For the 14th year, Buildings’ annual Product Innovations program, exclusively for exhibitors at NeoCon® World’s Trade Fair (held this past June in Chicago), recognizes beautiful and functional high-performance products. This year, the judging committee chose eight Grand Prizes and 13 Citations of Excellence from eight different categories – Computer Solutions, Energy Efficiency, Environmental Solutions, Product Performance, Safety and Accessibility, Workplace Aesthetics, Workplace Flexibility, and Workplace Productivity – and the winners exemplify products that can help you succeed in beautifying your workspaces while benefitting the environment and your bottom line.
Tambour by Tambient
Tambour luminaires by Tambient provide broad, low-glare task lighting through a linear prismatic “batwing” lens that reduces veiling reflections on the work surface, and they create soft, vertical luminance that reduces visual fatigue when mounted adjacent to workstation panels. The Tambour luminaire is portable, mounts to any furniture system, and features optional self-powered wireless controls. It uses a 40-watt compact fluorescent lamp that’s available in 3,000K, 3,500K, and 4,100K varieties. More information at or .
Tambour by Tambient.
Antron® Bio_Fiber™ nylon carpet fiber by INVISTA
Antron Bio_Fiber nylon carpet fiber contains 10 percent bio-based materials and is performance tested to stand up to the rigorous conditions of the commercial environment. It’s exceptionally resistant to matting, crushing, and abrasive wear compared to other commercial fibers; carries the same warranty as other Antron white dyeable nylon carpet fibers; and is 100 percent recyclable into high-value end-use products.
Antron Bio_Fiber nylon carpet fiber by INVISTA.
Forest by JANUS et Cie
JANUS et Cie’s Forest armchair features a unique design that combines a mid-century modern shape with angular die-cuts to create a 3-D outline of a forest’s thick branches for a dynamic look in indoor and outdoor spaces. The armchair has a comfortable, cupped seat and can be paired with a variety of tables. Forest is constructed of durable and lightweight powder-coated aluminum, and is available in a wide array of colors.
Forest by JANUS et Cie.
JJ by IoA
The JJ by IoA is a chair for pediatric chemotherapy and dialysis patients that effortlessly reclines to allow the child to relax during treatment. A hydraulic height adjustment allows staff to elevate the patient to a more comfortable height for providing care, and a playful aesthetic and “game pole” (an articulating arm that supports a TV and game console) are designed to take the child’s mind off his/her condition.
JJ by IoA.
M2 Monitor Arm by Humanscale
Humanscale’s M2 Monitor Arm is ingeniously simple, offers a long life, and features a streamlined aesthetic. An automatic spring mechanism makes this ergonomic monitor arm dynamically adjustable without the shortcomings of the clunky gas cylinders of current-generation monitor arms. Fewer parts, less weight, and a longer lifespan limit the M2’s carbon footprint, and additional value is added with its Forever Warranty and unmatched price point.
M2 Monitor Arm by Humanscale.
Humanair by Humanscale
The Humanair air purifying device by Humanscale employs Clean Air Zone technology to operate in virtual silence, produce no ozone, and create no noticeable draft, allowing the device to be positioned near the user so that clean air can is directed where needed. Using just 17 watts of energy, Humanair creates pockets of clean air around every worker, and surpasses the ENERGY STAR requirements for air cleaners by 300 percent.
Humanair by Humanscale.
Energy Manager by Herman Miller
The Herman Miller Energy Manager is an electrical circuit control system connected between building power and the modular power of Herman Miller furniture systems that provides programmable or occupancy-based control of electrical power in a cluster of Herman Miller workstations for significant energy savings. Energy Manager can provide detailed reports on energy usage at a workstation and can contribute up to 10 LEED credits for optimized energy performance and more.
Energy Manager by Herman Miller.
DC FlexZone™ by Armstrong
The DC FlexZone ceiling system is Armstrong’s new ceiling grid system that has the ability to distribute safe, low-voltage direct current (DC) power to lighting fixtures, sensors, and other electrical devices in a space. The heavy-duty grid installs just like other standard grid components and can be used in all seismic zones. It eliminates electrical AC/DC conversions, and is available in two sleek 9/16-inch profiles – Silhouette® and Suprafine®.
DC FlexZone by Armstrong.
Tierra Ceilings by Armstrong contain an industry-new BioAcoustic™ substrate made from plants that grow from seed to harvest in 90 days, making it 45 percent rapidly renewable. It’s a high-performance ceiling with high LR (0.88) and high NRC (0.85), and it features no-sag HumiGuard® resistance and BioBlock® for mold and mildew resistance.
Tierra Ceilings by Armstrong.
