The modern workspace sees a daily flux of activity: Hybrid and on-the-go workers, online meetings, and manifold tasks prompt organisations to look to flexible furniture to accommodate their needs. From structures that define space through soft architecture, to meeting tables that double as break out booths, adaptive furniture seamlessly converts spaces to facilitate the work at hand. Nowhere is this need for adaptability more apparent than desking, where work modes and activities can shift and change throughout the day. Orbis Adapt has been thoughtfully designed, integrating a confluence of advanced electronics to answer this challenge.

Designed in partnership with soft wiring company OE Elsafe (part of the global OE Electrics Group) Orbis Adapt is an innovative world-first desking solution by Zenith Design Studio.

Orbis Adapt has been developed to address two common frustrations in workplaces today: the need for spatial flexibility and freedom from cable clutter. Each desk is suitable for a single occupant and features electric height adjustment, laptop and mobile device charging, privacy screening, mobility, and folding worktop. The solution is also external monitor compatible with the addition of a DC monitor, adaptor, and adjustable arm. The integrated pull handle and lightweight design enable it to be easily relocated, reconfigured, or stored away.

Technical smarts

What really sets Orbis Adapt apart, however, is the unique wiring loom.
The solution features a highly resolved power delivery system, including a range of electronic and component-based innovations. At the centre of the system is a purpose designed commercial workspace battery which will reliably power the height adjustment mechanism, monitor and all peripheral devices for a full day or more from a single charge.

This charging feature is made possible through the integration of one, two or three batteries depending on the amount of power being consumed by the occupant. For example, two batteries are recommended to sustain 11.5 hours of use in a typical workplace scenario. This calculation is based on the desk being used to power a phone, a large 27inch monitor, a 13inch laptop and to adjust the sit to stand function once every hour. 

As a passionate advocate for furthering sustainability goals, Zenith believes its furniture will play a pivotal role in the way energy is consumed. Orbis Adapt is a great example of how furniture can play a more sustainable role in the workplace of the future. A possible scenario could see low voltage buildings sustain their own energy needs by harvesting and storing energy. The furniture then playing a more dynamic role in how the energy is then delivered.

Orbis Adapt also incorporates a number of non-electrical features including the safety-minded anti-pinch spacer screen and the daisy chain charging for efficiency of space.

Tim Hobbs, Technical Director and owner of OE Electrics explains why battery technology is imperative to the new ways of working. “The evolution to high-powered USB-C for DC powered devices including laptops, monitors and lighting enables agility in the workspace.  Powering desking independent from a fixed power supply creates mobility and the DC power itself uses up to 30% less power than a traditional fixed AC power supply".

Additionally, the OE QIKPAC Li-ion battery at the heart of the power system is 95% recyclable with the recovered materials going to the production of new Li-ion batteries supporting a circular and sustainable battery economy.

New ways of working

The battery enabled version of Orbis Adapt empowers users to change their workspace in accordance with their spatial needs throughout the day. Freed from the constriction of cables, the mobility to move according to task is a significant advantage in today’s workspace.

With untethered connectivity, whether collaborating or working alone, Orbis Adapt enables workers to create the workspaces that best servehe task being performed in real-time.

True to its namesake, Orbis Adapt has been designed to evolve and adapt, with the capacity to be retrofitted with up to three battery packs to cater to all power consumption requirements. The power system used is an innovation itself: Award-winning Animate is comprised of a range of power modules and a commercial grade Lithium-Ion battery designed specifically for the commercial furniture market.

With the end user firmly in mind, the new Orbis Adapt upends traditional ideas of the ‘work desk’ empowering adaptability through cable free movement.

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