Celebrating 75 Years of Iconic Design. Good Design® online submissions are open.

The structural limitation of an office space can sometimes add to its character. The space might have to be broken up in an unusual way, acting as a reminder that the architectural building was not always built with a specific seating configuration in mind. To answer to the cry for an economic desk solution, Manerba has developed Apollo, a collection Made in Italy, appealing to any international workspace. Designed by American-born Stockholm-based designer Shane Schneck for Manerba, the Apollo collection is a radical piece of system design. The scalable desks are playful and graphic, yet modular and affordable. A real innovation, Apollo is designed with an authentic formal language, based on an economic flat-pack approach.

The brief was set around a scalable and easy to build desk collection. In no time, Schneck returned to Manerba, with the idea of utilising a C-profile that could be produced inhouse, creating a strong and lightweight vertical support with a graphic simplicity—that takes only three minutes to assemble. A visionary project, the collaboration with Schneck became a composition of functions, strengthening Manerba’s relationships with both local suppliers and inspiring new international clients.

The colourful elements within the Apollo range lift the series, adding an activated ability to personalize the environment. Not only is the cork panel a way to formally divide the workspace and absorb sound, but it also provides a space to hang individual accessories for binders, books, phones and pens. With locally transformed cork panels and a nanotech laminate;

Apollo uses both sustainable materials and new technologies, applying the latest finish to a classic structure. A playful spirit and a flexible tool, Apollo is a bridge between skills in the region and a rejuvenated take on a bench system. Influenced by conversations in Mantua and work experiences around the world, the collection acts as the software of an architectural space; responding to a growing need for a truly flexible office arrangement.