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Abak Environments

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Designers

Tim Wallace

56% recyclable

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Product Story

Abak Environments is a high-performance desking system capable of numerous applications anywhere in the world. It can be anything from a basic, stand-alone desk to a performance wall that support collaboration in human-centered work spaces for any culture in the world. Abak looks as smart as it works. The slender profile and translucent and reflective materials allow a consistently elegant and contemporary look throughout global facilities.

Simple Versatility

Abak lets you create all kinds of workable spaces; open-plan environments, meeting areas, private offices, with a broad array of simple, totally non-modular components. Freestanding desks, linear arrangements, meeting tables, or spine-wall configurations are easy to specify and install.
Sturdy twin beams connect at 90 or 120 degrees; legs attach to the beams; beams support work surfaces, screens, and the performance wall. Surfaces and screens can be attached at any point along the performance wall or beam.

Understated Elegance

Abak has strong horizontals, versatile shapes, and a slim, modern profile. The trim lines and light scale of Abak components let the interior architecture take center stage. Elegant detailing in the way components meet and materials blend gives Abak its refined appearance. Translucent and reflective materials make the surrounding space feel larger and more open.

Easy Standardization Worldwide

Abak is based on a design that's been a success in Europe and Asia for more than a decade. Now available in 50 countries, Abak environments everywhere share the same product platform; the twin-beam understructure is the foundational element worldwide. Abak adapts to the aesthetics and work styles of multiple cultures.

Supports Technology Beautifully

The performance wall delivers power and data to workstations, divides space, and supports components. Data ports and receptacles are located at work surface height or below the surface.
Lower cladding with power holds up to 88 Category 5e 4-pair UTP cables or 68 Category 6 cables at a 60% fill rate; utility cladding with power holds 58 Category 5e cables or 45 Category 6 cables.

Cable Management

With a raised floor or floor monuments, cable managers route power and data to the work surface; beam-attached vertical cable managers carry up to 98 Category 5e 4-pair UTP cables or 76 Category 6 cables at a 60% fill rate; beam-attached cable holders carry 442 Category 5e cables or 342 Category 6 cables.

When Tim Wallace was 11 years old, he and his family moved from England to Pennsylvania. "The three years we spent living in Pennsylvania had a huge impact on me," Wallace recalls. "It really broadened my horizons. I came to the U.S. as a naive little English kid and left with my eyes opened to how big and diverse the world is."
Living abroad was the catalyst for Wallace's love of exploring, which has served him well as a furniture designer. "I like to gather information and learn about all the issues from as many places as possible when working on projects," he says. "I do a lot of research before I actually start to design."
Designing for an international market has its own set of challenges. Although working on Abak Environments crossed many cultural lines, "we came up with a set of core components, or families, that can be put together in different ways to shift the emphasis, depending on particular needs," says Wallace. "It was a fascinating project to work on, and what we achieved was enormously satisfying."
Wallace says he's part of a small group of U.K. designers who are trying hard to influence the industry overall. "My goal when designing furniture is to make it relevant for the way we live. It shouldn't be exclusive or impenetrable. It needs to be accessible to everyone."

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