BETT 13 – 16 January 2010 London Olympia

As well as having their own large stand, KI also sponsored a Turn-Key Pod and Seminar spaces.  KI furnished the Building Schools for the Future Seminar Theatre and Network Managers Lounge within the PfS Future Learning Spaces area at BETT 2010.  Jonathan Hindle, Group Managing Director of KI spoke in the Seminar Theatre on ‘The role of furniture in future schools supported by case studies in schools, academies and universities’

KI is the largest educational furniture manufacturer in the world. With over 60 years experience, KI understand the distinct and evolving needs of the educational environment. They design furniture that facilitates learning and interaction between students and staff.

KI education furniture includes: classroom furniture, powered tables, auditorium seating, fixed seating, tables, desking, task/desk seating, guest/side seating, lounge seating, occasional tables, library furniture, cafeteria furniture and residence hall furniture.

KI launched at BETT 2010, a new and radical solution to the problem of the big PC tower case and trailing wires in the classroom – Freemote, a unique and patented Remote Control for a PC.  Freemote is a slim unit which sits in the desk’s worksurface and duplicates the key controls (on / off, headphone & mic, USB and DVD drive) placing them at the user’s fingertips.  This means the industry-standard PC can be placed up to 20m away without any loss of functionality – the user can still turn the PC on, plug in a USB stick or use a CD, but they don’t have to deal with the bulky tower case in their space!  The perfect PC would be invisible, secure, easily upgradeable, aesthetically pleasing and occupy none of the user’s space – all of which has been achieved with Freemote. Moreover, the Freemote offers some real environmental benefits, saving up to 2400KW per year per PC.

Freemote was shown combined with KI’s In Tandem desk and powered remote-control flat-screen garage.

The In Tandem table system is the easiest way to access power and data for worksurfaces. Unique internal beams hold separated wires and cables. No interference. No cross talk. No tangles. The beam has flip-down doors for convenient access from either the front or back sides. Technicians access wires while users remain at the tables. Shared table legs maximise legroom and ease clutter below the surface. The powered beam allows table configurations that are unlimited by power and data access.

KI’s flat-screen garage rises from the rear of the desk surface allowing unhindered use of the worksurface. In addition the powered flat-screen comes with an over-riding remote control and lock, allowing the teacher central control.

Other products on display were: Torsion on the Go! seating - an innovative, mobile, nesting, flex-back chair including a unique large folding and nesting tablet arm, which addresses movable seating requirements for teaming, training, and informal conferencing.  Hurry Up! tables which can be flipped and easily configured and set up by one person. The compact nesting ability of the Hurry Up! table is achieved through an innovative leg-within-leg design on an incredibly narrow footprint for storage in limited space. The Intellect Wave seating line, including the new café stools, task stools, a music chair and a four-leg chair with castors, will be shown. Each of these seating options features Intellect Wave’s unique ribless shell design for easy cleaning and a flexible shell with a waterfall seat front that minimizes leg pressure. The Strive seating collection is a wide family of simple, elegant, comfortable chair designs by KI and Giancarlo Piretti, the world famous Italian furniture designer. A consistent design language has been applied throughout the collection of stacking chairs, café stools, nesting chairs, task chairs, task stools and fixed seating. The Enlite Table Collection features mobile castors, light-scale table tops and a non-angular transition-end design to allow educators and students to easily accommodate changing classroom environments. The Sela Lounge Collection captures the less formal, casual lifestyle of today’s students and workers while complementing a variety of interiors.  The collection includes the Sela sofa, chair & a half, standard chair and coffee table with whiteboard surface. The products are specifically designed to suit informal learning spaces and lounge areas. KI 800 Series, the new metric lateral storage range manufactured in the UK, has improved features and functions providing a wide range of versatile and flexible solutions for personal locker, learning areas and administrative offices.

The Seminar Theatre in Future Learning Spaces was furnished with KI’s Perry chairs and an Instruct mobile lectern instructors desk. The Perry chair is a seating classic, designed by renowned sculptor, Charles Perry. The chair is stylish and elegant with a unique articulated back movement. Instruct tables are All Terrain mobile instructor’s desks.

The Network Managers Lounge was furnished with KI’s Strive chairs, Enlite tables, Athens tables and Sela Lounge seating. Athens tables bring people together, inspiring conversation and collaboration. Designed to complement virtually any interior scheme, Athens tables are available in a variety of sizes and finishes.

Educational stakeholders, designers and administrators make buying decisions for furniture based on many factors. Cost, durability, functionality, safety, and aesthetics represent just a few of the many practical considerations. Most of KI’s portfolio of products is GREENGUARD certified for LEED accreditation.  Many have been installed at LEED and BREEAM accredited buildings in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. 

A new European Education Overview has just been released by KI. Visit KI’s website at www.kieurope.com  or www.kieducation.com or telephone on 020 7404 7441.