Architecture

RAAAF puts a new angle on the office of the future

RAAAF puts a new angle on the office of the future
The End of Sitting is currently installed at Amsterdam's Looiersgracht 60 Gallery (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
The End of Sitting is currently installed at Amsterdam's Looiersgracht 60 Gallery (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
View 11 Images
The End of Sitting is the work of Dutch firm RAAAF (Rietveld Architecture-Art Affordances) and visual artist Barbara Visser (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
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The End of Sitting is the work of Dutch firm RAAAF (Rietveld Architecture-Art Affordances) and visual artist Barbara Visser (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
The End of Sitting jettisons chairs and desks in favor of a series of angled shapes and surfaces suitable for leaning against, lying atop and sitting upon (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
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The End of Sitting jettisons chairs and desks in favor of a series of angled shapes and surfaces suitable for leaning against, lying atop and sitting upon (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
The End of Sitting isn't intended for mass-market (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
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The End of Sitting isn't intended for mass-market (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
Perhaps the answer to a healthier working life is to rethink the office altogether (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
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Perhaps the answer to a healthier working life is to rethink the office altogether (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
The End of Sitting is part art project and part interior design (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
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The End of Sitting is part art project and part interior design (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
The End of Sitting jettisons chairs and desks in favor of a series of angled shapes and surfaces suitable for leaning against, lying atop, and indeed, sitting upon (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
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The End of Sitting jettisons chairs and desks in favor of a series of angled shapes and surfaces suitable for leaning against, lying atop, and indeed, sitting upon (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
The project is currently installed at Amsterdam's Looiersgracht 60 Gallery (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
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The project is currently installed at Amsterdam's Looiersgracht 60 Gallery (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
The End of Sitting is the work of Dutch firm RAAAF (Rietveld Architecture-Art Affordances) and visual artist Barbara Visser (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
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The End of Sitting is the work of Dutch firm RAAAF (Rietveld Architecture-Art Affordances) and visual artist Barbara Visser (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
The End of Sitting is part art project and part interior design (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
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The End of Sitting is part art project and part interior design (Photo: Ricky Rijkenberg)
The End of Sitting is currently installed at Amsterdam's Looiersgracht 60 Gallery (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
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The End of Sitting is currently installed at Amsterdam's Looiersgracht 60 Gallery (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
The End of Sitting is the work of Dutch firm RAAAF (Rietveld Architecture-Art Affordances) and visual artist Barbara Visser (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
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The End of Sitting is the work of Dutch firm RAAAF (Rietveld Architecture-Art Affordances) and visual artist Barbara Visser (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
View gallery - 11 images

Dutch firm RAAAF and visual artist Barbara Visser recently collaborated on a futuristic project appropriately titled The End of Sitting that challenges preconceptions of what an office workspace actually is.

Part art project and part interior design concept, The End of Sitting is currently installed at Amsterdam's Looiersgracht 60 Gallery.

"The installation’s various affordances solicit visitors to explore different standing positions in an experimental work landscape," says RAAAF (Rietveld Architecture-Art Affordances). "The End of Sitting marks the beginning of an experimental trial phase, exploring the possibilities of radical change for the working environment."

The End of Sitting is the work of Dutch firm RAAAF (Rietveld Architecture-Art Affordances) and visual artist Barbara Visser (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)
The End of Sitting is the work of Dutch firm RAAAF (Rietveld Architecture-Art Affordances) and visual artist Barbara Visser (Photo: Jan Kempenaers)

The installation doesn't have any chairs or desks as such, but rather a series of angled shapes and surfaces suitable for leaning against, lying atop, and sitting upon. While the color scheme is perhaps a little underwhelming, it's a fascinating concept and the multiple surfaces and angles appear well-suited to prevent a person from working too long in one single position.

The End of Sitting isn't intended for the mass market, and whether such an unusual setup would prove comfortable after long term use isn't clear (lack of disabled access is also another drawback). Still, it's certainly an interesting alternative to the much-maligned office cubicle.

The animation below helps bring the vision to life.

Source: RAAAF via Arch Daily

Outstanding Landscape of Affordances

View gallery - 11 images
5 comments
5 comments
GScott
Ridiculous. Do these people actually work in an office? Let's see the staff try to assemble for a meeting - with handouts, or blueprints. Or invite a client in, who is tired, and been traveling for hours.
And Forget putting your keys down somewhere. Or any morning coffee, notes, brochures etc. It reminds me of the modern dashboards of cars today. No useable surface space - and that means wasted space.
The designers are also assuming 100% electronic work - possible maybe. But for anyone who does LOTS of typing - or number-crunching, cute little I-pads and mobile phones will NOT substitute as the main tools for the work we do - where you need large monitors to see the whole picture... I think I'll stick with my cubby hole for now.
sk8dad
If sitting kills, I suppose the risk of falling 4-15 feet off an unprotected ledge onto a sharply angled edge or being trapped in an artificial cave that emergency responders cannot find is a much better alternative.
ezeflyer
Are the surfaces soft or hard?
lwesson
I had to show this to my Wife who works in a cubicle. She staggered back in disbelief, laughing at what ever cruel imbeciles came up with such rubbish. She agreed with me that this is some kind of Top Down design, not even remotely considering human form, optimal comfort, useability to work from... Yes, she agreed that Robots could have designed this... I told her not to talk bad about Robots, as they do not like that at Gizmag.
She wrote from her cubicle this morning saying that it felt better with her cubicle, after thinking about this, proposed design. I wrote back from my Ancient Mac, while standing up, and thanked her.
Constantin Eugen Cozma
This is amazing ! Truly innovative and benefic. Human body was NOT meant to sit 8-9 hours a day on a chair. I really support this ideea and look forward for implementation. I am sure any safety concerns can be solved. As for the ergonomics? Again, human body it IS genetically evolved to function like this. Ergonomy must be updated. Nobody said there wont be any flat surfaces. This is truly science and our workflow will have to adapt as well in order to accomodate new environments. Its sad that some people have not just their buttocks sticked to a chair but also their imagination. Of course this is a prototype and its not perfect. But the vision is revolutionary. I would like to hear a physician opinion as well.