Furniture and Furnishings

UM-Dearborn furniture standards have been developed in consideration of safety, durability, and aesthetics. They are updated annually to reflect current design trends, and modifications to codes. Several companies that specialize in educational and health care furniture make sure they meet these safety standards as a matter of course. UM-Dearborn's furniture guidelines are intended to act as a suggestion for the type of functional need you have. Please submit a Capital Project Request Form for any large areas you may want to furnish, or a simple AiM Work Request for a small area.

At the University of Michigan, Floor Coverings, Furniture, and Window Treatments are Restricted Commodities and purchasing is limited to select individuals and departments. These purchases are restricted due to facility codes and regulatory issues. On the Dearborn campus, that responsibility falls to Facilities Planning & Construction and its Interior Designer.

In their selection of furnishings, Facilities Planning & Construction is responsible for meeting all codes that apply to higher-ed but also needs to make sure the items are durable, practical, and will look current into the future. Furniture includes not only typical furniture pieces like chairs, tables, desks, etc., but also whiteboards and cork/fabric (bulletin) boards.

If you have damaged furniture or furniture in need of repair, please submit an AiM Work Request. In many instances, your furniture may still be under a warranty agreement with the vendor.

The University of Michigan-Dearborn, Office of Facilities Planning offers two options for furniture purchases:

• Facilities Planning will work with you to purchase any furniture, including accessories like whiteboards, from design and selection, then manage the entire purchasing process.  To get started, please submit an AIM Work Request.  If you do not have an AiM account, please contact the Facilities Operations Call Center.  Room layouts are often necessary to redesign your area for aesthetics, ergonomics, workflow, fire safety codes, and ADA requirements. Depending on the complexity, your AIM Request may become a Capital Project Request.
• New / additional space allocation, design, and construction requests are submitted each year as part of the annual budgeting process.  Occasionally, unanticipated capital needs may require consideration outside of this annual cycle. Facilities Planning can select and facilitate projects with external design consultants and space planners to ensure your needs will be satisfied and met in a timely and cost-effective manner.  To get started, please submit a Capital Project Request Form.

* University of Michigan's purchasing policy does not allow the use of P-cards for furniture or items in a facility that may pose a life-safety hazard.

Below is a list of the task chairs that are available in Facilities Operations to try and purchase. When choosing a new chair, look for a chair that you will be comfortable sitting in eight hours a day performing your duties. Try out the adjustments, move in the chair in a similar way that you would during work activities.

The chairs have a broad range in price. When you come in to try out chairs, we will show you the chairs that are in your department budget.

Clicking on the chair will bring up a PDF showing how to adjust each chair.

Please visit the University of Michigan-Dearborn Environmental Health and Safety website to view a series of informational videos on the importance of ergonomics and what you can do to make your workspace more comfortable and to learn more about free preventative and medical ergonomic evaluations.

Often when considering office ergonomics, furniture comes to mind.  While sometimes new furniture may be the solution, more frequently, there is a lower cost solution to the ergonomic issues you may be facing.  Simple adjustments of your current desk, chair, lighting or accessories while keeping simple ergonomic principles in mind may give you the desired result.  Adjustments may increase your comfort in the work space and decrease the possibility of office injuries due to awkward postures and repetitive tasks. Supporting the body properly will provide maximum comfort and higher productivity.