Humanscale explores the relationship between wellbeing, responsible design, and the changing ways we work at ORGATEC 2026

Cologne, Germany – October 2026 – Humanscale, the leader in high-performance ergonomic design, returns to ORGATEC 2026 with Body. Planet. Materials., an exploration of how purposeful, human-centred design can create healthier, more intuitive and adaptable experiences across the evolving workplace..

Taking place at Koelnmesse in Cologne from 27-30 October, ORGATEC 2026 will bring together leading brands, designers and workplace thinkers to explore the future of contract and workplace environments. For the first time, the fair will be united by a central theme, “From Rooms to Relationships: Designing Spaces in an Ever-Changing World,” examining the human dimension of space and how people connect, interact and adapt in a world of continual change.

Humanscale’s presentation responds to this changing landscape with a simple proposition: design should make life better for people while making a positive impact on the planet.

Guided by Body. Planet. Materials., the exhibition will explore the thinking behind that ambition — from understanding how people naturally sit, move and work, to the craftsmanship and precision engineering behind Humanscale products, and the responsibility to design for lasting positive impact.

Designing beyond the desk

As work becomes increasingly fluid, the workplace is no longer defined by a single desk or prescribed way of working. People move throughout the day between focused work, meetings, collaboration, conversation and respite, creating a growing need for environments that can intuitively support different activities and behaviours.

Across a series of distinct zones, Humanscale will create a journey through these changing modes of work, demonstrating how ergonomic thinking can extend beyond the traditional workstation to support wellbeing, comfort and performance wherever work happens.

The presentation builds on Humanscale’s Ergonomics Everywhere philosophy, an approach that extends ergonomic wellbeing across meeting rooms, collaborative spaces, third places and the home.

Introducing TexMesh™: Performance, Reimagined

Taking centre stage at ORGATEC 2026, Humanscale will unveil TexMesh™, an innovative new back option for the Liberty, World and Smart chairs that brings a richer, more tailored aesthetic to Humanscale’s seating collection without compromising the ergonomic performance at its core.

Re-engineered from Kvadrat’s Autumn textile, TexMesh™ combines the breathability and responsive support of mesh with the visual richness and tactile quality of upholstery. Its innovative construction allows air to circulate while responding to the body, delivering lasting comfort alongside a warmer, more refined expression.

TexMesh™ was developed in response to a familiar design challenge. Traditional mesh offers breathability and body-responsive support, but its technical aesthetic may not complement every interior. Upholstery introduces warmth, colour and texture, but can alter the way a chair performs. TexMesh™ bridges the two, bringing the refined character of upholstery to the proven, body-responsive architecture of Liberty, World and Smart.

More than a new finish, TexMesh™ represents an evolution of Humanscale’s seating collection and gives designers greater creative freedom without asking them to choose between performance and aesthetics, comfort and character.

The result is seating designed to support the person and the space in equal measure.

Designing for the changing ways we work

Beyond TexMesh™, Humanscale will present a broader collection of products responding to the increasingly fluid ways people work, meet, collaborate and connect. Among the featured products will be Diffrient Lounge, one of the final concepts envisioned by legendary designer Niels Diffrient and recently honoured with a Red Dot Award in Product Design. Combining residential comfort with ergonomic engineering, Diffrient Lounge supports the increasingly fluid relationship between work, relaxation and informal collaboration.

Humanscale will also present eFloat Quattro Studio, a purpose-built meeting table designed for today’s hybrid collaboration environments. Created for small-group meetings of two to seven people, the table brings connectivity, power and display support together in one integrated solution. Supporting both seated and standing collaboration, it allows organisations to create flexible meeting environments without complex AV infrastructure or permanent room builds.

For the individual workstation, NeatSuite brings together four integrated solutions — NeatTech, NeatCharge, NeatHub and NeatLinks — to address power, cables and clutter across the workspace. The system reflects Humanscale’s philosophy of removing unnecessary complexity to create environments that are simpler, more intuitive and easier to use.

Joining the Neat Suite system is M/Charge, Humanscale’s modular 2-in-1 magnetic wireless charging solution, designed to integrate with the M/Connect 3 ecosystem or function independently as a standalone charging station.

Together, the collection demonstrates Humanscale’s approach to purposeful design: understanding genuine human needs and responding through simplicity, craftsmanship and precision engineering.

Beyond the Desk: Designing for Real Human Behaviour

Wednesday 28 October, 15:30

Humanscale, Hall 7.1

In collaboration with Architonic

Alongside its product presentation, Humanscale will use ORGATEC as a platform for conversations about the ideas shaping the future of work.

In collaboration with Architonic, Beyond the Desk: Designing for Real Human Behaviour will explore how understanding the way people actually work can lead to more intuitive products, healthier workplaces and better human experiences.

As people move between individual workstations, meeting rooms, collaborative spaces, lounges, cafés and home environments, designing for work increasingly means designing for movement and choice. Rather than attempting to predict the next workplace trend, the conversation will ask what designers can learn by observing how people actually behave: how they sit, move, interact, focus and connect.

Architonic Editor-in-Chief Simon Keane-Cowell will be in conversation with Humanscale VP Design & Innovation Sergio Silva, exploring how research, observation, prototyping and continuous testing can translate human behaviour into simpler, more intuitive design.

The conversation will also explore what happens when ergonomics moves beyond the desk — from designing an ergonomic workstation to creating an entire workplace ecosystem that supports comfort, wellbeing and performance across different ways of working.

Better for people and planet

Body. Planet. Materials. continues Humanscale’s longstanding belief that the wellbeing of people and the planet should not be considered separately.

Humanscale’s approach combines ergonomic research and human-centred design with a commitment to reducing environmental impact and creating products intended for long-term use. As a certified B Corporation, the company continues to pursue its Planet Positive approach while exploring how thoughtful design can create healthier experiences across increasingly diverse places of work.

At ORGATEC 2026, this philosophy comes together through products, stories and conversations that demonstrate a simple idea: as the workplace continues to change, good design starts with understanding what people need — and responding with purpose.

Visit Humanscale at ORGATEC 2026

Dates: Tuesday 27 October – Friday 30 October 2026

Venue: Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany

Stand: Hall 7.1

Happy Hour: Tuesday – Thursday: 16:00 – 18:00