bangdesign has imagined an unconventional new concept for inspiring better, less inhibited, more engaging meetings.
Called Hatch, the concepts are designed to reboot the way people come together in the workplace.
Although the forms appear simple, they are carefully calculated to bring people together for creative conversations, brainstorming or to problem solve. Hatch plays with notions of instability, equilibrium and nurturing (ergo it’s egg-like and nest-like forms … and the metaphor for incubating interactions and ideas).
Hatch is designed to work on different levels – both subtle and overt – to signal a new approach and give permission for users to think and act differently. We’ve long known that if you can change the way people feel when they come to a meeting space then you’ll have better outcomes, and this change starts by rethinking the space itself.
The conversation is very different if you’re thinking about everybody rather than about yourself.
One of our central concerns as designers is to imagine objects and environments that help people think differently, laterally, more creatively – to pursue designs that are calculated to inspire and engage.
We thought: why not offer a place that’s more playful, that disarms, that demands more trust and less fear; where people can open up.
If you’re using Hatch – an environment that demands co-operation for stability – then you’re more aware of the consequences of your actions. If you approach a meeting with that sort of mindset, then you’ll automatically be thinking differently about the task at hand.
And are we likely to see Hatch in an office near you anytime soon?
Maybe, maybe not — the concept is as much an analogy of bangdesign’s approach to collaboration as it is a genuine furniture proposal.
We’ve always believed in approaching things by taking a holistic and open-minded approach. Long lasting solutions are all about putting egos aside and being in touch with the ‘thoughts and needs’ of others – developing balanced thinking that collectively inspires everyone involved.
In other words, with all our projects we aim to create a virtual ‘collaboration space’ that takes account of all the influences. The best solutions are about uncovering a complex network of insights and observations and then joining the dots.
More specifically though Hatch is inspired by contemporary research that has shown that alternative and informal modes of workplace meeting will bear more inventive fruit than the more conventional table-in-the-room routine.
“If you look at history, innovation doesn’t just come from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect” - Steven Johnson, ‘Where Good Ideas Come From’
To better foster innovation and those elusive informal “eureka conversations” we believe the participants fair better when they are given permission to step out of their routine – in this case it’s the object or furniture within the workplace that gives them that permission.
Quite literally Hatch offers a refreshing tilt on the more traditional mode of meeting. The concepts incorporate a rounded base as a not-so subtle way of conveying that here you can think and act differently.
We often reflect on some of the more abstract themes around human endeavour and working together. Being able to embrace change and thrive within a changing environment has never been more relevant.
With Hatch it’s no different, the situation changes slightly each time you use it (and while you use it). Once seated do you find it balanced? If not do you seek equilibrium, or do you accept that perhaps situations aren’t equal? Do you look to find fault with others for the “imbalance”, do you blame yourself, or do you accept the perspective and work with it?
By destabilising the run-of-the-mill sit down meeting, it demands that people actively engage to find equilibrium with the task at hand. Hatch asks that you come out of your shell — if you know what we mean.
