Posted November 5, 2009 - 11:15am by Rosa Valencia
New Florabella Lounge Collection Receives Nightingale Award at Healthcare Design 09
We are delighted to announced, Florabella was honored this week at Healthcare Design 2009 in Orlando with a Nightingale Award. The Nightingale Awards, sponsored by Contract Magazine, and The Center for Health Design recognized excellence and innovation in healthcare product design. Each year, a jury of design professionals review entrants based on the following criteria: Contribution to the healing environment, Functionality, Quality and durability, Aesthetics and style, Pricing, and Sustainability/Innovation.
This year a total of five products were recognized, and Florabella was one of only two seating products to receive an award.
About Florabella
Brandrud’s Florabella lounge collection brings Healthcare performance to the lounge seating
category, setting a new standard for the Healthcare market.
The visual language of Florabella is derived from a classic archetype – the barrel-back. Its form embraces the user and visually connotes comfort. It’s a perfect fit for Healthcare where users are often emotionally and/or physically compromised.
Florabella responds to issues of infection control, durability, and sustainability via integrated features such as a floating seat, steel framing, and material shifts at areas of high wear. A desire to reduce the spread of infections in Healthcare public spaces, lead to the development of a floating seat, which prevents dirt or fluid build-up and associated bacteria growth around the perimeter of the seat – a typical problem in ordinary lounge seating. Execution of a floating seat required a complete rethink of conventional lounge construction for Brandrud, and drove a new and innovative approach with Florabella.
Consideration for the demands of high-wear Healthcare public spaces resulted in material selections that are optimal for sustained durability and maintenance. Damage to interiors and furnishings in waiting areas is high due to frequency of vacuuming and harsh cleaning chemicals. Molded Urethane legs provide a level of wear resistance and durability appropriate for Healthcare public spaces. Resilient pads in key touch/wear points reduce and absorb physical wear, while also providing a visual cue for cleaning areas of high touch.
Florabella was designed according to Herman Miller’s Design for Environment guidelines, using environmentally considerate materials and production processes. Florabella is designed to be easy to disassemble for recycling and re-use. Florabella does not contain PVC and uses a soy-based foam. Florabella was developed by Brandrud and designed by MLS Design, a San Francisco-based design consultancy and long-time design partner of Brandrud.
Designer of Florabella:
MSL Design - Martin Linder
Martin Linder has worked as an industrial designer and educator for over two decades. He initially received national prominence for his award-winning furniture designs during his graduate years at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. His furniture designs have been exhibited throughout the United States for the entirety of his career, but notably at Holly Hunt, Knoll/Design America, and Metro Furniture. Professionally, Martin has also focused his design work on the creation of interfaces which enhance airport security. His innovative work with InVision Technologies and Reveal Imaging explosive detection programs are utilized in airports throughout the world. Publications featuring Linder’s work include the New York Times, the Chicago Sun Times, Progressive Architecture, Interiors, Architectural Digest and TV’s 20/20.
In addition to his success as an industrial designer, Martin has also received awards for his work
as a design educator. After fifteen years of teaching at both the Academy of Art and California College of Art in various facets of their design programs, Professor Linder came to San Francisco State University (SFSU). He teaches industrial and interface design, rapid prototyping and automated manufacturing, and project management.
About Brandrud:
Founded in 1955, Brandrud is a Pacific Northwest-based furniture design and manufacturing company, with a mission to solve healthcare problems through responsive design. In 2008, Brandrud was acquired by Herman Miller Inc. and today operates as a subsidiary, in partnership
with Herman Miller Healthcare.
Contact:
David Simon
dsimon@brandrud.com
253-838-6500
