60
Officelayout 158
luglio-settembre 2014
The mobile partition: project interpreter
More than flexibility in the configuration of spaces, partition systems are now required to have flexibility
in the configuration of the product
In the mobile partitions market the main player
is the glass partition that separates spaces in
terms of sound, but not in terms of sight.
Transparent, frosted, decorated or screen-
printed, but also enhanced by decorative films,
structural glass partitions have almost
completely replaced opaque modular walls. The
reasons can be found in the evolution of office
design, oriented towards transparency to
encourage sharing of spaces and organizational
objectives, but also in the transformation of the
market that calls for more competitive products.
We have seen a gradual simplification of
partitions, in many cases leading to artisanal
character, at the expense of flexibility and easy
reconfiguration, though these features have
always been seen as added values for such
products. Today a breakthrough can be seen in
a new line of research aimed at the creation of
products with a high level of engineering to get
beyond the rigidity of the glass partition,
offering new possibilities of interpretation.
The partition in the project
The evolution in office building design and
interior layout has inevitably altered the role of
the mobile partition. “Design no longer strives
for flexibility in terms of layout reconfiguration
– says Silvio Petronella, project director of the
studio Dante O. Benini & Partners Architects –
but at a flexible use of space that has to adapt
to multiple functions. So it is not that space
that is transformed, it is the person who moves
inside the office in search of the right space for
the activity they want to perform. Also because
an office cannot be transformed into a meeting
room just by moving a wall, since technical
lighting and climate control needs change as
well, calling for reconfiguration depending on
the number of people in the space.”
So flexibility becomes a feature to deploy in the
design phase, establishing the possible
reconfigurations of the partitions and
dimensioning physical plant to adapt to
possible changes in the ways spaces are used.
For the design to be sustainable, also from an
economic standpoint, this should be done in a
selective way, right from the first phases of
space planning, identifying the areas of the
object subject to the greatest transformations,
such as reception zones structured with meeting
rooms of different sizes. The mobile partition,
which for many years was seen as a product to
be taken down and reinstalled to adapt to
changing needs, therefore takes on new virtues
and becomes an element built into the
architecture of the building, which creates
specialized spaces in which performance and
comfort levels must be ensured, defined
upstream and tested on site. Acoustic
insulation, for example, is not just an intrinsic
property of the partition, but is also determined
by the integration of the partition with the
facade, the raised flooring and the suspended
ceilings, and by the presence of acoustic
barriers and the layout of the physical plant
systems. Fire prevention requirements also
depend on the overall design. So it is clear that
a project based on the synergy of the various
elements, where everything contributes to the
objective of reaching high levels of aesthetics,
performance and quality, will have criteria of
choice based on careful evaluation of the
technical aspects, prompting the designer to
choose one product as opposed to another.
“Today it is fundamental to talk about the
‘Partition System’ and to rely on those who are
capable, on the market, of certifying their
products, not just individual components –
Petronella explains. – A Partition System that is
designed and conceived in every joint,
connection and corner, with parts for
composition and adjustment intrinsic to the
design of the partitions. Another consideration
is that of the growing presence in the office of
teamwork and meeting areas, with large
amounts of multimedia technology, making it
important to look for products that efficiently
handle the channeling of wires.”
Other selection criteria include the quality of
the glass, chosen on the basis of acoustic
performance requirements, and the availability
of a wide range of accessories and finishes.
A system open to multiple interpretations
Partition systems, then, are expected to provide
flexible configuration of products rather than
spaces. The product has to interpret the needs of
performance and aesthetics demanded by the
design. This is the dialectic in which sector
companies are moving, investing in the
development of systems that permit the architect
to interpret the product in multiple ways.
“The mobile partition increasingly has to be
configured as an open, versatile system capable
of offering a wide range of possibilities in terms
of typology and finishes – says Massimo
Gianquitto, president of Level Office Landscape.
In particular, glass partitions should not be
rigid systems, but have to make adaptation
possible over time, simply by modifying the
arrangement of certain elements. Just consider
the added value that can be obtained with a
system that permits modification of a partition
with single glazing into a double glazing, for
better acoustic performance. Or a system that
offers the possibility of inserting Venetian
blinds between the modules, to bring greater
privacy or to adjust light. These are upgrades
that the most advanced systems permit without
the need to replace already installed products.”
Enrico Venesia, Partition Division Manager of
Tecno, also underlines the importance, for
manufacturers, of a dialogue with the world of
design, investing in the creation of versatile
products and providing, from the first design
phases, a service of technical consulting and
support for designers as they develop their
ideas. He explains that “very often, the
designer develops a concept that will require
particular technical solutions to be achieved,
such as the insertion of automation or lighting
systems. To meet these needs, at Tecno we have
developed a partition system that offers many
possibilities of application of different finishes,
all gathered in a single solution with a common
denominator: the offering of a product that is
technically at the top, but is also still ‘easy.’ Easy
to design, easy to use, easy to install, easy to
reconfigure and redesign. A system that offers
good solutions for the management of wiring,
switches, the integration of storage elements.”
To create products of value and design support
services, then, are the ‘weapons’ with which to
