Benching has become the new way of working. Collaboration is the new way! There are several office contract furniture manufacturing that have launched their own versions of the benching system. Mainly because the new trend and the state of the economy have shape that demand. But somehow it looks like an old concept with new aesthetics and functionality.
While reading a definition on benching: Benching 1.0: large stand-alone benching solutions designed for the open plan with limited acoustical and visual barriers and limited flexibility. (From White Paper on Benching): and seeing some of the new typical benching workstations, it made us think about that old movie The Apartment starring Jack Lemmon. In some of the scenes, it shows some great office spaces depicting how we used to work…the open plan! Take a look at these shots from the movie:
Here we see long roads of clerical workers neatly lined up with no dividers between them. Of course we have come a long way from here but it seems like we also have come full circle.
But let’s make the case for Benching: In today’s economy, one of the biggest expenses business owners are trying to minimize is the cost of their real state. So maximizing the use of the office footprint becomes essential. The advantages of using this system are many. Take for example Priority by Kimball Office. It received the 2011 product innovation award given by Architectural Products.
The Priority benching product line is versatile in design, sustainable, and provides many flexible workspace solutions. They definitely did not have these features back then!
Priority achieves real estate efficiencies and is cost-effective for owners in a new era of workplace planning. There’s considerable flexibility built into the line—it can be completely untethered or shared; and exhibits nearly limitless configurability. Priority can displace the use of panels as work walls, while its storage units can also be used for space division. Sleek, technology-enabled benching and worktables, height adjustable tables, ingenious storage elements, and accessories make Priority a strong solution for any organization…today, and well into the future.
To find out more about benching, read Terry Carroll white paper on Benching. Excellent source of information.



















