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Furniture Systems and Workstation Clusters (Track This Article)

As defined by the General Services Administration, a furniture system is a system of furniture components designed to provide a comprehensive office furniture environment through the ability to create a variety of workstation configurations and generally includes interconnecting, structural panels as central integrating elements or may employ rails, beams, frames, uprights, cores, or freestanding based elements.

Panels/privacy screens, work surfaces, overhead storage and shelving pedestals, filing, task management systems, lighting, electrical, wire management and similar items comprise furniture systems and workstation clusters. Workstation clusters are workstations generally arranged around a central point and which have a fixed footprint. Floor to ceiling demountable walls, partial height walls, and spine type walls which accommodate system furniture components are acceptable as part of or in conjunction with a furniture systems line.*

The GSA provides definitions of other office furniture components on its website at www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov/ElibMain/ScheduleSummary?scheduleNumber=71+I#FSS_71_I including a list of vendors.
“What the GSA does not provide is hard information on selecting office furniture systems delivering the best combination of style, durability, technology, flexibility and ease of installation along with lifetime performance and delivery guarantees – all at a reasonable price,” says Mark Bassil, Vice President of MAiSPACE, based in Mt. Olive, NJ. (GSA Contract GS-28F-00-34P) MAiSPACE is based on the contract furniture industry’s term ‘Modular Architectural Interiors,’ Bassil explains.

“Agencies struggling to meet budget bogeys might be tempted to scale back on important features in the interest of meeting the bogey,” he says. “MAiSPACE has addressed cost-quality issues since it was established in 1993 as a designer and manufacturer of superior quality systems furniture at prices as much as 40% below manufacturers whose names frequently are top of mind.” The company’s innovative products hold a “Best of NeoCon” award, one of the most prestigious in the contract furniture industry.

Spec List Suggestions
Government organizations planning office interiors must make several key decisions in order to develop their specifications. “It is true that design and appearance are the most visible elements of these decisions, but the real test of a quality office furniture systems lies behind the panels,” says Bassil. “Structural integrity plus managing voice, data and power cabling should be at or near the top of the list.” MAiSPACE addresses both issues simultaneously and suggests that government agencies consider the following when drawing up their specifications.

1. Construction Details
“Industry statistics prove that office floor plans and requirements are going to change at some point,” Bassil says. “Moves, adds and changes (MACs) are a fact of life and call for modular products that do it easily without sacrificing structural soundness - which is the premise of MAiSPACE.” The benefit is improved flexibility moving forward while reducing costly installation and reconfiguration time. It also diminishes the need to buy new parts every time modifications are made.

Construction quality starts behind the panels. Look for a 3 ½ inch wide frame constructed of 16-gauge cold-rolled steel to provide strength and rigidity, allowing it to remain distortion-free during installation and later MACs. A point of comparison is a MAiSPACE panel configuration composed of 8-foot panel frames stacked 10 feet high and supported by two 24” return panels. It was rated to 2.5 tons on the work surface in a test conducted by Underwriters Laboratories.

Load-bearing panel frames should be capable of handling walls from 30 inches to 14 feet in height. Increasing or decreasing the height should be accomplished without removing existing panel frames or disturbing power, voice and data cabling. This is a pillar in the MAiSPACE value proposition in terms of installation ease as well as reduced product and labor costs.

Ask for knockdown and ready-to-assemble (RTA) framing components equipped with self-leveling connections to simplify moving elements into and throughout the building. The benefit is reduced assembly costs and the number of framing components required. Panel segments should be constructed from 24-gauge steel for exceptional durability and effective sound dampening.

2. Cabling issues
Be clear on what you need in terms of bringing information to the workstation and supporting a collaborative work environment. Complex or poorly designed cabling systems provide an unwanted and unnecessary impediment to new installations and reconfigurations.

A point of comparison is the MAiSPACE patented zone distribution system, which includes plug-and-play connectors, lay-in cabling and the largest cable capacity in the industry. With a 4-Circuit, 8-Wire system, it supports any network or power requirements needed by customers today, but is designed to grow and change with business. “Managing voice, data, and power cabling is a snap because cable runs are laid in behind lift-off panel segments, not bundled and fished through structural elements,” Bassil says. “Office reconfiguration time is reduced from days to hours without disrupting the entire network.”
Be sure the cabling system conforms to telecommunications industry standards for horizontal cabling systems in open offices. A plus is factory-terminated and tested modular cable assembles in copper or fiber to support plug and play office reconfigurations. Vendors should offer a wide variety of cable types including Category 7 for data-intensive and video applications.

3. Ergonomics
Today’s workstations must be ergonomically correct for worker comfort and to address workmen's compensation, insurance expenditures and absenteeism issues. Furniture should be flexible and adjustable to meet individual preferences. Users should be able to create a comfortable environment. Examples include panel-hung components that are adjustable at 1- inch increments, flexible orientation for the workstation, and curvilinear work surfaces with cascade edges. Keyboard trays and tool rail tiles should allow easy access to work tools.

4. Aesthetics
“Government green” was a disparaging but unfortunately true description of many agency workspaces in days past. Today, aesthetics is not a luxury but a necessity if agencies are to attract and hold quality personnel. Another pillar in the MAiSPACE value proposition is its broad range of choices in colors, textures and finishes that add class and a pleasant ambiance to today’s offices. Examples are panel segment options that include laminate, Coverseal, veneer, painted metal, embossed steel, brushed stainless steel, airflow, clear glass, frosted glass, or textured glass, fabric, tackable/acoustical, power/data, marker board and paper management. Segments should be designed to facilitate access to lay-in cable management systems.

5. Design Support
Vendors should be expected to provide all the assistance necessary to insure a smooth installation process from day one, and should spell this out in their proposals. “Another pillar of the MAiSPACE value proposition is a professional in-house design team to produce the best and most cost-effective layout not only to satisfy customers’ current staffing demands, but also to plan ahead,” says Bassil. “The company’s designers understand facility issues and employ the most appropriate product applications and space planning layouts. This entails the use of the latest versions of AutoCAD and GIZA specifying software to achieve furniture and floor plans that are virtually fault free.” Related to this are accurate detailed specifications, product lists and installation drawings.

“Our objective is to provide customers with beautiful and functional offices without sacrificing affordability or performance,” Bassil says. “Moreover, we commit to meeting project time frames, quick turnarounds and fast resolutions to revisions. These services are free with a signed purchase order or order placement.”
*Excerpted from the GSA website www.gsa.gov.

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