Also featured was the Sense desking system. Highlighted for its simplicity and flexibility, Sense assembles and disassembles easily with no tools: All its components simply lock, click, or snap into place.

Other products shown in our booth included Setu chairs, winner of two Best of NeoCon awards this year, and our versatile Intent furniture, which provides a unified aesthetic from private offices to open plan.

We also invited attendees to experience Envelop—the desk that moves with you—in concert with the Embody chair, the first work chair designed for your body and your mind.

And, to give tired feet a rest, people could try out a number of our ergonomic chairs, including Aeron, Mirra, and Foray from Geiger.

The nutshell idea for Programmable Environments (PE) is to use technology to fill new or existing buildings with intelligence. The building becomes a digital network so that permanent fixtures become adaptable. You can make them do exactly what you need them to do at any moment, change them instantly, and gather real time information about how they are used.

And it’s easy. Here’s the story:

In 2007, Herman Miller established a subsidiary called Convia, which serves as a platform for PE. Convia offers a modular electrical distribution system that can be programmed—a fundamental breakthrough in how power is distributed and managed in buildings. The Convia system enables the virtual “rewiring” of a room, floor, or building in just minutes.

With Convia, it’s simple to control energy consumption and ambient effects, including lighting, climate, acoustics, security, and data management. It’s like a digital nervous system that senses human presence, automatically generates appropriate responses, and provides reports that quantify performance, efficiency, and energy consumption and expenditure.

Those reports will show that you save energy and money. Convia controls typically cut electrical usage in half. As a result, Convia can help your project qualify for American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds—in other words, stimulus money. Plus, Convia may contribute up to 23 points toward LEED Certification.

Convia is making buildings smarter all over the country, including the U.S. Green Buildings Council headquarters in Washington, DC—a showcase for resource-efficient, sustainable design.

The purpose of the Act (also known as the “Economic Stimulus Program”) is to create and save jobs, jumpstart our economy, and build the foundation for long-term economic growth. The Act includes measures to modernize the nation’s infrastructure, enhance America’s energy independence, expand educational opportunities, increase access to health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.

For companies, in particular, the 2009 tax year is the time to take advantage of tax relief through 50% bonus depreciation. In addition, the available Section 179 expense deduction may allow almost double the amount of equipment that can be expensed, from $133K to $250K, for the 2009 tax year. Work chairs, office chairs, healthcare systems, boardroom furnishings, waiting area furnishings, accessories, and many other types of equipment may receive the benefit of bonus depreciation.

For federal agencies—and any business interested in cutting energy costs—Herman Miller’s Energy Manager can help reduce energy and save money by turning off lights and electronics when not in use.

Federal health agencies receiving stimulus funds can use our clinical and administrative products to improve the care people receive. Our comprehensive portfolio of modular casework, seating, movable walls, storage, and carts are adaptive solutions that change as processes and facilities require.

And, for educational institutions interested in building, modernizing, and repairing facilities, Herman Miller offers products and applications designed to enrich teaching and learning for students, faculty, administrators, and the community.

Herman Miller is poised to guarantee purchase, delivery, and installation to meet ARRA deadlines for tax benefits if customers act by fall 2009. Find out how we can help.

By Marcia Davis