TZL 1393 (web)

BUSINESS NEWS STUDIO OTHER & ELKUS MANFREDI ARCHITECTS CREATE SMOOTH SAILING TO SUPPORT A FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTIVE WORKSPACE Studio Other , a creator of custom solutions for commercial interior environments and workspaces, has announced the release of Smooth Sailing, a new product created in collaboration with Elkus Manfredi Architects . Smooth Sailing is designed to support a flexible and adaptive workspace, with extensive options for use. Studio Other engineered Smooth Sailing while Elkus Manfredi Architects provided complete product design informed by expertise in workplace strategy. Smooth Sailing is a monitor rail system designed to offer workplace flexibility and quick adaptability for in-office needs. The product has the capability to shift a private office from solo use to a collaborative workspace within moments. The Smooth Sailing rail provides nearly limitless viewing options for individual users, a team meeting, or full presentation viewing mode. Smooth Sailing features an eight-inch high rail with the ability to hold one or multiple monitors. It can attach to any monitor arm and has customizable installation options for any desk width. The unique design allows users to move the monitor(s) horizontally along the entire rail length, vertically at any angle via the full articulation of the monitor arm, or pulled toward viewers for close-up observing. This enables users to pull out a monitor for visibility for anyone to the left or right in the room to see. The new product can also move with or separately from the desk, providing sit-to-

stand options and stand-up meetings. The Smooth Sailing rail system can independently rotate 90 degrees, is discrete and installs on a wall above a desk or within a workstation, and keeps cables out of sight. “As office space becomes a tool for success rather than a status symbol, the furniture should be responsive to reconfiguration and technology integration without disruption,” said Elizabeth Lowrey, principal and director of interior architecture for Elkus Manfredi Architects. “The ability to move the monitors from the individual seat to the collaboration table with the touch of a finger means no downtime adjusting to different tasks in one office.” Studio Other has a plethora of knowledge in workplace design, and because Studio Other and Elkus Manfredi shared a human-centric approach to this product, the partnership was a natural. This convertible office tool can be used in any office environment, from law firms to life-science research centers. Studio Other can custom-engineer Smooth Sailing for use with multiple-sized monitor screens and can also tailor it to color-match an office and work with many wood types. The entire design functions to create a “convertible office,” meaning it moves between being an office or a room for collaborative sessions. “Our goal is to provide a practical solution to content sharing, enabling flexibility for employees to define their spaces for individual tasks and work just as effectively in the same workspace within a group interaction,” said

Charlotte Wiederholt, president and creative director for Studio Other. Smooth Sailing joins a new suite of products for the future workplace, designed by Elkus Manfredi, engineered by Studio Other, and inspired by the natural organic forms of Boston Harbor, found outside Elkus Manfredi’s office in Boston. Suite products include Harbor Stone® System, a first-of-its-kind alternative to traditional orthogonal workplace benching systems that introduces more humanity to the workplace with increased user control. Other products are in development. Studio Other works closely with clients to reflect and reinforce a distinctive culture through innovative workspace solutions and a process of collaborative input and planning, conceptualization, prototyping, engineering, fabrication, and installation. Its solutions are tailored to the specific needs and aesthetics of each environment. The firm also serves as an integral member of project teams alongside architects, contractors, and others to achieve seamless integration of all requirements. ElkusManfredi Architects is a full-service design firm providing architecture, master planning, urban design, interior architecture, historic preservation, space planning, programming, and experiential graphic design. Its diverse portfolio of work includes planning and design for environments of work, living, learning, play, and innovation. The company is known for its work in mixed-use placemaking that fosters community and creative innovation.

MARK ZWEIG, from page 11

no real formal business education, had a mind made for business. He truly understood strategy and how all the pieces of a business fit together into a cohesive whole. And he stayed on top of what was happening in the world. Plus, he was always fond of my wife, and I have to appreciate him for his obvious ability to judge character! “Ed and I talked every so often, and we worked closely on some of the BODs we served on together. We had a common interest in two things: the AEC business and motorcycles.” I will miss Ed, with his book lists, motorcycling stories, and long holiday newsletters. I’m of a certain age now where my friends are starting to die off with an alarming regularity. It would be nice for that pace to slow down for a bit. I don’t want to lose another Ed Friedrichs any time soon! MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com. Editor’s note: Ed Friedrichs contributed to The Zweig Letter for several years. Click here to see some of his articles.

architecture degree from Penn. Nearly every time I either spoke to or met with Ed, he told me about a book (or gave me a list of books) I needed to read! He was also one of the best marketers and business developers I have ever known in the design business. One of his greatest sales successes was the time they had an opportunity to secure a design services contract for a new Ducati showroom (complete with wine bar) in New York City. Ed called into the final presentation from Colorado. He was on a road trip on his own Ducati. Needless to say, they got the project! Ed knew pretty much everybody you would want to know. Besides many leaders of AEC firms throughout the land, he even introduced me to Bob Lutz, an auto industry top executive icon who was vice chairman of GM and Chrysler, and also on the BOD of Ford (he was super fun to talk to and someone I spoke with a number of times afterward). I last talked to Ed maybe three months or so ago. I hadn’t heard from him much lately and was glad to speak with him. He didn’t sound great, and he told me he was down to serving on only one BOD, but looking forward to being able to travel again soon. In any case, Ed was a solid guy who, in spite of having

THE ZWEIG LETTER MAY 24, 2021, ISSUE 1393

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