Toguna Circle is the latest furniture launched by Bene as part of the groundbreaking and successful PARCS range designed by Pearson Lloyd. It has been developed to create team spaces within open plan office environments. The lounge-like design of Toguna Circle creates lively meeting spaces to support a range of activities and simultaneously foster great team spirit. It is this dual approach that catalyses interactions between team members, accelerates communication and collaboration. The range also incorporates media boards for presentations and videoconferencing.

A communications platform for interaction and collaboration
Toguna Circle provides an inviting, dynamic teamworking room, which reflects the collaborative nature of modern work and promotes informal communication. “We wanted to create a space that fosters the ongoing and diverse nature of teamwork,” says the designer Tom Lloyd. “That goes from the classic early morning round-up to brainstorms that are called at short notice, to lunch and coffee breaks and even after work drinks or watching a sporting event on TV. Toguna Circle bridges the gap between focussed thought and relaxation.”

With its half-height, upholstered walls, Toguna Circle creates a room within a room, but one that is not fully enclosed. With a diameter of three metres, it provides plenty of space for up to ten people. The result is a private workspace that doesn’t cut people off from what is happening outside, because people can see both into and out of Toguna Circle.
In fast-moving open plan workplaces that encourage people to move constantly between personal and group working areas, me- and we-places, Toguna Circle offers a dynamic focal point for a single team, an ad-hoc meeting place. The materials used in its interior make for a relaxed atmosphere and include benches, fabrics, cushions and carpet. The addition of tables, stools and media furniture create a multi-functional hub.

To London, Africa, Australia and back: pioneering projects
The idea and name toguna from the original PARCS collection originate in West Africa. In Mali, it describes a meeting place where the village elders meet to make important decisions. But it was Australia that inspired the development of PARCS Toguna to create Toguna Circle. Real life case studies offered Pearson Lloyd the opportunity to learn from examples of how people used the system and incorporate this experience into their designs. “For example, we incorporated a greater seat depth, softer cushions and more media applications”, explain the designers Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd. (More can be found in the enclosed interview with the two designers).

Within the context of an interior design, Toguna Circle exemplifies flexibility. Due to the fact that, it is not a fixed structure, it can be changed quickly and easily. The 151 cm high upholstered wall panels provide a degree of acoustic absorption for the whole office environment. The wide range of fabrics and finishes offer almost limitless choice.

Design: PearsonLloyd, London