Introducing the Playful, Freeform Modules of Link
FilzFelt is pleased to introduce Link, a customizable, modular product of 100% Wool Design Felt. The story of Link begins with the highly saturated red glass walls of the Figueroa Conference Room in the Los Angeles offices of Gensler, an award-winning global architecture, design, planning and consulting firm. Intended to be a stunning architectural statement visible from the street, the conference room proved to be less than optimal from an experiential standpoint. A solution was needed to lessen the intensity of the red light transmitted into the room and mitigate sound reverberation from the reflective surfaces.
Inspired by the negative space created by tree canopies and looking to produce a flexible, free form design solution, the Gensler designers developed a modular system that used the hexagon as the basic building block with perforations to soften the shape and allow light to pass through. Wool felt was selected as the material as it provided natural tactility and pliability that would contrast and soften the glass walls and could be CNC cut with intricate patterning. The inherent acoustic absorption of the felt was an added bonus.
Daniel Stromborg, Gensler’s Firmwide Product Design Practice Area Leader, commented on the use of wool felt, “While developing Link, the design team played with a range of materials, but in time we realized the hand, warmth, durability, and acoustical properties offered by a wool felt product was the right decision. It became clear that FilzFelt was the perfect partnership for the design.”
Link is a customizable, modular system that adds texture and color to space, while the perforations provide a customizable dappling effect. The modules are CNC cut 3mm Wool Design Felt with five transparency options ranging from 0 to 80 percent transparency in 63 colorways. Several header options accommodate a range of assembled panels sizes including headers that link together to provide continuous expanses of modules. Any number of combinations of color and pattern are possible while being assembled of the same standard modules and header pieces.
Speaking of the unique characteristics of Link, Kelly Smith, FilzFelt’s Vice President of Design, commented, “The tab and slot connections create an unexpected three dimensionality and secondary patterning that is quite striking.” She continued, “The modular construction allows multiple colors to be used within a panel which is something we were not able to offer previously.”
Link can grow or shrink as needed by adding or removing modules. It’s flexibility also allows the panels to be disassembled and reassembled in the future to provide varied sizes or patterning as needs change. Link can serve multiple functions, depending on the need: privacy screens, shade systems, room dividers, and acoustical elements. Plus, it’s compatible with FilzFelt’s Hanging Panel Track System, allowing a complete solution.
About FilzFelt
FilzFelt carries German-milled 100% Wool Design Felt in 63 colors and five thicknesses. The product line includes 100% Wool Design Felt by the yard and felt products including acoustic products, drapery, floor coverings, hanging panels, and tabletop. Since felt is a nonwoven fabric and does not require a loom for its production, ancient people were able to produce it quite easily. To produce felt, raw wool undergoes a wet felting process, which involves matting, condensing, and pressing the fibers. Wool Design Felt is high quality, eco-friendly, comes in highly saturated colors, and is perfect for demanding design applications.
FilzFelt was founded in 2008 by two felt-loving designers, Kelly Smith and Traci Roloff. In 2011, the company was acquired by Knoll, Inc. and continues to bring this natural, ancient textile into the 21st century where it balances beauty, utility, and sustainability while meeting the challenging needs of modern spaces.
About Gensler
Gensler is a global design firm that partners with clients to create more livable cities, smarter workplaces and more engaging leisure destinations. Their 5,000 professionals networked across 46 locations believe quality design can transform organizations and improve people’s lives. Since 1965, Gensler has helped clients achieve measurable business and organizational goals, delivering projects as large as a city and as small as a task light for an individual desk.
Products are an important aspect of the workplace, addressing the need for scale, comfort and productivity in ways that speak to brand and quality. Gensler’s growing catalogue of products reflects their knowledge of market needs and trends affecting today’s work settings and users. Through careful research, evaluation and product development efforts, their designers understand how market demands can best guide intelligent product design. The result is innovative solutions and better product experiences for our clients and users.
