Fence

At the time of its introduction, the Currents Service Wall represented a revolutionary and unprecedented approach to office system design. Robert Reuter explained its origins in an interview with Knoll historian Brian Lutz:

“The idea for Currents came out of an understanding that work patterns were changing and evolving, that most of the office systems out there were created before computers and that there were new levels of adjustment, flexibility and enclosure required in the office that could no longer be simply ‘Band-Aided’ onto an existing product. It was truly time for a new product with a new approach…Currents was a game-changing product.”

The success of Currents was due in large part to the high quality market survey and in depth research, conducted by Douglas Reuter, which informed the design brief. Robert Retuer recalled: “Currents was the most well-supported, well-managed, well-researched and well-directed product initiative that Knoll had ever done.”

Rozier and Reuter returned to Knoll in 2001 to revisit and update Currents. Adding Fence as well as additional freestanding elements, the pair enhanced and expanded the system, making it more flexible and cost-effective. The logic of Currents has made its way into other Knoll systems; the Service Wall was incorporated into the AutoStrada product line, while an adapted version of Fence was introduced with Antenna Workspaces.
 

ROBERT REUTER (left) came to Knoll after earning a degree in architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He spent three years working with Andrew Morrison to develop the Morrison office system from 1977 to 1980. A testament to the completeness of Morrison and Reuter’s investigation and process, the system was Knoll’s top-selling office product for the next two decades.

Reuter served as Knoll Senior Development Manager until 1987 and has continued to design numerous office products for the company, including the highly innovative Currents system. Most recently, Reuter and Rozier co-developed Autostrada.

CHARLES ROZIER (right) earned a bachelor’s and master's degree from Brown University as well as a master's degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Holding graduate degrees in both engineering and art, Rozier opened his own studio, which has since been recognized with numerous awards for industrial design including the Braun Prize and the ID Best of Category award for consumer products.

Rozier came to Knoll in the early 1980s to help direct the development of the groundbreaking Morrison System. He conducted extensive market research, helping Andrew Morrison expand his concept to become one of the most thorough office systems ever introduced. Rozier went on to serve as Vice President of Product Development at Knoll, a position that led him to co-design the Currents and AutoStrada Systems ― introduced in 1998 and 2004 ― respectively.