It’s no surprise to see how passionate Scandinavia is about sustainability. Many of us come from countries where we take enormous pride in our history and heritage. To Scandinavians these are important, yes, but they are prouder still of their forests and oceans. To say they love the outdoors would be an understatement (remember when a Copenhagen coffee klatch nonchalantly told Oprah Winfrey that their babies were left in prams on the pavement?). Henrik Ibsen coined a word for this love of nature – friluftsliv.

These are people who live by the “less space, less things, more life” mantra. Scandinavian design, appreciated for its simplicity and functional beauty, has always been synonymous with the use of natural products. But it now has impeccable eco-credentials as well. Our Scandinavia review highlights companies and designers from this vibrant, extremely eco-conscious region.

From Copenhagen to Abu Dhabi – the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) that took place in the UAE capital last month ended with optimism, in contrast to what went down in Denmark. Several workspace solution providers were in attendance, given the high interest that companies now have in being sustainable in their own premises. No longer is it an expensive add-on; it is in fact fiscally irresponsible to design and operate non-sustainable workspaces.

Tech giant Cisco is one company delivering solutions that help clients shrink costs and carbon emissions. Woods Bagot’s design for the Cisco office in Dubai looks crisp, optimises space usage, encourages collaboration and is definitely more productive than the traditional office.It’s a scheme that boasts of the latest advances in workplace design. The upcoming Office Show should be a good place for some serious trendspotting in this segment. 

Next month, the action shifts to Abu Dhabi where this year’s edition of Interiors UAE takes off; it promises to be a cracker of a show. We hope a year that’s started with such an embarrassment of riches should only get better for the design fraternity.

SHALAKA PARADKAR