One Chair a Week - the book

one weekchair a

T H E R O Y A L D A N I S H A C A D E M Y O F F I N E A R T S

S C H O O L O F A R C H I T E C T U R E

This book documents the outcome of a studio

assignment given to 4th year architecture students

at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of

Architecture, Department 11: Architecture, Design

and Industrial Form. An assignment focusing on the

form of the chair.

The chair is a deeply rooted, ancient object, with a rich

array of constructive typologies available. And the

chair is an object with intimate and direct relations

to the human body. Therefore, in an attempt to study

– and to advance the sensitivity of – the relations of

object, construction and the human body, the chair

is central.

This goes against contemporary trends in design, as

this study is object-centered, form-driven, individual

and materially concrete. The aim of this approach

is to provide an in-depth study of the design of an

architectural object. To study material grammar

and constructive syntax in a setting focusing on

the internal problems – the aesthetic problems –

of design of physical objects. It is our firm belief

that such focused, in-depth studies are required, in

order to build the platform enabling the architect or

designer later to make profound contributions to the

culture of form in more contextualized situations.

This study goes to the bone of the matter of the chair.

And the emerging discussions touch on a number

of everlasting artistic, aesthetic issues, like the

relations of detail to the whole, as well as relations

of order to variation.

The study eliminates the usual filter of representation,

as it is full scale and built, rather than drawn. This

provides for discussions enhancing sensitivity as to

absolute size – not just proportion in the sense of

relations of measures to other measures, but also

absolute scale, meaning the proportion of the object

to the human body and surrounding space. And it

provides for insights into the properties of materials.

Insights that become embodied, concrete knowledge

rather than detached, abstract information.

There is no way to understand making, other than

going through the process of making.

Anders Brix

Professor, architect, head of studies, department 11

foreword

“The Chair”One Chair – One to One – Once a Week

There can be many approaches to designing a chair.

Typically students start out by making sketches,

drawings and models before making final full-scale

prototypes. Usually, the period of time spent on

the small-scale explorations expand to leave only a

limited and flustered period of time to develop full-

scale pieces. Many of the limitations of the design

are not actually encountered until the full-scale chair

is constructed. In recognition of these concerns,

we were very interested to explore possibilities to

speed up and intensify the design and realization

process. For us, it was extremely important to have

some physical material at 1:1 scale to inform a series

of ongoing discussions in the studio, to improve the

skills in the workshops and to develop a synthesis

between the material, the tectonics, and the form

of the chair. We decided to make an experiment

and asked ourselves if it was possible to make one

chair per week? It was our hunch that this could

Course conducted by

Nicolai de Gier, associate professor, architect maa

Deane Simpson, teacher, architect phd

Jesper Pagh, teacher, architect maa

set up a productive rhythm of investigation and

experimentation concentrated around the act of

making.

While the first emphasis of the studio described

above was a methodological or procedural one,

the second emphasis was a conceptual and

programmatic one – focusing on the possibilities of

re-engaging the potential of the chair as a universal

object for a universal user. This may be partly stated

in terms of a reaction toward a malaise associated

with contemporary chair design – one that could be

framed as a function of the increasing fragmentation,

segmentation and individualization of the program

and user of the chair. Currently this manifests itself

in several tendencies: the chair addressing a hyper-

specific market segment, one that is often translated

in stylistic terms, resulting in chairs with short term

market desirability; the chair addressing a hyper-

specific program that is frozen in terms of its use

and limited in its broader cultural value; the hyper-

flexible chair, that attempts to adjust to ‘fit’ every

user which is realized in terms of an assemblage of

hardware; the exclusively user-centered designed

chair lacking in an overall synthetic design vision

and devoid of design innovation; and the purely

2

Gustavo Bianchi

Elina Cullen

Francesco D’ onghia

Daniela Evans

Camilla Ernen-Lyngholm

Paul Farrel

Hollie Gibbons

Matthew Gilbert

Johannes Grune

Simon Harker

Nicholas Lee

Lea Paulsen

Thomas Skov

Tobias Trudsø

production-technology driven chair that is often limited in its

broader programmatic and cultural engagement.

The challenge of the assignment then was to explore what

a universal chair could be today. What would today’s

counterpart be to the universality and durability– in tectonic,

programmatic and cultural terms – of Arne Jacobsen’s

Chair series 7 side chair or the Eames’s Plastic Chair, for

example. It was our hunch that it is precisely the ability of

such designs to synthesize multiple parameters that exist

around the chair that contribute to their success. Parameters

ranging from tectonics, materiality, shape, and program, to

functionality, physical and cultural durability, and production

methodology. By attempting to address this challenge several

times over, within a weekly feedback loop of fast and active

experimentation, we looked to see the studio developing a

speed and fluency of design communication – opening up a

vigorous space of engagement and debate around the design

of the Chair.

