START Global Campus St. Gallen, Switzerland

"START Global is a student organisation for the promotion of entrepreneurial talent.
Among other initiatives, the association hosts the START Summit and START Hack, the largest events in the Swiss startup ecosystem. START Global also maintains a network of local START chapters at universities worldwide and is committed to supporting young entrepreneurs with a fellowship programme.

For the new offices, it was decided that only second-hand furniture would be used, primarily for reasons of sustainability but also due to cost considerations. Together with Novu Office, Vitra took on this challenge with the aim of creating a high-quality, well-planned and contemporary office environment – not just a collection of whatever second-hand furniture was nearest at hand.

Many different sources were involved, including previous Vitra and Novu Office contract customers in Switzerland and Germany who no longer needed the furniture. The unpredictable nature of this type of procurement required complex logistics with interim storage in St. Gallen and an iterative method to implementation: the interior was planned room by room as furnishings arrived, defining a coherent overall concept that was discussed with START Global and subsequently installed. This approach required a great deal of trust from the client.

The result is an office landscape that consists of approximately 95% used furniture, and yet is in no way a compromise solution. The users are delighted with how inspiring, productive and functional a second-hand furniture project can be. Realisation: Novu Office & Vitra". Vitra Homepage, Styling Conny Wyssen, Project Manager Nicola Vollmer, https://www.vitra.com/en-de/professionals/projects/clients/details/start-global