Feeling bored due to the dullness of remote work? Take your laptop and march into the forest to work in a calm, peaceful environment! This is now possible in Finland - the city of Lahti wanted to encourage its residents to enjoy the calming effect of nature and has therefore set up remote workstations in the city's nature sites free for everyone to use. The Viita-workstations have been made in collaboration by creative agency TBWA\Helsinki and Finnish design company Upwood.
The Viita-workstations are a part of Lahti’s year as European Green Capital 2021, and the campaign highlights the future of remote work and changing needs of workers by using Nordic design. Residents and tourists can use the workstations for free in five different locations around the city's nature sites. Lahti also shares the design for open use and encourages other actors to set up their own workstations.
“The ordinary workday looks very different compared to what it was a couple years ago, and remote work is here to stay. Many have also found themselves to nature more often in between meetings. The new workstations make it possible to work remotely while enjoying the calming effects of nature” says Head of Communications Saara Piispanen from Lahti - European Green Capital 2021.
Finnish design expertise and nature meet in Viita-workstations in a unique way. The concept of remote workstations in forest was developed by a team of students from LAB Institute of Design and Fine Arts, and the Viita-workstations are designed in the Innovation Lab of TBWA\Helsinki. The workstations are made of Finnish spruce by a Lahti-based carpenter from design company Upwood.
“The idea of the campaign was to highlight the future of remote work and changing needs of workers by using Nordic design. Viita-workstations also remind us about the importance of nearby nature. The workstations have received plenty of positive feedback from residents of Lahti and in social media”, says Tuomas Karvonen, Creative Content Strategist from TBWA\Helsinki.
Locality is reflected in both the design and execution of the Viita workstations
Nature was strongly present throughout the design process of the Viita workstations. The design reflects ecology, locality and functionality. The workstations are unique in terms of usability, and differ from traditional camping tables due to their functions that are specifically designed for remote working. They include a telephone and a cup holder, an area for one’s laptop, a place to put one’s pens and a possibility to hang a bag or purse.
Viita workstations are made of Finnish spruce, which is durable material for outdoor use. The use of spruce has a long history in Finland, and as a material it represents the Finnish forest at its best. The workstations are attached to trees so that no harm is done to the trees after installation and removal. Viita workstations will be in use for the first time this autumn as a part of the Green Capital Year.
Read more about the Viita workstations and download the design from here
Access the media kit from here
