As well as the Egg chair, Fritz Hansen's trademark designs, such as the long-necked Swan and thin-waisted Ant chairs, are as simply descriptive as they are aesthetically challenging. More than pure minimalism, each one is designed to be a three-dimensional sculpture, whether viewed from above, below or behind. As global organizations strive to create more expressive, contemporary and functional workspaces, Fritz Hansen's portfolio features striking work for Hermes Ginza, MOMA New York, Nykredit Copenhagen, Kansai National Library, Comme Melbourne and Cambridge University.

Bringing Fritz Hansen to China is designed to add extra depth to the Haworth Shanghai Creativity Centre concept. Jointly conceived with the Sydney-based DEGW design firm, the Shanghai Creativity Centre has sought to push boundaries, to allow people to view office space in new ways. "As a concept, we wanted to investigate what's possible," says Frank Rexach, vice-president of Haworth Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America. "People wouldn't want to visit if we created a furniture showroom, but here people get to see and use the space and experience us in a different way."

Since opening, the Centre has helped drive Haworth's growth in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East, where it now has 24 sales offices in 10 countries-including Australia, Japan, China and India-plus manufacturing plants in Shanghai and Pune. Having been nurtured in China, the concept is now going global. "We will be opening our next Creativity Centre in Sao Paolo, and are also looking at the Middle East, either in Saudi Arabia or Dubai," says Lin.

It's no coincidence that these three locations-China, Latin America and the Middle East-are fast-emerging economic regions, where local and multinational organisations are turning to high-performance work environments to offer added value, for their staff, clients and stakeholders. Whereas once viewed as simply a place for doing work, new workplaces are now themselves being used to challenge traditional notions of how companies think and operate. Creativity and innovation, it seems, hold the key to the new office door.

Haworth Shanghai Creativity Centre
Location: 5/F, One Corporate Avenue, 222 Hubin Lu
Tel: 021-63847799

1

2