Best standing desk competition: Hong Kong designers, students compete to make best prototype

“We have heard that sitting is the new smoking,” says Cris O’Brien, co-founder of the Keep Moving Project, a non-profit that promotes health and wellness. He is referring to work by the Mayo Clinic’s James Levine, who has attributed extended periods of sitting to obesity, high blood pressure and abnormal levels of cholesterol. It turns out it isn’t just the smoke breaks that are killing you; it’s everything in between.

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O’Brien is being provocative, but he isn’t trying to thrust guilt on office workers. He is speaking to a group of young designers, hobbyists and design students who are taking part in the Standing Desk Designathon, a design competition held in collaboration with local group MakerBay. “We want to show people ways to add more activity in their lives without making drastic changes,” he says.

He thinks standing desks will do just that. There are plenty of stylish examples on the market, such as the height-adjustable smart desks designed by Yves Béhar for Herman Miller, which remind users when they’ve been sitting for too long, or Vitra’s flat-pack Hack desk by Konstantin Grcic, which can be used for sitting, standing – or as a sofa.

The problem is that these desks are expensive – and many are too bulky for Hong Kong’s cramped spaces. That’s when the idea for a design competition emerged. For the month of November, 15 teams developed standing desk prototypes for Hong Kong homes, schools and offices.

Along the way, they worked with experts like Eric Yim, founder of Posh Office Systems, who gave them practical design advice. They visited social services organisation SoCO to understand the needs of children who live in tiny subdivided flats. And they heard from physiotherapist Kieran Rogers, who stressed the need to avoid staying in the same position for extended periods of time.

“Standing only is just as bad as sitting only,” he says. Standing for long periods of time can strain the muscles and it doesn’t do anything to get blood flowing. “I’m looking for systems that can promote movement.”

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The prototypes are unveiled at PMQ in Central.