Hans De Pelsmacker

The table serves as a workplace in the reading room of the archives. It forms the transit zone between access to historical documents and computer processing.
A series of three identical tables are placed side by side lengthwise to form a working counter for maximum nine people. On the counter room is provided for six computers and three free working surfaces to put down the historical documents.
Each tabletop is divided into three identical surfaces: two pc areas, separated by one free working area. The material for the tabletop is chosen in view of the two functions. The pc area is made of wengé veneer. The pc symbolises the present, i.e. the research and data processing in the present.
The three other veneer surfaces are intended for the historical documents and are each made of a different kind of wood. The encounter between the various fragments from the past and the processing of these historical fragments in the present is visualised by the use of different kinds of wood.
Moreover, the lengthwise position of the tables and the alternating wooden surfaces give the area a dynamic character.
Each pc is encased in a separate storage object, which is put unattached on the table. This enables the user to move the pc and the monitor freely. Each storage object has a closed assembly point for the cables. There is also room for personal things.