Locale from Herman Miller Wins Gold iF Design Award

The iF International Forum Design has announced the winners of the iF Design Award 2016 – one of the world’s most celebrated and valued design competitions, which recognises outstanding achievements in design around the world. Herman Miller’s Locale was recognised by the international jury with a Gold award – one of only 75 to be awarded from the more than 5000 submissions from over 50 countries. Herman Miller and other Gold award winners were honoured at the iF awards ceremony at BMW Welt in Munich.

Of their selection, the iF jury commented, “Locale offers a new degree of flexibility for the workplace, combining state-of-the art technology, like highly adjustable work-surface acoustics, with a simple and clean architectural appearance. Using the line as a base module and equipping it with the features required for collaborative work, Locale offers a unique new language for the workplace. This office furniture program is honest and clever: it is an outstanding entry whose every detail has been thoroughly considered.”

Locale, designed for Herman Miller by Sam Hecht and Kim Colin of Industrial Facility, helps organisations utilise and manage open office plans with a system that enables people to transition seamlessly between working together and alone, and in seated or standing postures.

“One could argue that collaboration is a buzzword right now - that somehow it might go away, but we think this is unimaginable,” said Sam Hecht. “People are collaborating globally, empowered by digital networks, but the most ambitious businesses still need productive, collaborative physical environments. Locale brings this and more, by way of cantilevered height adjustment that fosters collaboration right at the working desk.”

Stephen Perkins, Vice President of International Research, Design and Development at Herman Miller, added, “We are very proud that Locale has been recognised with this award. Sam and Kim drew inspiration from the high street when creating Locale, which is reflected in the way it accommodates different work styles and behaves like an energetic neighbourhood, with people able to move freely from one area to another.”

This Gold iF award is the second for the British-based design firm, who were recognised in 2014 for their Formwork desk containers, also designed for Herman Miller.

Locale will also be featured in one of three subsequent shows in the iF design exhibition Hamburg, a permanent exhibition located in the centre of Hamburg’s HafenCity, a destination for people with an interest in design and architecture.

About Herman Miller
Herman Miller’s inspiring furniture designs, inventive technologies and strategic services help people do great things and organisations perform at their best. The company’s award-winning products and services generated approximately $2.1 billion in revenue in fiscal 2015. Their designs can be found not just in offices and workspaces around the world, but also in the permanent collections of museums and galleries. Innovative business practices and a commitment to social responsibility have also helped establish Herman Miller as a recognised global leader. Herman Miller is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR.