Furniture as Feature in Coworking Spaces. Spots in Oporto City as Case Study

Abstract

In a few decades, the digital age came into our lives changing lifestyles and social behaviours, forcing the world to rethink daily experiences, including those taking place in the workplaces. The digital nomadism that facilitates the mobility and flexibility of work meets the requirements of today's society and stimulates the emergence of coworking spaces. Furniture design also needs to approach the new demands of current lifestyle. Within this context, the article intends to find out the role that furniture plays in such spaces. The research was carried out by studying a random sample of coworking spaces in Oporto. An interview and a survey were conducted to the coworking space users in order to identify the furniture’s common denominator in those places considering the pairs ergonomic function/comfort, materials/sustainability and flexibility/form as main parameters. The principal output of this study is to attract the attention of designers to the importance of furniture when considering the quality of coworking spaces in its multifunctional capacities in the context of a responsible, ecologic and sustainable society.