WHAT'S UP Blog

At the end of March, we had the opportunity - together with our partner ULISCHUH GmbH & Co. KG - to experience the keynote speech by Dr. Steffi Burkhardt. What she brought to the stage that evening was far more than just an impulse. Under the title “Mindset. Skillset. Toolset.”, she made key future topics such as artificial intelligence, generational change, and the transformation of work tangible - clear, direct, and relatable rather than abstract or theoretical.

Her core message resonates deeply: it is not the speed of change that matters most, but our mindset toward it. And that is where things became personal. Because the conversation shifted away from “the future out there” to a much more immediate question: how we as organisations, leaders, and designers of work environments must act today to remain relevant tomorrow.

Following the event, we had the opportunity to continue the conversation with her.

Open-plan workplaces promote transparency, interaction, and dynamic exchange. Yet the more open they become, the clearer the need for retreat emerges - not as an opposite, but as a necessary complement.

Sustained focus cannot thrive amid constant noise. With digital stimuli and conversations competing for attention, every interruption carries a cognitive cost, making deep concentration harder to regain - especially in open environments.

The question, then, is no longer whether retreat is needed, but how it can be designed without compromising openness.

It often begins inconspicuously: with a cup of coffee, a brief exchange, a spontaneous thought. Yet it is precisely in these moments that the potential of a space becomes clear - one that offers far more than a mere pause. The work café is no longer a peripheral feature; it is evolving into a central component of contemporary work environments. A place where interaction and concentration are not in opposition, but actively reinforce one another.

Modern workplaces operate in a constant tension between concentration, collaboration and regeneration. While open layouts encourage interaction, they often make it difficult to retreat when focus is needed. What is required are systems that create zones without building barriers – flexible, scalable and driven by use. 

se:hive addresses this challenge with a modular room-in-room concept that brings balance to open environments. Freely positioned, acoustically effective, and highly configurable, it enables a range of work modes to coexist within a cohesive design language.

Long conversations need space. Not only in a metaphorical sense, but quite literally within the physical environment. While traditional meeting rooms are often designed for efficiency and structure, the most valuable dialogues tend to emerge in settings where atmosphere, comfort, and a sense of retreat come together.

This is precisely where soft seating comes into play - introducing a new quality of interaction in the workplace.

The office is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation. For a long time, openness was considered the guiding principle of modern workplaces: communication, interaction and transparency defined spatial design. Yet with the growing density of digital stimuli and the rise of hybrid working, a different priority is coming into focus – the ability to concentrate.

In an environment shaped by constant connectivity, the office is becoming one of the few places where focused work can be deliberately supported. However, this challenge can no longer be addressed with standardised layouts. Instead, it requires a more nuanced and differentiated approach to space.

Contemporary workplaces are defined by openness, interaction and fluid collaboration. Yet wherever communication thrives, so too does the need for retreat, concentration and mental clarity. Productivity today no longer resides solely at the traditional desk. It emerges from a thoughtful interplay between focused work, informal exchange and restorative pauses.

This is precisely where se:hive comes into its own: a modular retreat that unites spatial generosity, comfort and acoustic performance in one coherent design concept.

Hybrid work models have redefined the office. For years, openness, interaction and collaboration dominated spatial design. Yet alongside this evolution, another equally decisive dimension has moved into focus: the ability to concentrate. The latest edition of Sedus INSIGHTS No. 20/2025 “Focus in the Office” makes it clear that attention is not a given resource — it is fragile, cyclical and profoundly shaped by its environment . Anyone designing workplaces today is, inevitably, designing attention. And this is precisely where neuroinclusion begins.

Berlin is energy, culture, movement. At the same time, it is a city where the transformation of the working world has become especially visible: co-working spaces, cafés, creative meeting points – “third places” are part of everyday life here.

It is precisely within this environment that the Sedus Hub Berlin was created: as a showroom, as an inspiring meeting place, and as a vibrant space where modern work culture is not only presented, but truly lived.

The Sedus Hub Berlin is not a traditional exhibition space. It is a place that makes the spirit of Sedus tangible – inviting visitors to experience, explore and rethink contemporary work environments.

At first glance, se:cove appears to be a comfortable, inviting lounge chair — soft in form, clear in design and highly versatile. Yet behind its residential aesthetic lies an intensive development process in which sustainability was considered from the very beginning.

