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Design Concepts Inc. Collaborates with Bretford to Win Best of NeoCon
Gold Award 2003 for Liquid Power & Data.
MADISON, Wis. (June 16, 2003) - Design Concepts Inc., a Madison-based product
design firm, teamed up with Bretford, a Chicago-based education and contract
furniture company, to develop a proprietary power and data system to enhance
the manufacturer's Liquid Workspace. The resulting Liquid Power & Data System
was recently awarded a Best of NeoCon Gold Award at NeoCon 2003 in the Furniture
Systems: New Enhancements category.
"Partnering with Design Concepts allowed us to create a product that solved a
problem that had never been successfully addressed in the contract industry before,
" said Chris Petrick, Director of Marketing for Bretford. "Their innovative approach
to creating our proprietary power and data system made Liquid Workspace the most
flexible, efficient open office system on the market."
Liquid Power & Data offers limitless flexibility in the specifying, set-up and
reconfiguration of Bretford's open office environments. Design Concept Inc.'s
unique approach utilizes substations, which serve as central power and data hubs.
Up to four lay-in cable channels attach to the substations at any angle needed.
Channel supports then connect and extend the channels in linear and non-linear
angles to achieve virtually any configuration. The system also routes cables well
below the level of the freestanding desks to reduce clutter and maximize workspace.
Development of the Liquid Power & Data System was driven by research conducted by
Design Concepts Inc. "We focused our research efforts on the specifiers — interior
designers, facility managers, IT personnel and architects — to address their needs
and challenges in powering up multiple workstations or managing the problematic
reconfiguration process. Their feedback was instrumental to our success," said William
Lindeman, Director - Industrial Design at Design Concepts Inc.
Architects and designers are drawn to Liquid Power & Data's aesthetic design and ability
to lend a more organic flow to workstations beyond the standard grid dictated by traditional
panel systems. Facility managers and IT professionals appreciate its intuitive approach to
cable management, which allows for flexibility, efficient use of space and the unprecedented
ease with which the system can be reconfigured. Agile companies can now have a strategic
furniture system that adapts to change and enhances its business performance.
The Best of NeoCon Awards are sponsored annually by Contract Magazine, the International Interior
Design Association (IIDA) and Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. Founded in 1989, the award recognizes
facility managers' contributions to the contract furniture and furnishings specification process.
The products they choose reflects their purchasing power and criteria: functionality, flexibility,
quality and durability, aesthetics and style, innovation, pricing and more recently, environmental
sustainability.
Liquid Power & Data Product Detail
