Foster + Partners has launched a flexible office system that creates agile workspaces.

Designed in collaboration with Italian office systems manufacturer UniFor, the modular office system called XYZ is intended to tailor work environments to individual needs.

Included in the system is a shelving unit (X), a lightweight conference table (Y) and an intuitive sit/stand desk (Z). Each item works individually or as a set.

Mike Holland, Senior Partner and Head of Industrial Design, Foster + Partners, said: "Underpinned by a human-centric approach to office design, the XYZ system allows everyone to fine-tune their working environments to meet individual requirements, which can have a profound effect on mood and general wellbeing in the workplace."

(Credit: Foster + Partners)

Carlo Molteni, Managing Director, UniFor, said: "The collaboration with Foster + Partners for the XYZ system has been an occasion, once again, to look beyond the usual ways of perceiving offices.

"Workplaces should be attractive new spaces where people can cooperate, be inspired and feel comfortable."

Named after the distinctive X-shaped timber or aluminium post that forms its primary structure, the X shelving units can reconfigure any office by producing open partitions that retain clear lines of sight through the workspace. 

Lightweight and reconfigurable, the Y Table has been designed to use minimum material but offer maximum support. Its Y-shaped, steel legs can be reconfigured to suit different seating arrangements and removed altogether to link different tabletops together.

(Credit: Foster + Partners)

Engineered to be a sit/stand desk without electronic actuators or crank handles, the Z Desk has achieved its aim with a patented mechanism housed within an aluminium frame.

Launching later this year, the Z Desk can be adjusted quickly and intuitively by a simple pull up or push down of the worktop. As the desk is not tethered by a power cable, it can be easily stored and moved, allowing workspaces to be reconfigured instantly.