Antenna Workspaces^®

Whether in an office, at home or in a coffee shop, work today requires shifting from one task and type of work to another – from focused projects to shared and team activities. The distinct modes of work should be supported by a set of nimble elements that simplify transitions from individual to group work.

With this in mind, the Antenna design brief called for a simple table structure that could be transformed to create a full range of work settings, from private office and individual workstations to meeting room tables and touch-down spaces, supporting the multiple modes of work occurring in the workplace:

FOCUS: Individually-oriented work that requires concentration and reduced interruptions.
SHARE: Collaboration that occurs in individual or group spaces and centers on the casual exchange of ideas with a small number of colleagues.
TEAM: Group efforts applied to specific work goals, which may be supported in primary workspaces or in formal and informal meeting spaces.

Recognizing the relevance of their expertise, we collaborated with Antenna Design, a progressive New York City firm dedicated to making the experience of technology and environments more meaningful. In response to our brief, Masamichi Udagawa and Sigi Moeslinger, the principals of Antenna Design, arrived at a simple, modular leg and tabletop structure. From there they developed components, connections and transitions that maximize usability and flexibility with a minimum of parts. The result is the ingeniously simple, incredibly versatile Antenna Workspaces.

Antenna Design was founded in 1997 by Masamichi Udagawa, a Cranbrook Academy graduate, and Sigi Moeslinger, who holds degrees from NYU and Art Center College of Design. Antenna's people-centered design approach aims to make the experience of objects and environments more meaningful and exciting. Among Antenna’s best known projects are the design of New York City Subway cars and ticket vending machines, JetBlue check-in kiosks and displays for Bloomberg.

When Knoll set out to create a new open plan office system, Antenna’s experience with the ever-expanding presence of technology, and their expertise in user experience made them an attractive collaborative partner. Together Knoll and Antenna conceived Antenna Workspaces, an innovative open plan system, which reflects Udagawa and Moeslinger’s interest in functional simplicity and their expertise in using design as a tool of social interaction that bridges people and technology.

Antenna has been recognized with several prestigious design awards, including the National Design Award in Product Design from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Both Udagawa and Moeslinger are senior critics in graphic design at the Yale University School of Art.