Respond! is a widely-applicable open office systems furniture line that adapts to organizations that embrace co-working facilities and hybrid work practices. The centerpiece product is a Console Desk. The desk utilizes a portable lithium-ion battery pack with USB-A and USB-C connections. The battery pack can be placed in a docking station on the desk and power any laptop produced since 2019, a wide array of power-efficient monitors from Samsung and LG, and a blue-tooth controlled sit-stand leg system. Also available is an optional wireless phone charger.

Every product is designed to be easily installed and reconfigured.

According to Principle Designer Bob Russell, “Battery power enables us to completely re-think the nature of office systems furniture. We could establish design objectives that were previously unthinkable. We wanted a system that avoided all the unsightly cords and wires on the floor. These have plagued offices for four decades. To make a statement about mobility and reconfiguration, we insisted Respond! products have movement-friendly casters that are relatively large for the industry. The product line also envisions different kinds of work areas including sectional seating casual spaces, small movable tables, and 2-4 person meeting areas.

For health and safety considerations, we decided every Console Desk should include sit-stand features. And to provide privacy, reduce distractions, and create social distance, we added Wallies; configurable, folding screen clusters on wheels.

We also wanted an attractive product and targeted styling best described as ‘industrial chic’”.

Respond! is manufactured in West Michigan, the epicenter of the office furniture industry in the US, and an area where high-quality, durable products are a cultural norm.

Sustainable materials are used throughout the product. Notably, all worksurfaces utilize powder-coated wood technology and direct-printed, bookmatched wood patterns on fiberboard manufactured from sustainably grown forests. This reduces the carbon footprint for these components by over 80% when compared to laminates and plastic edge banding. There are no banned chemicals used in the supply chain and everything is recyclable at the end of life including the lithium-ion batteries.

The battery system is a unique sustainability feature. Batteries can be charged at night when demands are the lowest on the electricity grid and discharged during the peak periods of the day when the grid is challenged and electric rates are the highest.

The product line is in production and shipping to initial installations. It is first launching in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. Distribution is expanding and will soon be available in several other areas of the US.

According to Bob Kroon, the Founder and CEO of August Berres, “The most important value proposition may well be the benefits the product line brings to commercial landlords and tenants. Since 120V wiring is no longer an element of the space planning or installation process, tenant improvement costs are significantly reduced. Organizations can move quicker, and avoid delays in the permitting-construction-approval process. Landlords can realize revenues sooner. And for organizations dealing with uncertainty about their space needs, every investment made in Respond! can move to a new location. There’s no expense left behind.

We believe battery power is a game-changer for the industry and once specifiers understand the capabilities found in Respond!, specifying panel systems or desking systems with 120V wiring will be a thing of the past. Every office system currently on the market will be obsolete.”

Respond!, developed and sold by August Berres is the world’s first battery-powered office systems furniture product line. For more information about the company or its products, inquire at info@augustberres.com.