Arik Levy Works It With Vitra at NeoCon 2009
First published on June 17, 2009.
otto’s complete NeoCon 2009 coverage.

Showcased in the Bucky Fuller Dome exhibit at NeoCon is Vitra‘s WorKit office system, designed by Arik Levy. WorKit can be spontaneously reconfigured and adapted to the new and ever-changing demands of a workplace, and the design revolves around a cube-shaped connecting element named PIN, to create a kit of parts from which to build. Levy sat with me in the shadow of the dome to talk about his latest work for Vitra.

Arik Levy and Josef Kaiser, Managing Director, Vitra

Vitra: WorKit

PIN Cube

Where was the starting point for designing WorKit?
We were less interested in making a piece of furniture, and more interested in creating solutions to existing problems in the workplace. We wanted to address all types of work environments and situations, different professions have different needs — everyone in an office has a different role. We even considered visitors to the workplace, and what they might need out of the space. Observation was my greatest tool.

What were the most pressing problems that you’ve solved with this system?
Flexibility and time. The system is comprised of very few parts and elements. With this kit of parts, we’ve created an alphabet for designers and architects to use while creating the space that they envision. WorKit takes 1/3 of the time to put together compared to your standard system.

How does your relationship with Vitra affect your designs?
It is a complete partnership. We work together from beginning to end. We are two hands attached to one body. The process of developing WorKit took two years, and the timeline isn’t always clear, because much of the process happens in the beginning when there are just ideas between us.

How do you know when the process is done?
You step back, and each part has fallen in the right place. When it’s done, you feel it.

by Jean Lin