVAC and occupancy and daylight harvesting sensors can be consolidated into an easy-to-manage platform. It also provides showroom occupants more control over their environment and their individual work spaces.
The Convia Energy Track Reporting Tool displays the showroom's actual energy usage on a simple and intuitive dashboard interface. Energy monitoring chips built into Convia-enabled control components allow for accurate reporting through the Energy Track tool at a specific zone or circuit level within the space. As a result, the granular and highly accurate data allows the company to optimize the showroom's energy distribution.
"Overall, this space will allow us to better connect with our customers and illustrates our understanding of their needs and concerns with similar projects. It also will enable us to demonstrate how to turn space planning challenges into real opportunities," adds Gee.
About Herman Miller, Inc.
Herman Miller works for a better world around you—with inventive designs, technologies and related services that improve the human experience wherever people work, heal, learn, and live. Its curiosity, ingenuity, and design excellence create award-winning products and services, resulting in more than $1.6 billion in revenue in fiscal 2009. Innovative business practices and a commitment to social responsibility have also established Herman Miller as a recognized global company. In 2009, Herman Miller was again cited by FORTUNE as both the "Most Admired" in its industry and among the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America, while Fast Company named Herman Miller among the innovative "Companies to Watch." Herman Miller trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR.