Occupy your university!

OCCUPY YOUR UNIVERSITY!
Bene Innovation Ambassador Didi Lenz accompanies interior design project

Vienna, 10 March 2022 - In a joint project between two Austrian private universities - the Central European University (CEU) Vienna and the New Design University (NDU) St. Pölten - and accompanied by international office expert Bene, modern, productive and innovative learning and study environments were designed. The design that combines all the requirements of individual and collaborative learning is the Modesk furniture (© Hannah Pichler, Lea Steineder) - a standing, sitting and reclining piece of furniture manufactured by Bene that is now being used as a test object with great enthusiasm by CEU students.

On the initiative of Dr Ulrike Plettenbacher, Director of the Office for Austrian Affairs at CEU, the New Design University (NDU) was won over for a joint project to redesign the interior of the campus; "Occupy your University!" was adapted for the curriculum as a practical project in the BA course "Interior Architecture & 3D Design" at NDU and led by architect Professor Florian Sammer and Neil Harkess, Dean and Head of Studies of the Faculty of Interior Architecture. Didi Lenz, Innovation Ambassador at Bene and an expert in innovative learning and working environments, took the lead in critically selecting the project ideas.

"At Bene, we are working on a new image of work that essentially resembles a lifelong educational path. In this respect, the worlds of work and education are merging into a common field of action. We are reinterpreting the creative needs of the younger generations in corresponding space and furniture concepts. In this specific case, Bene supported a design programme for the students and agreed to implement an award-winning furnishing concept as a prototype test area," says Didi Lenz, Innovation Ambassador Bene.

Project description

The test field is divided into three zones. The "Modesk" designed by students Hannah Pichler and Lea Steineder, a large piece of furniture that can be viewed as a sculpture, offers a wide variety of usage scenarios for sitting, lying and standing, blurring the contours of work and leisure. The grandstand arena is designed for presenting and collaborating, giving activities a clear focus and attention. Content can be communicated on a large blackboard and subjected to open debate. The third space for secluded individual work is created in a small corridor alcove. Here, too, the choice of furniture refers to the habits of young people. Chilled, low seating with mobile technical equipment is a suitable option beyond traditional desks and chairs.