Dubbeldam Architecture + Design creates "near-future tech" furniture for Teknion
Toronto architecture studio Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has designed modular and tech-oriented office furniture for Canadian company Teknion's Advanced Concepts 2.0 exhibition.
The concept exhibition included three office concepts, a mobile work station, an under-desk pet holder and a ceiling system where coils descend from a grid to partition space.
It was displayed at Teknion's New York headquarters.
According to Dubbeldam Architecture + Design founder Heather Dubbeldam, Teknion put out a call for concepts for the second iteration of its Advanced Concepts experimental furniture series and ended up selecting all three of Dubbeldam's concepts.
For the design, an emphasis was put on the shuttling between different office configurations, especially the closed and open office, negating the need for set configurations by implementing highly flexible conceptual furniture.
"We're trying to deal with flexibility, adaptability and personalisation in the office. We're trying to make it possible for people to feel comfortable at the office, to want to come back to work," Dubbeldam told Dezeen.
"It's this idea of a very flexible workspace that you can customise, that each person or team member can customise to their own needs," she added.
Most in line with this heightened flexibility, geared towards post-COVID-19 needs, is the Roam Mobile Workstation.
The workstation is a cube that can be moved around after first docking at a station to be fully charged.
Its electronic capabilities included a cubicle-like screen that can be raised and lowered for privacy and a tabletop that is completely electrified and charges laptops when they are placed on it.
This electrified charging surface furniture utilises what Dubbeldam called "near-future tech", technology that's conceivable but not produced for consumers.
The Roam Mobile Workstation also has a chair that fits within the station for storage. It was rendered in wood to make it more approachable.
"We were trying to lean into the idea of craft and wood for an object that people would enjoy interacting with," said Dubbeldam.
Elsewhere in the collection, Nimbus Adaptive Architectural System turns the office "upside down" according to Teknion.
The system features ceiling-based coils that can extend and distend to create different room separation configurations, which Dubbledam imagines could be used for modular phone booths and office partitions.
The prototype was created using a fabric-clad shape memory alloy that is electrified to coil and uncoil, coming down from the ceiling in digitally controlled configurations. The fabric allows for acoustic control as well.
These coils are top-lit, and the colour and brightness of the light can be changed depending on the time of day.
Finally, the collaboration included Pet Pod. Dubbeldam conceived of this as an under-the-desk pet room, so that office pets can feel more secure.
Colour and texture were taken into account to make the pets feel more comfortable.
"Most of us want to feel engaged at work, and no one benefits from an inefficient workspace," said Teknion CEO David Feldberg.
"The desire for purpose and real connection is all-inclusive, regardless of age or digital fluency."
According to Teknion, there are no immediate plans to bring the furniture into production, and the collection was intended to spark conversation.
It will remain in New York through the year and move to Toronto ahead of the IDS 2026.
Other recent furniture designs on Dezeen include a collection of linear furniture made from MDF and London designer Henry Holland's first furniture line.
The photography is courtesy of Teknion.
Teknion's Advanced Concepts 2.0 exhibition is on show from October to December at the Teknion NY showroom. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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