The modern office: need new furniture for your office? Select types that are good for the body as well as pleasing to the eye.

• Author: Goodrich, Rebecca A.

Alaska should prepare for a new Viking invasion in office design, according to Marc Giampaoli, manager of Scan Home in Anchorage. Scandinavian secret weapons are motion, light and color, aimed to improve the productivity of employees everywhere.

"Alaska is a funny mix," Giampaoli explained. "We're ahead of the world in certain technological ways, but way behind when it comes to others. Twenty years ago, the Scandinavians did studies on office efficiency and developed the incorporated workstation. The transition is being made from straight lines and rectangular desks to ergonomic furniture with incorporated workstations, meant for worker movement."

This is tied with the rise of the personal computer for home and office, as well as the tendency of the modem human to sit.

MOBILITY, MOBILITY

Formerly, an efficient worker was thought to be static, unmoving, whereas the healthiest, most efficient workstations not only allow motion, but actively encourage it. This goes far beyond having a task chair with casters. In the past, static hours in the typing pool were counterbalanced by people who took stairs and busses, who walked more, who didn't have remotes for televisions and radios, or who didn't play computer games. "Now people get tired after all day of sitting down," said Giampaoli. "We are developing biomechanical stresses, so we've been redesigning office furniture."

Scan Home and Scan Office, also managed by Giampaoli, have many types of chairs available for purchase, some of which include the saddle chair, a kneeling chair equipped with casters (far more comfortable than the old static version), and the Swopper, a big barstool seat on a spring.

"The Swopper is a good example of what bio-mechanical engineering is all about," said Giampaoli. It's similar, technically, to sitting on those chiropractic balls, but can be used in an office setting. The German manufacturer claims it will improve the muscle strength of a sitter's back and abdomen.

The Swopper is a surprisingly stable seat, allowing for constant slight to moderate motion of the hips and spine, and is crafted for good blood flow by use of the spring. It doesn't cause pressure points on the legs or buttocks, and comes in a number of bright colors, including aqua, mango, yellow and red, as well as conservative black, gray and blue.

"One customer who bought the Swopper sews, is a quilt maker, and works all day sitting down. She loves it," said Giampaoli.

COLOR AND LIGHTING

Color is...