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EXPOSITORY OF STEELCASE
Expository of Steelcase
Ximan Wu
Woodbury University
WRIT 112
Prof. Richard Matzen
2014 FALL
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EXPOSITORY OF STEELCASE
Expository of Steelcase
Design is not constant, especially furniture design is constantly changing over time, and the
focus of design also changes to reflect the changes of society’s needs and desires to look for
newer and different ideas. Steelcase, a company founded a hundred years ago (Rapids, 2010), is
an example of such a furniture design company that adapts with changes. After one hundred
years of development, Steelcase is not only following the changes of the current society, but also
focuses on finding feasible solutions to current social issues, such as environmental protection.
Accompanied by the dramatic increase of environmental pollution that come with business
expansion, current and prospect furniture designers have to learn to design in ways that both
satisfy the society’s desire of new designs as well as provide a solution to reduce environmental
pollution. I believe that Steelcase is a prime example of leadership in furniture design industry
because it strives to find the balancing point between environmental protection and offering
innovative design ideas while making profit, while other companies focus on innovative designs
and profit making.
Steelcase was founded in 1912 at Michigan, under the name of Metal Office Furniture
Company (Rapids, 2010). In 1914, this company received their first patent of a metal trash can,
and then they started to research and develop additional metal office furniture (Rapids, 2010). In
1954, Metal Office Furniture Company changed its name to Steelcase and it appeared on the
market in 1998 (Rapids, 2010). Today, Steelcase is not only a global company that has over 600
dealers around the world but also a company that sees environmental sustainability as important
as profitability, and dedicated in research for materials that are environmental friendly, reliable,
and affordable to produce to build furniture. (Rapids, 2010).
EXPOSITORY OF STEELCASE
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Environmentally sustainable development is one of the most serious problems many
companies are facing in today’s world, because human beings depend on the environment for
living and obtaining raw materials for making goods, therefore environmental protection is
extremely important. Failure to protect the environment can lead to serious consequences such as
property damage and monetary loss; Hurricane Katrina, a product of global warming, is a prime
example of the consequence of not protecting the environment. As a result, Steelcase also
attaches great importance to environmental protection and sustainable development of their
products.
As a leader in furniture design and manufacturing industry, Steelcase knows the importance
of the relationship between human development and nature protection. According to Steelcase,
sustainable development has been an inspiration for using new material in their designs furniture
(Arthur, 2014), and they have been investing in new technologies and research to find new
sustainable materials. An example of how Steelcase focuses on environment protection is its
water reduction policy. Steelcase has been tracking and reducing its water usage on
manufacturing since 2001, and the result is outstanding: they have cut their manufacturing water
use by as much as 68%. (Sara, 2014) Although Earth is mostly covered by water, unfortunately
only a few percent of that water is potable and usable. Less water usage during production means
more water can be used for meaningful purposes. In Southern California, we are experiencing a
historical drought and water is a scarce resource, and Steelcase’s water reduction policy has
made more water available for Southern Californians to use. Because of Steelcase’s
determination to protect the environment while making profit, I believe it is the prime examples
of how designing firms interact with the environment.
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Another example of why Steelcase is a leader in the industry is its design logic. Today,
furniture design is a very popular work for interior architecture and interior design students
because clients want a higher standard of living both at home and at office. The working
environment is important because a good working environment helps increase efficiency; for
instance, most office workers are required to sit and work on computers all day, properly design
office furniture will help reduce stress and body pain for workers, which will help to increase
their efficiency while working.
While visiting the Steelcase show room, I noticed that they had many good design ideas for
working and a study environment, which helps workers and students stay focused. In order to
create a comfortable environment for students, Steelcase considers many elements in design,
such as the degrees of reclining chairs and cushion materials. Their attention to detail really got
me interested in the company and I would like to work for the company one day.
The problem Steelcase, as well as other companies that focus on sustainable development, is
currently facing is the expensive product price. As Steelcase points out, environmental protection
is as important as the profit making for the company (Arthur, 2014). For Steelcase, because of
the recycled and sustainable materials used as well as constantly researching and developing new
materials, their cost of production is higher than other companies that do not use environmental
friendly materials. Steelcase’s furniture has better quality and can be used for a longer time.
Students like me who are studying interior architecture should learn from Steelcase and consider
environmental protection in their future designs, because it is more sustainable and is the future
trend. As more people realize our current way of conducting business is environmental
detrimental, governments will pass new codes that require more sustainable design language, and
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the only way for designers to survive is to adapt, embrace, and train ourselves to adapt to newer
design logic.
Steelcase is the leader in furniture design not only because of its profitability, but also
because it focuses on both environmental sustainability and sound design logic. I can see myself
as a furniture designer in 8 years, and Steelcase is an inspiration for my future furniture design.
The relation of environmental protection and living environment are very important for people to
know because one is required for the other. I hope in the future when I begin to design furniture,
my company will allow me to follow Steelcase’s design logic and design furniture that are
environmentally friendly and improve efficiency.
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EXPOSITORY OF STEELCASE
Reference
Arthur, L. (2014). The Value of Place: LexJet leverages their workplace for competitive
advantage. 360 Leadership Moment, 65. Retrieved from
http://360.steelcase.com/articles/leadership-moment/
Rapids, G. (2010). Steelcase, Inc. Furniture City History. Retrieved from
http://www.furniturecityhistory.org/company/3841/steelcase-inc
Sara, A. (2014). Information and biographies regarding the Executive Officers of Steelcase Inc.
Steelcase. Retrieved from
http://ir.steelcase.com/management.cfm