Office Designs – Official Site.

1. High material recyclability – Aluminium construction.
2. Low material toxicity – MDF – work surface & modesty support.
3. Minimal waste – Optimum usage of raw materials .
4. Maximum flexibility – All components are interchangeable or re-workable .
5. Suitability to the environment – configurations that promote larger open space environments and better use of natural light

1)    High Material Recyclability

Aluminium – construction:

Aluminium’s excellent material properties provide the basis for the intricate, stable Lilypod® structures and framing. These properties ensure that even thin structures do not warp. It also allows a high degree of prefabrication with a variety of materials before components leave the factory, with equal regard this also enables clean and efficient separation for recycling.

A large amount of office furniture goes to landfill sites at a cost to both the economy and the environment, others are recycled at a cost to the community, in contrast, aluminium is recycled in a way that pays for itself and is sustainable. Aluminium has a low melting temperature and therefore able to be recycled with comparatively little energy. The energy required to produce secondary ingot from scrap is only about 5% of that required to produce primary aluminium. About 30% of the world’s annual aluminium usage is supplied from processing post-consumer scrap, encouraging its use will increase its reuse. Repeated recycling of aluminium does not affect its quality.

Echopanel – screen:

An innovative product made from recyclable PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) fibre. A surface in itself offering benefits of acoustics and slimline aesthetic. Use of Echopanel eliminates the need to upholster or use adhesives of any type within Lilypod® panel construction. All Echopanel used within Lilypod® workstations can be recovered and recycled cleanly.

Steel – mobile pedestal:

Standardisation of a quality proven product has provided our mobile pedestal with definite advantages economically and environmentally. Processes of repetition vastly aid production costs and planning, the prefabrication of “knockdown” components also assist within reducing the total space required for transport and storage.  Recycling steel also saves considerable energy. Manufacturing steel from recycled material uses only about a quarter of the energy to make steel from raw materials.

Zinc – brackets, cams & capping:

Today’s zinc casting alloys are a strong, durable and cost effective engineering material. Their mechanical properties compete with and often exceed those of cast aluminium, magnesium, bronze, plastics and most cast irons. These characteristics, together with their superior finishing capabilities provide the backbone of support to Lilypod® work surfaces.  The use of cast brackets and cams transform the aluminium extrusion and spread the share of the weight equally. The unique construction method of Lilypod® provides incredible rigidity by discreetly compensating the resultant forces; it also enables clean and efficient separation for recycling/reusing.

Like aluminium and steel, repeated recycling of zinc does not affect its quality.

2)    Low Material Toxicity

MDF – work surface & modesty support:

MDF – medium density fibreboard is the substrate used for work surface and modesty support.  Both thicknesses (18 & 25mm) comply with the low formaldehyde emission level E1 defined in the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1859.2:2004 for MDF.  E1 & EO products emit formaldehyde well below the workplace exposure limit set by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission.  Only mechanical fixings are utilised to encourage reuse.

ABS – edging:

ABS is a rigid plastic edging that is a highly effective material to completely replace the use of PVC as a MDF panel edge treatment.  ABS is a non toxic product, it is non corrosive or carcinogenic. It is totally recyclable.

3)    Minimal waste:

Optimum usage of raw materials has been the governing factor within the standardisation of Lilypod® dimensions and design, naturally an economic reaction yet still vital to develop the best use of resources considerately.  Our manufacturing process on standard items ensures material wastage is well below 0.5%, off-cut echo panel is even reused into the packaging process.

4)    Maximum flexibility

All components are interchangeable or at the very least re-workable throughout the Lilypod® series, this even further minimises the environmental impact as they are generically reusable.

5)    Suitability to the environment

Suitability to the environment is a collaboration of meeting our previous 4 objectives; it also is how these are all carefully engineered to suit the modern office.  The introduction of the flat screen monitor has changed the footprint requirement of a typical workstation, this results in configurations that promote larger open space environments and better use of natural light (reduce energy).

* Low toxicity ensures even the most sensitive workers are less at risk of potential irritation

* Standardization of board substrates ensures that our work surfaces are created only from plantation forests

* Focussing on minimal waste results in raising vertical partitioning to 300mm above ground, this also assists in the circulation of cooler

air throughout the office (reduce energy)

* Maximum flexibility will make it easier for the client to adapt their office to ever changing business needs, it also enables the system reusable

Above all else our suitability to the environment can truly only be measured by reducing our impact upon it, well intentioned products may fail this criteria if it is not economically viable to recycle.  Lilypod® systems are designed by principle that not only makes recycling possible…it is also profitable.