Vicinity workstation screen system creating quiet, functional spaces in open plan offices

A beautiful, innovative, and sustainable solution for open plan offices has just arrived in the Australian market. Powered by award-winning acoustic solutions specialist Autex Acoustics, the new carbon neutral Vicinity Range is a workstation screen system that minimises reverberated noise, neutralising the hustle and bustle of an open-plan office to create quiet moments for focused work.

So much more than just an acoustic solution, Vicinity also taps into Autex’s long commitment to sustainability and innovation, giving workplace designers the ability to create thoughtful, functional spaces that are informed by the principles of circularity.

Reimagining waste

Globally, architects and designers are grappling with the complexities of addressing the growing problems of carbon, waste, and circularity. The constant churn and burn of office fitouts has a global carbon cost of about 190kg of CO2e and 77kg of waste per square metre for each office lifecycle. Collectively, this contributes to nearly half of all the waste being sent to landfill, which isn’t helped by only 7% of the market being circular.

Addressing this imbalance, Autex has pioneered their own recycling program. In particular, the Vicinity workstation clamps have been made from RePET, an industry-first pelletising process where acoustic panels are shredded and turned into rigid plastic pellets. These pellets are then melted and injection-moulded to make clamps and product components, which in turn create wholly sustainable accessories ranges like that of Vicinity and also SpinFix, an adhesive-free mounting system.

When paired with the Vicinity screens – which are made from a minimum of 80% recycled PET – the entire system can be easily disassembled at the end of its useful life and recycled.

Configure, customise & Willie Weston

Together, the screens and clamps allow for a variety of configurations that can be fixed seamlessly to any desk. Create individual working zones by turning desks into private nooks, or balance acoustic needs with collaborative work by leaving open ends or by lowering the height of the screens to enable conversations across desk groupings.

A wide range of colour and surface finishes can also reflect and complement the broader design narrative of an office, with muted neutrals to rich jewel tones all part of the core Vicinity offering. Two thickness options, flexibility in width and height, and five varied corner treatments also give designers flexibility to create screen configurations that look and perform the way they need them to.

The screens can also be specified in the brand’s Willie Weston range, which unites contemporary First Nations design and acoustic functionality. Through their collaboration with Willie Weston, Autex has partnered with First Nations artists and their communities to create bespoke, beautiful finish options that tell the stories of Australia’s first people. Intricate patterns in earthy colours evoke landscapes and draw on deep connections to Country, adding a thoughtful and layered visual element to any office.

Tomorrow’s sustainability today

Vicinity is an intelligent desk screen range that is deceptive in its simplicity. A click-in system of screen and clamp provides non-destructive assembly that creates both physical and acoustic shelter. Yet beneath this is a world-first recycling program that achieves true product circularity, creating havens for quiet working today, and a solution to sustainable fitouts tomorrow.

Originally published on IndesignLive.