Technology has advanced almost every aspect of work, but there’s a place where technology is consistently a struggle. That’s the conference room—more specifically, the centerpiece of the room: the conference table.
Cables litter the surface as meeting attendees jockey for position near a precious power outlet. And connectivity issues take an average of 10 minutes per meeting to solve, wasting time that employees and organizations can’t get back. All that changes with Axon Tables.
Together with designers Naoto Fukasawa and Keiji Takeuchi, Geiger envisioned a conference table as advanced as the technology it needs to support. The designers started by studying today’s conference rooms and the table’s role in the meeting experience. Seeing the issues firsthand, their goal became not only eliminating the visual mess, but also “untying the knots.” That meant rethinking the table as more than a surface, but as an interface with different technologies integrated—including voice- and videoconferencing tools, accessories for charging personal devices, content-sharing systems, and more.
And that’s what Axon is—not just a table, but an electronic map, supporting the flow of ideas and powering the collective connectivity of teams. Named after the nerve fiber that conducts impulses away from a cell, Axon provides clean, efficient distribution of power and connectivity to all participants seated around the table. With the ability to run power and media seamlessly and invisibly to easy access points at the middle of the surface, charging stations are also accessible around the perimeter of the table. This gives users the freedom to use technology that best suits their individual needs.
In form, function, and spirit, Axon Tables reflect Naoto Fukasawa’s “Super Normal” philosophy—super in their high functionality and technological intelligence, yet normal in their intuitive, approachable, and entirely familiar design. His philosophy syncs perfectly with his design partner, Keiji Takeuchi’s, own belief that simplicity should ultimately solve problems and make something more clever.
The Axon Tables vignette (Vignette 1 in the Geiger showroom) showcases the tables—large and small, rectangular and round, and multiple base options—including the mobile caddy, which allows flexible placement of the table within a conference room wherever floor access to power is located. Rectangular Axon Tables come in three depth options and lengths that can accommodate six to 20 people and their technology comfortably. The round tables accommodate four to six people gathered for quicker, more informal engagements.
The standard finishes are also a selling point for Axon Tables, which offer a choice of veneer—including Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified options—laminate (both standard and soft touch), back-painted glass, stone, and quartz. All surfaces are finished on all sides—including the bottom, which covers the intricate understructure.
For organizations whose employees spend too much time fighting cords and fussing with technology, Axon Tables just make sense—a beautiful design with substantial functionality, made for collective connectivity.
Geiger Axon Tables have been curated into the Herman Miller Collection portfolio. They will be available beginning fall 2018.
For more information, contact media_relations@hermanmiller.com
About Geiger
At Geiger, why we do things and how we do them are inexorably one. Achieving quality through craft, celebrating materiality through elegant simplicity, improving the work environment for individuals through design that endures. Standards of craftsmanship and customer satisfaction set more than 50 years ago by founder John Geiger have driven the company’s growth and continue to inspire people today. Founded in Toronto and headquartered in Atlanta since 1979, Geiger is a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly held Herman Miller, Inc. geigerfurniture.com
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