The re-definer

What others find heavy-lifting, seems to be something Ana Relvão and Gerhardt Kellermann achieve with ease. Their wealth of ideas seems almost inexhaustible. As can also be seen from “Chart”, a system that can only inadequately simply be described as a “room divider”. They developed the element for the “Lab” project by furniture maker Cor and it provides a new approach to the task of separating individual functional zones and work stations within open-plan offices and working spaces that is as simple as it is ingenious. Often, the dividers undermine both the desired sense of open spaces and the intended flow of communication between the employees And in fact all that happens are fixed walls simply get replaced by mobile walls ones that tend to do things worse rather than better. 

Relvão Kellermann’s solution: Two large, upholstered fields that are connected to each other in a staggered manner, whereby the intervening space allows shelves or boards to be deployed. The result is a structure that is as functional as it is sculptural and which does not form some mundane barrier. If two landscape formats or a portrait and a landscape format are combined, then “Chart” creates a piece of furnishing that seems almost graphic, protecting and dividing without disturbing the flow of the room or communication. At the same time, the upholstery with its colored fabric gives rise to a completely new form of homeliness in the office. In this way, Relvão Kellermann succeeds in transposing Cor’s expertise from the private domain into the world of work. (fap)