Foster + Partners Industrial Design and Benchmark have launched the ILE system. It is designed as a flexible range of interlocking elements to make more of underutilised, in-between spaces in the workplace. An evolving range of interchangeable elements – including benches, tables, shelves, lockers and planters – can be connected back-to-back or alongside each other to facilitate different modes of working.
Mike Holland, Head of Industrial Design, Foster + Partners, said: “Our ambition was to create a highly flexible, solid timber system that can be easily reconfigured – while simultaneously embodying the high level of craft and quality that Benchmark is known for.”
Integral to the system’s flexibility, is an innovative timber fixing strip that features hidden keyhole fixings, allowing users to lock together and separate the different elements with ease. A characteristic ‘shadow gap’ runs through the system, meaning power supplies and lighting rails can be placed anywhere along the worktop. Power cables are concealed within the shadow gap and waterfall edges create a sense of cohesion between the different elements. The collection also includes a portable digital screen that doubles as a display board to enhance collaboration.
ILE is launching in solid American red oak and British ash. American red oak (Quercus rubra) constitutes approximately 40% of North America’s hardwood forests, yet it remains significantly underutilised. Opting for red oak over more conventional hardwoods not only enhances biodiversity but also reinforces the resilience of natural forests. British ash, another underutilised timber, will soon be lost from the British countryside due to ash die-back. By making use of this species, the carbon is locked up for longer, utilising the whole of the tree and celebrating its natural variation in colour. The bench upholstery is offered in fabric or leather, with a sustainable sheep’s wool filling that is inherently fire retardant.
Martin Penrose, Managing Director, Benchmark, said: “ILE is a great example of the benefits of collaborations between designer and maker to create something meaningful. I am really proud that, together with Foster + Partners Industrial Design, we have created something beautiful that is designed with real purpose to stay relevant for generations. I really hope that ILE will encourage more sustainable consumption within workspaces.”
The system’s inherent flexibility gives it longevity and makes it a highly sustainable addition to the workplace. Its modularity and ability to be reconfigured means that spaces can be shaped, divided, and reimagined, allowing the pieces to have multiple lives.
ILE comes with a lifetime warranty and repair promise.