This course was targeted to students in the master’s program looking

for an elementary introduction to furniture design as a design

discipline. The course is included in a combination thesis with other

subject areas at the school or as part of a wider education in industrial

design. At the same time, this course will form the basis of an actual

thesis study for students wishing to study furniture design. The course

program includes lectures, workshops and study trips.

1. WOOD STICKS CHAIR

Rules:

1. Design and make a chair in 1:1. Develop your own

vision for what a chair could be. The chair can be

fabricated in the workshop or in the studio. Do it to

the best of your abilities. The quality of the concept

is the primary issue here rather than the final finish

of the chair.

2. The material is fixed: 38x57 mm wooden ’sticks’.

1:1

IN ONE WEEK

2. STICKS + PLY WOOD CHAIR

1. A new material will be added to your palette:

plywood. The thickness of plywood and proportion of

plywood to wooden ‘sticks’ is your choice. All chairs

must have at least one piece of each material, then

please follow the following rules:

2. The chair type should be a “side chair“. Like the

Jacobsen series-7 or the Eames plastic chair, a side

chair satisfies the functions of a dining chair, an

auditorium chair, a hotel room bureau chair etc. (here,

we would like to limit hyper-specificity in the chair

program.)

3. All chairs are to be fixed without moving parts.

(Here, we would like to limit the discussion of multi-

use moving part furniture.)

4. Focus on the notion of the chair as a whole. Place the

articulation of the chair’s details to the background of

the process

5. Define a single (provisional) point of focus in the

development of the chair. This could be related to

a thesis around balance, weight, reduction, fewest

numbers of parts, etc. 1:1

IN ONE WEEK

3. PLY WOOD CHAIR

1. Use only plywood to design and make the chair.

Attached to this rule are sub-rules:

1a. Cutting, drilling and routing allowed.

1b. No laser cutting

1c. No bending

1d. No boxes (try to avoid the obvious plywood chair

trap of the box-chair. Think as three-dimensionally as

possible.)

Please maintain the following rules from last week:

2. The chair type should be a side chair.

3. The chair parts should be fixed.

4. Background the issue of the single detail.

5. Concentrate on one theme as a generator (eg.

transparency, redistribution of chair materiality,

suspension, mass, etc, etc.) This is also meant to

refer to a process of editing your ideas and reducing

the number of things you try to do in a single chair.

We have previously discussed this with reference to

particular examples.

1:1

IN ONE WEEK

4. FREE WOOD CHAIR

1. Design and make a wooden side chair with the

freedom available for you to mix and match the

rules and materials from the previous three chair

assignments. The possibility would be to either refine

and develop the design of one of the previous three

chairs into a new chair design, or to combine and edit

elements of the previous chairs into one single chair.

2. Try to focus on one main conceptual approach in

your fourth chair. Try to have one main approach.

Please maintain the following rules from previous

weeks:



1:1

IN ONE WEEK

5. METAL SHEET CHAIR

1. Design and make a chair using 1mm metal sheet.

The typical sheet size is 1.0 x 2.0 meters. The best way

to start the sketching process, is to work in paper.

What you can do with paper in terms of bending, you

can typically do with metalsheet.

2. You are only allowed to use the point-welding

machine. Continue to work within the same

framework as the previous chairs.



1:1

IN ONE WEEK

Gustavo BianchiArgentina

The first two chairs I made have in common a search for a very

easy construction. In both, the chair design is based on rather

determined elements that relate to each other in fixed ways.

The last three chairs, on the other hand, were focusing on

playing with the structure. The first two with the idea of a

cantilever seat supported by an inclinated thick column, sta-

bilised in turn by a base. The last one, on the other hand is an

experiment with tensegrity structures. I was interested in it

from before, and it fitted really well with a new self-imposed

condition: the final product needed to fit in my lugagge.

I am a student of architecture, but i wanted to work in a small

scale to see how my design procedure would be affected

when the object needed to actually be built. The dialectic

logic between what I thought should to be done and what

indeed could be done, I believe grants projects with a density

of what is anchored in reality. My curiosity was, in this way,

satisfied and nourished.

I know my approach to design and theoretical background

is not completely shared with the teachers, and I appreciate

such a successful attempt to adapt the critique into recipro-

cal useful feedback.

Assignments and progress

16

This stool is mainly made out of two simple pieces. One

L shaped wooden stick that is the structural backleg

and part of the seat. The other piece forms the other

part seat and the front leg, that works as a stabiliser

and helpsto carry the weight.

