Case Study: Steelcase Worklife Center - Formglas®

*Columns: Steelcase Worklife Center, Shimoda Design Group, Formglas® GFRG*

Shimoda Design Group (SDG), out of Los Angeles, CA was commissioned to curate an interior space for the iconic Steelcase Worklife Center in the Chicago Merchandise Mart that embodied the Steelcase Worklife motto: "The power of place. The best workplaces help people engage deeply by giving them what they want most, incorporating a palette of place that supports a range of postures, presence, and privacy."

Applying materials in innovative ways, SDG is no stranger to making environments that inspire. For this project, SDG partnered with Formglas® to give the Worklife Center it's signature interconnected esthetic.

Since 1962, Formglas® has been creating custom-fabricated solutions that are precision-engineered and sustainable. Formglas® manufactures products that are designed to accelerate construction, simplify installation, reduce cost, provide enhanced aesthetics, and ensure years of durability. The base material can range depending on the application, from Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP), Glass Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (GFRC), or Glass Fiber-Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) to name a few.

*Grille: Steelcase Worklife Center, Shimoda Design Group, Formglas® GFRG*

The Steelcase Worklife Center required custom solutions for a variety of molded applications: grilles, column covers, partitions, pedestals, and vertical lattices. Due to its adaptability and ease of customization, the most appropriate material for this was Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG): a composite of high strength alpha gypsum, reinforced with glass fibers that can be factory-molded into virtually any shape or size. While this design could have been specified as a plaster casting or possibly even drywall in some locations, it was decided that GFRG was the preferred option for the Steelcase showroom because of its customizability, light weight, superior strength, and ease of installation.

Specifically, in constructing the grille and columns on the project, Formglas® was able to both realize SDG’s vision and reduce costs by designing a series of repeatable molds. As described in our Formglas® Overview, repeated use of a mold minimizes the cost per square foot of the product. This is a prime example of how Formglas® can use 3D modeling and 5-axis CNC tooling to precision-engineer virtually any shape or configuration.