Cosmos designer office desk by Tecno with four-ellipse aluminium spine

Cosmos by Tecno — the office system that expands like its name

Tecno

Norman Foster

Executive desk only
Cosmos An icon of Italian design Executive desk only
$ 9,011

What did you have in mind?

Trade terms for professionals and design studios

Most office furniture is bought for the org chart you have. Cosmos is engineered for the one you are about to have. Tecno describes it as a furniture system infinitely expanding in space, and the mechanics back the claim: a load-bearing spine of four aluminium ellipses grows and doubles up through interchangeable components, from one designer desk to shared workstations to a double-beam table stretching 540 cm.

The project comes from the Design and Innovation Unit of the Norman Foster Foundation, working with Centro Progetti Tecno at the intersection of aeronautical engineering and material innovation. Recyclable aluminium, 3D modelling, structural software, 5-axis CNC machining: each component is homed to its most slender profile, so the system adds capacity without adding visual mass — a real argument when the headcount doubles but the lease does not.

Equipped bookshelves rise wall-mounted or floor-to-ceiling; wiring, screens, under-shelf lighting and modesty panels are part of the kit. Tops come in glass, six oaks or ten lacquers, structures in finishes from White to Malachite. When a US project needs the next module to match the first one ordered two years earlier, La Mercanti tracks the Tecno specification on both sides of the Atlantic and keeps the system growing as one.

Technical information based on data declared by the manufacturer.

Collection: Cosmos — modular furniture system
Manufacturer: Tecno
Design: Norman Foster Foundation and Centro Progetti Tecno, 2024
Structure: spine with a cluster of four ellipses in recyclable aluminium, branching into legs and top supports; refined via 3D modelling, structural software and 5-axis CNC machining
Tables (H 74 cm / 29 in): rectangular 63/70.9/78.7x39.4 in — square 47.2/55.1 in — round 55.1/63 in — oval 98.4x47.2 in
Beam tables: single beam 110.2/126/141.7x39.4 in — double beam 110.2/126/141.7 in and 165.4/189/212.6x55.1/63 in (up to 212 1/2 in)
Bookshelves: modules L 47.2/63/78.7 in, depth 14.6/18.5 in; wall-mounted H 92.5/112.2 in; floor-to-ceiling H 102.4-114.2 / 114.6-122 in
Storage elements: shelves W 14.6 in, cabinets W 18.5 in, flap fronts and drawers
Accessories: cable management box and tray clips, under-shelf lighting (single or double side), modesty panel, provision for screens and extensions
Finishes: tops in clear or low-iron glass, 10 lacquers, 6 oak tones; structures painted Malachite, Black, Cobalt, Bronze, White, Titanium

La Mercanti USA Llc — your partner for Italian design and contract supply.
Los Angeles, CA, USA · +1 855 335 8079 · info@lamercanti.us
Supply, quotes, specifications and project support across the United States and North America.

Documents and Catalogs

Cosmos Catalogue Tecno Finishes & Materials

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FAQ

What makes Cosmos different from buying desks as you grow?
The spine is the product. Components are interchangeable, so the desk you install today becomes the anchor of tomorrow's shared workstation or beam table. You add modules instead of replacing furniture, and the floor keeps one consistent design language.
How large can a single Cosmos composition get?
The double-beam table alone runs to 540 cm at 140 or 160 cm depth, and bookshelf systems climb floor-to-ceiling to about 310 cm. Between those extremes sit rectangular, square, round and oval tables, all at 74 cm height.
Who designed Cosmos and when?
The Norman Foster Foundation together with Centro Progetti Tecno, in 2024. The project is an initiative of the Foundation's Design and Innovation Unit, exploring aeronautical engineering and material innovation applied to furniture.
Does the system handle technology or just surfaces?
It handles both: cable management box, tray clips, provision for screens and extensions, under-shelf lighting on one or two sides. Power and data belong to the structure, which matters once workstations multiply.
Is the aluminium structure a sustainability argument?
The material fact is declared by Tecno: the system is refined in recyclable aluminium, engineered to use the least material possible. Fewer kilograms doing more work is the kind of claim you can weigh.

Scaling one Cosmos floor plan through three funding rounds

A playbook for operations leads who expect headcount to move: how to phase Cosmos so each expansion lands as an add-on order, not a redesign.

Anchor the first order
Start with the desks and one beam axis placed where growth will happen. The four-ellipse spine accepts doubling later, so position it for the floor you will occupy, not the one you rent today.
Reserve the long wall
Keep one wall free for the equipped bookshelf: modules of 120, 160 or 200 cm can arrive in phase two, wall-mounted first, floor-to-ceiling when the archive earns it.
Standardize the finish codes
Lock one oak, one lacquer and one structure color in the project file. Two years between orders is where finish drift creeps in; codes prevent it.
Phase the services once
Bring power and data to the spine on day one, using the cable box and tray clips. Every later module then connects instead of requiring new routing.
Reorder by specification, not memory
When phase two comes, have the original parts list verified against the current Tecno range, La Mercanti keeps that record for every Cosmos project it supplies, so module twelve still matches module one.

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