Get a sneak peek at our visit to AIREA STUDIO — one of this year’s top three Work Design NOW projects — and stay tuned for the full case study and video.
Last Thursday, our team made our first visit to one of this year’s Work Design NOW projects: AIREA STUDIO.
The STUDIO is an innovative work lounge and event space located in the heart of downtown Detroit; the sister-site to the larger Airea Inc. dealership in Farmington Hills, Mich. (Full disclosure: Airea Inc. is a Haworth dealer and Haworth is the sponsor of the Work Design NOW series. The space was chosen by the WDM team without knowledge of Haworth’s relationship to Airea Inc.)
In Thursday’s interview, Dave Kiwior, president of Airea Inc., shared that part of the concept of the STUDIO was to get more exposure in the marketplace and to be a part of the re-birth of Detroit. The 2,500 square foot space is free and open to the public, and gives clients, designers, and regular folks like us the opportunity to drop-in and interact with one other, as well as with the latest products and workplace ideas coming from the over 300 manufacturers and service providers that Airea Inc. represents.
“This space has impacted our business in myriad ways, from street exposure to reputation and creativity within A&D firms to clients who just want a space that feels like this,” said Kiwior. “It’s been great for the community, too.”
“It’s a work lounge, but it’s also a business development tool for us that’s based on relationship building,” said Amy Bos, Airea Inc.’s director of design and marketing. “You never know what to expect in here. It’s a really cool way of uncovering [what’s going on in] Detroit.”
“Detroit is a startup city,” she added. “We depend on networking with each other and hearing what people are doing and this space embodies that. It’s about connecting.”
Stay tuned for more coverage of AIREA STUDIO, which will include our full case study and video.
Work Design NOW is sponsored by Haworth.
