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Ethospace System

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Designers

Jack Kelley Bill Stumpf and Jack Kelley
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Case Studies

Hanna Andersson, Portland, Oregon
Manufacturing: Offices

Materials


Environment

78% recyclable
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LEED Credit Summaries

Awards

  • Design magazine (United Kingdom) "Best of the Decade" (1980-90) recognition for Ethospace interiors, Equa chair, and Hollington chair
    1991

Photo Gallery

What's In It For You

  • Product Story

    Ethos: a person's or group's character and guiding values. Ethospace lets you express in interior architecture what you or your organization is all about. Its dexterity and extensive product line help you define, and redefine, spaces to support all kinds of work and give your people exactly what they need. Sophisticated and technologically adept, with comprehensive options that make the most of planning possibilities.

  • Freedom and Diversity

    Creating with Ethospace - you have nearly unlimited design options. You can make traditional or out-there contemporary spaces.

  • Make a strong architectural statement or create a space that's open, light, transparent. Choosing from 90-, 120-, and 135-degree connectors means you can create individual workstations, enclosed offices, and group spaces that flow together, or stay separate, with ease.

  • Components can be installed off-module and repositioned anywhere along the wall, so that work areas can be quickly expanded or contracted as needs change.

  • The First Frame-and-Tile System

    Structural steel frames define the Ethospace system workspace, provide the foundation for hang-on components, and house yards and yards of wiring and cables.

  • The individual segments called tiles attach to the frames to make walls, allowing tremendous variety and control of the design. Glass, solid, slatted, perforated, open--choose from an unparalleled array of options. Mix and match them on an Ethospace wall to create the look and performance level you want while keeping costs down.

  • Change Is Built In

    Evolves without obsolescence. New components integrate with what you already have. Change, reconfigure, update--your investment is protected. And you can make big changes while keeping the steel-frame walls in place. Off-module capability means that tiles and other components can attach at any point horizontally along either side of a wall.

  • The first frame-and-tile system, Ethospace has a proven track record of performing efficiently for years, even as work processes evolve and new tools and technology develop. And it's easy to refresh the aesthetics of a space when you want a new look.

  • High-tech Performance

    Ethospace accommodates the changing technology of the 21st century workplace.

    Huge capacity. When powered, the open-frame interior holds up to 74 Category 5e 4-pair UTP cables or 57 Category 6 cables at a 60 percent fill rate in the base, and an additional 47 Category 5e and 36 Category 6 cables at every 8 inches of frame height.

  • Flexible power. The 8-wire, 4-circuit electrical system allows circuit configurations of 3 general and 1 dedicated, 2 general and 2 dedicated, or 1 general and 3 dedicated.

    Wide corners. Corner connectors turn with a wide arc to accommodate stiff or fragile fiber optics cables safely.

  • Lay-in cabling. Lowers cost of installation and changes; no cable threading.

    Zone distribution. Reduces time and costs when installing and reconfiguring data networks.

  • Earth-friendly

    As befits an advanced system design, Ethospace respects the planet. The steel frames that form the basis of the system are 100 percent recyclable; the entire system is 78 percent recyclable.

    Made of 35 percent recycled content, Ethospace components are nontoxic and renewable: Powder coating on all metal parts and Formcoat surfaces, with no VOCs; water-based stains, with no solvents; and sustainable woods obtained only from managed forest resources.

Design Story

  • Technology drives changes in offices, homes - virtually everywhere these days. In the late 1970s, technological kinds of change were first revving up. Offices were being invaded by a demanding new tool: the computer. Sensing the waves of innovation that would follow, we asked two product designers to take a look at how workers were interacting with their spaces and how new technology could be accommodated.

    Bill Stumpf and Jack Kelley researched office activities and processes and listened to what users said made a productive office environment. They concluded that the offices of the time weren't responding well to either people's needs or the changes affecting them. How could these rapidly changing environments be improved?

  • Stumpf's goal was to create a positive link between the user and his or her office. He focused on adding architectural interest through product scale, texture, ergonomic characteristics, color, and natural light. Kelley, who invented the first mouse pad, brought expertise in practical product applications. He stressed the need to address the increasing requirements for computers, telecommunication equipment, sophisticated power distribution, and cable management.

  • This collaborative effort resulted in the 1984 introduction of Ethospace, a new type of systems product. Its basic design was a system "wall" that surpassed industry product standards for both architectural form and practical function. Ethospace's first-of-a-kind frame-and-tile infrastructure adapted to the surrounding space and provided a flexible foundation for thoughtful change.

    Since its introduction, Ethospace has been continually enriched with new components and capabilities as evolving business strategies, work processes, and designer needs placed different demands on workplace furnishings.

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