Space is a volumetric measure. For most of us, it is also a tacit quality of our physical experience. The early industrial ethos did not consider people in space any differently than machinery in space. We now recognize its power, and importance in creating humanizing solutions. We’ll share how we learn about space and how that informs our product development. Co-creating solutions with businesses is one way we support managing rapid change directly in the market. This iterative and agile approach quickly responds to humanize spaces as they evolve and supports businesses as they try new ways of working together.
Bill Bennie is the Global Design Director for furniture, wood and worktools at Steelcase. Throughout his career, he has specialized in furniture, consumer goods and public art, and spent six years running his own studio. His diversity of experience has given him the opportunity to engage in all aspects of product development — as well as building culture, leading teams and executing aggressive business goals. When Bill isn’t at work, he enjoys working on restoration projects for his 1860s Greek Revival home and 40-year-old sailboat.
Jeremy Zietz is a Principal Designer within studio b at Steelcase, a specialty team focused on co-creation and custom product development. Jeremy joined Steelcase in 2020, and leads product design on large-scale custom furniture projects while driving key insights from the market back into product design. Jeremy has played a key role in developing new flexible platform products for studio b. His background combines both Industrial Design consulting and solid wood furniture making. Jeremy is based in San Francisco.