Restless Office

This exhibition from Marta Nowak presents experimental interventions that reimagine the workplace as a dynamic, responsive environment capable of adapting to the fluid demands of contemporary work culture.

As post-pandemic hybrid work patterns fundamentally reshape our understanding of place and productivity, the architectural solutions that once defined the office have become obsolete. Where static cubicles and fixed meeting rooms once sufficed, today's workplace demands spaces that can transform, migrate, and respond in real-time to human needs.

Restless Office introduces projects that embody radical departures from conventional design thinking. These interventions—from quantum-inspired rooms that materialize multiple realities simultaneously to autonomous inflatable walls that navigate offices independently—embrace principles of mobility, autonomy, and spatial multiplicity. Each project challenges the notion of architecture as fixed form, instead proposing space as a fluid medium that actively participates in the organization of work.

The exhibition features environments that shift between collaborative and intimate settings through sensor-activated responses, sculptural furniture that embodies the constant negotiation of contemporary work patterns, micro-environments designed for nomadic workers, and intelligent partition systems that appear on demand. Together, these projects argue for a new paradigm where office architecture becomes a collaborative partner rather than a neutral backdrop.

This vision points toward a future where workplaces are conceived not as static containers but as responsive ecosystems capable of continuous adaptation—architecture that embraces the inherent restlessness of contemporary work culture and the fluid nature of human needs in an ever-changing professional landscape.

Opening Reception: Friday, August 29, 5:00–6:30 PM at Hopkins Hall Gallery

Exhibition Credits:
Iman Ansari (partner and collaborator)
Phil Arnold
Lexi Arnett-Sutherland
James Hartunian
Quinn Schriber 
Knowlton School at Ohio State

Visiting Hopkins Hall Gallery

128 North Oval Mall
Columbus, OH 43210
Located in Hopkins Hall on the Oval on Ohio State's main campus.

Hours

Monday–Friday | 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Admission to our exhibitions and programs is free!