Stay for life
Adaptability is not often a factor attributed to heavy desk chairs, which are usually sole use, desk-directed units.
Alegreindustrial Studio’s new model, the STAY, is designed differently so that elements can be added to it, so its purpose can change over time and its longevity can increase.
Created to bring a chameleon-like adaptability to any working environment, it gives the user the opportunity to make improvements and add accessories as if they were customising a vehicle.
The base model is designed with a synchrointelligent system that automatically adjusts itself to each user’s weight.
The backrest, in breathable material, extends the useful life of the product.
Using the base model as a starting point, the user can play around with a multitude of options that vary according to the type of armrest (fixed, height-adjustable, pivot or tracking), the lumbar support system, the upholstery, the base in plastic or aluminium as well as the colour of the structure.
The design was completed by Alegreindustrial Studio over eight months.
Initial sketches were produced, showing the outline and form of the seat, before it was modelled in Siemens NX 8. The product’s lifecycle formed a key part of the seat design, influencing its construction, repair and final disposal.
Designed to be manufactured with recycled aluminium and steel materials, and reduced dangerous substances such as chrome, mercury or cadmium.
Parts are designed for long lasting, repeated use, with spare parts and replacements made easily available to the consumer.
The chair at the end of its life is easy and quick to split into component parts, 92.85 per cent of which are recyclable.
Where the water takes you
Shared usage spaces are all the rage in the modern office environment, with the everyday seat now a key tool in adapting to all aspects of the workspace.
Riya is the latest project to emerge from London designers PearsonLloyd’s ongoing relationship with Austrian furniture brand Bene.
Designed to work across all the modern office buzzwords – the ‘landscape’, ‘touch-down spaces’ and ‘open plan zones’ – it can also adapt to be used in quiet areas for focused individual work.
The name RIYA is even derived from the ancient Greek word for river – as in, to ‘go with the flow’ wherever it is used in a modern office.
With a high back option, far from an indication of status, it acts as an acoustic shield, enclosing workers from noise behind them and creating a sense of privacy.
The enhanced range of eight colours and different materials means it is likely to fit your office décor, while the frame comes in black or white, with a metallic finish available for the base.
Colour extends to the seating controls, with orange being an option to highlight the height, tilt and armrest positions to make them easier to find.
Designer Tom Lloyd, said: “RIYA is the result of our continuous effort to challenge the overtly technical aesthetic that dominates workplace design.
“Consciously open and human, RIYA is designed to operate successfully across the workplace. “RIYA is at once technically advanced, welcoming and friendly.”
Float like a butterfly
In the evolving workplace, the flexibility to work as part of a group and as an individual is influencing design.
Unconsciously you are adjusting your posture: from hunched over sketching to upright, in animated discussion with your colleagues.
The Mirra 2 from Herman Miller moves as you do, adapting to you instantly.
Every slight shift in your posterior, back and shoulders is dynamically supported.
Designed by Studio 7.5 of Berlin, Germany, it is built on the same principles as its best-selling original from ten years ago, but is completely redesigned from the castors up.
The result is a leaner, lighter,more responsive chair that moves as one with the occupant.
The special ‘Butterfly Back’, with its responsiveness and intuitive feel, results from the invention of a method for merging a fabric layer with polymer veins to create an intelligent support structure.
This hybrid structure – a reinforced fabric of sorts – adjusts to contour to all different types of backs and postures, helping keep your body in healthy alignment.
“We always knew that for an ergonomic work chair the same rules apply as for a pair of running shoes,” says Studio 7.5.
“Both need to balance adaptability and support in order to be health positive. At the same time the gear needs to provide just the right amount of firmness and support in order to help the person’s body adopt healthy postures.”
The seat base design increases air flow to keep you cool, and a reinvented ‘harmonic tilt’ creates a smooth and balanced feel as you move from one posture to another.
Using less material more intelligently makes the chair 22 per cent lighter than its predecessor and reduces each chair’s carbon footprint by a quarter.