Diffrient World Chair by Humanscale features Form-Sensing Mesh Technology that ensures perfect lumbar support for every user without the external, manually adjustable lumbar devices. Featuring a lightweight and minimal-part design, the chair incorporates Humanscale’s signature weight-sensitive recline to offer automatically customized recline resistance, and a mesh seat pan with a frameless front edge provides all-day comfort.
Diffrient World Chair by Humanscale.
HealthView by APCO Signs is a unique, modular system for dispensing a number of infection-control products, including wipes, hand foam, tissues, and masks. Its customizable and updatable display options educate users on the importance of hand sanitation and infection control, and it features a unique, tamper-resistant element to keep contents safe yet easy to refill.
HealthView by APCO Signs.
Recore by MDC Wallcoverings contains 30 percent recycled content for eco-friendly products that look, perform, and hang like traditional vinyl wallcoverings. Recore contains a minimum of 20 percent post-consumer waste and is GREENGUARD certified for its low VOC emissions. The wallcoverings are packaged in 100 percent recyclable materials, and can contribute up to 6 LEED credits.
Recore by MDC Wallcoverings.
PNH-2 by LogiSon® is the key decentralized component to the LogiSon Acoustic Network’s networked soundmasking, paging, and music system that increases speech privacy and reduces noise in the workplace. Each PNH-2 controls a small zone of speakers, making the system extremely flexible, and it auto-detects and monitors system function down to the individual loudspeaker level, allowing problems to be easily addressed.
PNH-2 by LogiSon.
G6 Keyboard Mechanism by Humanscale eases the discomfort of computer-related tasks by literally bringing the work to the user. It features 7 inches of effortless height adjustment and a dial-a-tilt feature to prevent users from typing at high-risk posture. The G6 is also lighter weight and has a thinner profile than other keyboard mechanisms; creates a clean, stylish aesthetic; and is environmentally friendly.
G6 Keyboard Mechanism by Humanscale.
Now and Zen by Lees Carpets is a subtle yet expressive contemporary carpet collection offering three symmetric patterns – Centered, Realization, and Wisdom. The carpet collection features Lees’ advanced Duracolor® technology, providing stain, fade, and soil resistance with total color and style flexibility, and each pattern is available in modular and broadloom styles, and a palette of 12 tranquil tones.
Now and Zen by Lees Carpets.
Element by Humanscale is an LED task light that uses a single low-watt multi-chip LED that does not cast multiple shadows; offers a large footprint of comfortable, neutral, white 3,500K light; and consumes less than 7 watts while providing ergonomic lighting levels. Element is constructed of eco-friendly aluminum, contains 40 percent recycled content, and is 99 percent recyclable.
Element by Humanscale.
Silea™ by Gunlocke is a forward-thinking casegoods collection that incorporates functional necessities, such as technology and wire management, to accommodate a wide range of office sizes. Silea is scalable, user-centric, and designed to minimize all efforts and reach by incorporating smart, intuitive storage areas and strategically placed sliding doors, overheads, and pivot shelving.
Silea by Gunlocke.
Vanilla by Keilhauer uses innovative Pelvic Balance Point® and T1-L5 Free Shoulders® technology to ensure that men and women are equally comfortable and supported in the chair, and that their backs are entirely supported from the lumbar through the thoracic regions. Vanilla has a mid-back height with two upholstery options, two tilt options, and four arm options, and has a 5-star caster base.
Vanilla by Keilhauer.
Monte Carlo, St. Tropez, and Monaco by Innovations in Wallcoverings are three new additions to the Textile Wallcovering Collection that transport the sophisticated glamour of the French Riviera to any environment. The wallcoverings create the look of finely woven metal from a blend of rayon and polyester fibers. Monte Carlo, St. Tropez, and Monaco are environmentally friendly and available in four different colors.
Monte Carlo, St. Tropez, and Monaco by Innovations in Wallcoverings Inc.
Stride by Allsteel is a sustainable furniture solution that has an integrated kit of cohesive components, including storage, space division, and surfaces. The system is versatile and flexible, and it can be scaled down or up with ease. Worksurfaces can be mounted at optional heights, and the adjustable Sit-to-Stand mechanism on some units and a selection of shapes create ergonomic settings.
Stride by Allsteel.
Koko II Armchair by JANUS et Cie is constructed of a powder-coated aluminum frame, and seat and back slats and armrests created from JANUSwood II, a unique, sustainable material that delivers unparalleled structural density built to withstand years of constant use. Koko II is supportive and comfortable, as well as impervious to elements, corrosion resistant, recyclable, and virtually indestructible.
Koko II Armchair by JANUS et Cie.
