June 14, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO: swissnex San Francisco’s latest initiative The Living Lab transforms its new location at Pier 17 into a testing ground to explore new ways to collaborate and create in the future.

A Living Lab workshop – a quarterly series in collaboration with Arup Foresight and Deloitte Center for the Edge

For SF Design Week, swissnex San Francisco will open its doors on Wednesday June 21 from 6-9pm to offer a sneak peek into its Living Lab through a series of experiences across the open office, gallery and social spaces swissnex shares with its resident community of startups, creatives, universities and corporate innovation outposts. The evening also includes a performance by Zürich-based artist, comedian and TED speaker Ursus Wehrli and music from DJ Josette Melchor.

The Living Lab draws on the below design and technology partners to strategically implement ideas and prototype products that are integral to a creative and collaborative ecosystem. During the open studio for SF Design Week, visitors can enjoy the following unique experiences from The Living Lab partners:

• VITRA: The Living Lab at swissnex would not be what it is without the vision and support of Vitra who helped create the concept and product layout for a workspace design that can adapt. swissnex’s open studio will feature the first refresh, new elements and multiple workplace and culinary experiences that will make visitors question whether they are at work or in the comfort of their own home.

• VIEW DYNAMIC GLASS: Situated at the intersection of human wellness, smart technology, and energy efficiency, View makes the smart glass that ensures the incredible swissnex SF view can be enjoyed all day long. Visitors will be able to try a unique View Virtual Reality Experience during the open studio.

• LOGITECH: As a Living Lab partner, Logitech connects swissnex SF to Switzerland and beyond, enhancing virtual and video collaboration from the desktop or the conference room. For the open studio, Logitech showcases how it designs products to have an everyday place in people’s lives, bringing people together through music, gaming, video and computing.

• NESTLÉ: With their Silicon Valley Innovation Outpost located at Pier 17, Nestlé works side by side with swissnex SF, testing ideas with the community and prototyping in the space. As part of the open studio, visitors will get the chance to play with the team’s newest smart home product, the GoodNes skill for Amazon Alexa, a unique ‘visual voice browsing’ experience for the kitchen.

• RUCKSTUHL: For over 130 years, Ruckstuhl has manufactured premium carpets and acoustic solutions, combining sustainability, quality, and design. At our modern pier, Ruckstuhl’s warmth and comfort helps transform business meetings into friendly hangouts. During the open studio, visitors will also be able to enjoy Ruckstuhl’s recently installed acoustic solutions throughout the space.

• IDEAPAINT helped transform swissnex SF’s co-working areas into active collaborative environments and the community space into the home of the Pier 17 family. For the open studio, visitors can enjoy an artistic application and create themselves.

Responding to rapid changes in the landscape of work, The Living Lab draws upon the effects of technological advances on the way we work, where we work, and the role of work. swissnex’s Head of Partnerships, Emina Reissinger, behind the initiative says: ‘In a fast-changing world, the path of continuous digital transformation increasingly blurs the boundary between our virtual and physical worlds, and between work and life. As a result, there is a growing need to create collaborative spaces and diverse community to experiment, learn and innovate together.’

As part of The Living Lab, swissnex San Francisco will also run a series of foresight workshops with insights to be shared on nextrends, swissnex SF’s blog. Titled ‘AfterWork’ and organized in partnership with Arup Foresight and Deloitte Center for the Edge, the quarterly workshops examine the future of work and are designed to foster meaningful exchange and a learning community. This series champions swissnex San Francisco’s interdisciplinary approach and is dedicated to exploring diverse trends and technologies that will shape the future of work, both inside the workplace and beyond. Each session will be guided by four key questions essential to the future of work:

• People – How can we take a human-centric approach?
• Places – How do we understand our physical environments?
• Patterns – How will we look beyond the silos?
• Pathways – How could we transition?

https://www.swissnexsanfrancisco.org/initiatives/livinglab/

EVENT DETAILS

OPENING NIGHT: ECAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

Date: Thursday, June 15
Time: 6.30-9pm
Location: swissnex San Francisco, Pier 17, Suite 800, San Francisco, California 94111
Tickets: FREE, REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Featuring: Celebrate our exhibition opening with a walk-through from Angelo Benedetto, ECAL’s head of graphic design.

https://www.swissnexsanfrancisco.org/event/opening-night-ecal-graphic-design

DESIGNING FOR WORK: A CONVERSATION WITH BARBER & OSGERBY (SF DESIGN WEEK)

Date: Friday, June 16
Time: 7-10pm
Location: swissnex San Francisco, Pier 17, Suite 800, San Francisco, California 94111
Tickets: $10 general admission, $15 at the door, students free
Featuring: Intro, welcome by swissnex, Vitra, talk Barber & Osgerby + Q&A

https://www.swissnexsanfrancisco.org/event/designing-for-work-barberosgerby/

OPEN STUDIO: A LIVING LAB FOR COLLABORATION (SF DESIGN WEEK)*

Date: Wednesday, June 21
Time: 6-9pm
Location: swissnex San Francisco, Pier 17, Suite 800, San Francisco, California 94111
Tickets: FREE, REGISTRATION REQUIRED*
Featuring: IdeaPaint, Logitech, Nestlé, Ruckstuhl, View, Vitra

 *Admission is FREE and includes entry to the ECAL Graphic Design exhibition at swissnex Gallery. Meet the swissnex San Francisco team and a select group of our partners and residents for experiences, drinks, snacks and spectacular views.

https://www.swissnexsanfrancisco.org/event/open-studio-a-living-lab-for-collaboration/

ABOUT SWISSNEX SAN FRANCISCO

swissnex San Francisco is a platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas in science, education, art, and innovation. We highlight the best of Swiss and North American ingenuity and create opportunities for networking among our diverse group of professional contacts in the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, and beyond.

swissnex San Francisco is an initiative of Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), managed in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs as an annex of the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco. The activities of the swissnex Network are based on a collaborative approach, relying on public and private partnerships and funding.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

For further information and to request interviews or images please contact:

Perrine Huber
Head of Marketing & Communication
perrine@nullswissnexsf.org
t: (415) 937-3482