We spoke with Niklas Flum, Sustainability Specialist at Sedus, about how much sustainability work truly goes into se:cove, which levers are decisive — and why sustainability extends far beyond questions of materials.

What will the workplace of tomorrow look like – and what kind of space will it require? This question concerns not only us at Sedus, but also Stefan Rief, Head of the Research Unit for Organizational Development and Work Design at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in Stuttgart. As one of the leading experts in organisational and workplace design, he has spent many years researching at the intersection of people, technology, and space. We spoke with him about how work is evolving – and what places like the Work Café will need to offer in the future.

Sculptural yet soft in its expression, se:cove combines gentle, flowing lines with a distinctive spatial presence. The lounge chair is both an eye-catcher and a place of retreat. While the rear view conveys dynamism and structure, the open, inviting front creates a sense of shelter — like a small cove within the space, offering protection while encouraging interaction.

Whether used for focused work, creative breaks or extended conversations, se:cove creates moments of concentration and exchange. Yet behind its expressive form lies more than comfort and aesthetics. The chair embodies a product philosophy where responsible material selection, intelligent construction and sustainable processes are embedded from the outset.

At Sedus, sustainability is not an add-on — it is integral to the concept.

For decades, workplaces were designed around the idea of an “average” user. In the age of hybrid work, it has become increasingly clear: such an average does not exist. People differ not only in their tasks and working styles, but also in how they perceive, process, and regulate stimuli. This is precisely where the concept of neurodiversity comes into play — and why it has become a central planning consideration for modern offices.

Sedus INSIGHTS N° 20 demonstrates why concentration, well-being, and performance are closely linked to sensory perception — and why work environments must increasingly respond to diverse sensory sensitivities.

With se:cove, Sedus expands its portfolio with a sculptural lounge chair that combines retreat, comfort and sustainable construction. We spoke with industrial designer Konstantin Thomas about the development process, the design ambition and the structural principles behind the product.

Why focus depends on energy levels – and how spaces enable micro-breaks and movement.

For decades, productivity was primarily organised around time: working hours, meetings scheduled, utilisation rates. Yet in today’s hybrid working reality, it is becoming increasingly clear that time alone is no longer a reliable metric. What truly matters is not how long we work, but with how much energy we bring to those hours.

Sedus INSIGHTS Nº 20 highlights why concentration is not a matter of discipline or scheduling, but closely linked to individual energy levels – and what role work environments play in supporting them.

Tetra Pak in Tokyo and Warsaw is an inspiring case in point: a project by tp bennett that illustrates how to strike the right balance between highly stimulating spaces for collaboration and networking and low-stimulation environments for quiet, focused work – while adapting to different cultural contexts.

What the natural alternation between focus and recovery means for spatial planning. Concentration is often understood as something we either have - or don’t have. In reality, everyday working life increasingly shows that focus is a dynamic process, rather than a permanent state. It emerges, reaches a peak, gradually declines - and requires recovery in order to arise again.

This cycle of concentration is becoming especially relevant in hybrid working environments. As attention turns into a scarce resource, the physical environment plays a decisive role in determining whether focused work is supported - or disrupted.

In open-plan work environments, it is not only what is placed in a space that matters, but how it is perceived from different perspectives. Furniture becomes a spatial element: it structures areas, guides movement, shapes sightlines and subtly influences behaviour. This is exactly where the dual design of se:cove comes into play. 
The lounge chair has two clearly defined “faces”: an open, inviting front and a strong, structured back. This contrast is not incidental, but a deliberate design decision – and a valuable tool for spatial planning.

Open spaces need character - but not noise. In today’s modern work environments, work cafés, and hybrid zones, the goal is no longer simply to fill square metres, but to create atmosphere. With se:cove, Sedus enters a new era of soft seating: a lounge chair that makes a sculptural statement while offering exactly what open-plan spaces demand today - calm, retreat, and presence. 

For a long time, the office was primarily seen as a place of encounter: open, communicative, and creative. Collaboration was the guiding principle of office design – with open-plan layouts, community tables and informal meeting zones. Yet the reality of hybrid work is making one thing increasingly clear: collaboration alone is not enough. People come to the office not only to exchange ideas, but above all to find the right conditions for focused, concentrated work.