Vidak showcases next level interactive office solutions at their new Uptown building.

Innovative office furniture company Vidak NZ, which has a focus on sustainable and locally made products, has recently opened a new experience space in Nugent Street.

On display is a wide range of clever furniture solutions for commercial offices. Each area within the building is styled with different collections, allowing clients to envision various design possibilities.

There are open-plan layouts, flexible seating arrangements and meeting spaces, such as the Retreat Media Hub built around an interactive screen, as well as state-of-the-art detached meeting pods; innovative electronic storage solutions; biophilic green walls; and the all-important coffee machine and kitchen space.

Vidak’s solutions director and self-appointed barista Gareth Brown says the company is excited to be providing clients with a living example of how furniture can be integrated into their office environment.

“It’s our workplace experience centre, it’s an innovation hub, it’s an ideas lab – it's all of those things in one and we’ve invited our clients and their staff to use the space for meetings and workshops,” he says. “The space is completely IT and AV enabled, so everything works. It's not just a display piece.”

Senior designer Gemma Bridges was Vidak’s lead for the design and delivery of the new experience space. She says their supply partners all contributed, taking the opportunity to showcase new innovations, whether it be materials, timbers, electronics, technology, acoustic materials or lighting.

“It's a place to try new things and to test and evolve our products to suit future market needs,” she says.

Vidak has an impressive list of government, private and corporate clients, and the company was outgrowing its space in East Tamaki.

“For a long time, we’ve wanted to have a presence in the city and to be closer and more accessible to our clientele and also for our staff,” says Gareth. “Uptown provided the perfect destination location for our showroom and it’s great we are surrounded by other design companies such as ECC Lighting, Studio Italia and Simon James.”

The company was pumping before Covid hit and when the world stopped, they wondered what that would mean for the workplace. But Gareth believes working from home was never a long-term answer. “The office has such a key place in the identity, supporting culture and innovation of a business. You can only do so much on a computer screen at home by yourself,” he says.

What they realised is that Covid forced change that was already starting to happen in workplaces, which they had seen in forward- thinking projects they had worked on, including ASB at North Wharf; Fonterra; and Trust Power in Tauranga. All of these projects were based around on-call activity based working environments, where the workplace catered to all sorts of different activities.

“It wasn't just a desk where you came to do admin work – you could do that at home or in a café – instead it’s now more about having choice and the ability to work in the way that you need to work,” Gareth says. “People have really adopted that more so now, but with another piece in their tool belt, which is working from home.”

He explains that post-Covid workplaces have become much more about social connection and collaborative work. Rather than built-in office furniture, Vidak provides flexible assets that can be used for different purposes and can be reused if a client moves. 

"It's about finding out how you work and helping you find new and better ways to do it," says Gareth.

Innovative smart design means that Vidak products are modular and can be reconfigured for changing future environments. Quality design ensures the products will last. This has been realised in take-back schemes where used furniture has been refurbished and reused elsewhere. This helps drive sustainable procurement practices where the constant demand for new components is reduced. The company has achieved Global Green Tags and ECA certification for some of its products, and has achieved Toitū carbon reduction certifications. It was one of the first companies in Aotearoa to be certified against the Environment Management System: ISO 14001:2015, ensuring Vidak measures and achieves an annual reduction in waste and energy.

“It’s all about the lifespan of a product, we aim to make everything sustainably and circular. Sustainability is in our DNA,” says Gareth. 

Vidak Experience Space

27 Nugent St
Viewing by appointment only

Ph: 09 273 0033
Web: vidak.co.nz
Email: sales@vidak.co.nz