This piece is presented by Interstate Office Products.

The days of heavy, clunky room dividers are over. In their place comes a futuristic option for office flexibility that many Sioux Falls workplaces are enjoying.

“The latest movable walls on the market can truly transform an office,” said Gary Gaspar, CEO of Interstate Office Products. “We’re now able to offer solutions that combine technology with aesthetics in some really exciting ways.”

Called Vertical Intelligent Architecture, this product from industry leader Steelcase has the best sound transmission rating on the market.

“Traditionally, the issue with movable walls is that the acoustics are less than perfect,” Gaspar said. “With this product, there are so many more seals built in all throughout the wall itself, at the ceiling, at the doors, that the acoustic rating is tremendous.”

Plus, VIA brings a modern, appealing look to the workspace, offering walls with varying levels of transparency. The VIA product comes in multiple pieces that can be configured over and over again. Technology such as monitors also can be integrated into the walls.

“It can look really cool, and we can do things with it we can’t do with traditional construction,” Gaspar said.

Avera Health decided to integrate VIA into the top floor of its Avera Medical Group Family Health Center on Marion Road south of 26th Street, recognizing the fast-changing health care industry should build in flexibility whenever possible.

“It has only been a short time since the clinic opened, but the product is meeting all our expectations,” said Dick Molseed, Avera’s executive vice president of strategy and governance. “It is a system that we will continue to evaluate where it’s appropriate for both our new construction and renovations.”

While VIA is the latest and greatest in movable walls, Interstate Office Products also offers one-piece privacy walls.

“These are very easy to move and also like VIA don’t deface a building. You can remove them and not have to repair anything,” Gaspar said.

A movable wall leads to a conference room at Click Rain.

The option was a welcome one for marketing technology agency Click Rain as it renovated its historic downtown office.

“We wanted to keep our open office environment while also creating private work spaces,” said Eric Ellefson, chief operations officer.

“We have been extremely happy with the finished solution. The large glass panes and sliding doors fit both our functional and aesthetic needs perfectly, and the IOP team has been wonderful. They are professional, open-minded and bring ideas for our growing company.”

Vance Thompson Vision uses movable walls.

Vance Thompson Vision decided to use movable walls to create privacy without permanence, said Kim Bartels, vice president of operations. The business installed the walls in its billing and coding office, phone center and finance department.

“This allowed for future growth and flexibility,” Bartels said. “As we have grown over the past four years, they have allowed us to make changes to our space. They’re working great. And our relationship with IOP has been positive. They have helped us design and make changes necessary for our growth.”

Businesses find that while there is more up-front investment in movable walls, the savings on future construction costs within a building more than outweighs it, Gaspar said.

“It’s a slightly higher initial cost but a much lower life cycle cost,” he said. “If you move even a portion of them once, you’ve covered the cost. And because of the speed of reconfiguration and removing the need for demolition, you’re avoiding the disruption, dust and inconvenience that comes with traditional interior construction, allowing people to adjust in real time as their work demands. It’s also much more sustainable with less material going to the landfill when it’s time to make changes.”

To learn more about the products available, contact IOP at 605-339-0300 or i-o-p.com.