(WalkStation)

Designed by Steelcase and Dr. James Levine

The press conference announcing Steelcase's new Walk station was moving, and I mean that in more ways than one. Dr. James Levine—the inventor of the treadmill/desk hybrid—described it as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to help obese people. "Life is about movement, and being dynamic, and meeting people one on one, and going for walks and chatting," he said, his voice pitching with emotion. "I truly believe this will help millions and millions of people. This isn't the solution to obesity in America, but it is part of the solution." While talking, he strolled slowly in place upon his creation, a red safety clip attached to the flap of his suit jacket and a single bead of sweat streaking his forehead.

Obesity is clearly a serious health problem, and replacing the task chair with a treadmill can't hurt. Dr. Levine, a nutrition and metabolism researcher at the Mayo Clinic, even has the science to prove it. In what Steelcase boasts is "the most detailed and data-rich study of obesity ever," he extolled the benefits of "non-exercise activity thermogenesis," or "N.E.A.T.," the term for energy expended (which is to say, calories burned) during everyday activities, like walking. Thus the Walkstation seems a logical, kill-two-birds-with-one-stone piece of office design. But if design is an expression of culture, then the Walkstation reveals a sad truth about American ideals of work, exercise, and technology. The U.S. has not only the world's highest incidence of obesity but also one of its longest workweeks, and the two are plainly linked.

Steelcase isn't suggesting that the Walkstation replace a conventional desk. Instead, the company is proposing it for use in conference rooms, where people could walk as they PowerPoint, or as a shared "hot desk." Its price of $3,500 to $4,500 is in line with an adjustable Steelcase workstation and accompanying task chair. Because it will restore hours of sleep to those who make early-morning gym visits, my hunch is that the Walkstation will sell well and, like a lot of exercise equipment, be used less well. It seems an irresistible purchase for corporate health-and-wellness programs.

Source : The International Design Magazine