These two pieces are a few centimeters displaced

away from each other, in order to emphasise their dif-

ference, so that they do not share the uneven end of

the seat.

Wood sticks chair

I got inspired by a really cool wine-holder.attracted

by its apparent instability, the symbiotic relation

between the wine and its support, and the clear

distinction between these two elements.

This translates into an inclinated structural column

with a base, and a fully independent seat that lays on

the column.

Due to the necessary steep inclination of the column,

the backrest is resolved by a piece that comes foward.

The chair is made out of equal “L shaped” pieces of

wood sticks and 2 wooden dowels. The form of this

chair is given by the different ways of articulating

these two elements.

The plywood stripe come as a third element that

hasve different properties, and thus operate with

theirown logic: weaving through the L´s. They serve

to keep the L´s in their place and to smooth the

surfaces in contact with the human body.

Plywood chairWood sticks and plywood chair

18

This chair is a continuation of the last one. I thought

that the new material, metal sheet, might solve some

problems the last chair had. The chair still works with

the two distinguishable parts: cantilever and support.

This time, though, each piece is made out of a single

bent sheet so that the inner tension would not tear it

apart. The two pieces are welded together in the back.

Metal sheet chair

This stool is an attempt to make a seat out of

a tensegrity model. Tensegrity is a structural

principle based on the use of isolated components

in compression inside a net of continuous tension,

in such a way that the compressed members do not

touch each other and the prestressed tensioned

members delineate the system spatially.

The compressed members of this system are the

hollow pyramids made out of metal tubes. These are

joined through a small tense wire.

The tension members are 2mm metal wires, strained

by hand and fixed by small metal clamps on the top.

These go through handcrafted fittings made out of

solid metal bars (with the help of awesome Mads).

The fittings placed at the top, in contact with the

leather, are rounded; whereas the ones touching the

floor are straight filleted.

Final Chair

Elina CullenDenmark

Assignment and process

At the beginning of the semester I had some thoughts on the

generic chair. I reflected on the qualities that are important for

the experience of a supernormal object.

Throughout the process I’ve tried to work on those qualities,

by experimenting with them in the different assignments.

The assignments where quick and there was a hands on

approach most of the time, so it has been a very intiutive pro-

cess. A key word for the process must be improvisation, where

some details where worked out in the workshop.

This kind of approach is new to me, and must say it has been

interesting, not just the fact that quick dessicions had to be

made but also to experience how ones intuition works in a

pressed situation.

The different materials assigned, gave the process a tricky but

good alternation to the hands on approach, where new meth-

ods had to be taken into consideration.

24

The chair consists of a long strip of merged sections.

By folding and merging the sections into one another

it forms a chair.

The strip contains a lot of possibilities. By working on

the dimensions of the sections, the strip can become

a multifunctional element, that can adapt to any

given context and or occasion.

A locking system is needed to fix the strip’s different

positions. This would magnify the strip’s potential

and the different functions.

The Strip

The chair was a reminder on tectonic rules where I

tried to optimise the plates possibilities. By merging

the plates into one another there is no need for

external joining parts. So the plates are used as

joints as well as structural means.

The chair has a strong plate character, however I

feel there is too much of it. The plates could have

been diminished, by keeping the most important

structural parts. This would minimise the weight of

the chair, which resulted to be very heavy.

The concept of this chair was to use as fewer lines

as possible. The seat becomes the back leg and the

front legs become the backrest, which causes fewer

lines. Furthermore this chair was an experiment in

laminating, since I have never tried this technique.

However whilst drawing the chair I forgot to think of

the connotations a chair produces on the user. This

chair made me realise is important for the reception

of a side chair.

KatarinaTWO-line

26

I worked with origami, which for me was an obvious

approach to this material, since folding the metal

will enhance the structural strength.

Origami folding is often very complex, and due to

the restrictions of the production method, it had to

be simplified. This caused a design made of three

pieces that hold on to one another. Even though the

production of the chair was quick, I experienced that

metal isn’t the best material for an origami inspired

design.

The economy had a major impact on my process. My

lack of funds made me use the material I had left over

from previous chairs.

The chair is an unconventional shell chair, with

wooden legs. The pattern of the ”shell” gives the

chair an aesthetic value, that gets to shine trough,

now that I have painted the legs. Although I hollowed

the shell and made a handle to make it manageable,

it is still heavy. This could be solved by removing the

superfluous material.

Chatty origamSustainable pattern

My vision is to create a side chair with a timeless

form and a contemporary expression made of recy-

cled materials.

The concept is to make sustainable chairs by using

materials that have been thrown away and in some

way can be reused. Various materials are suited for

the concept, which will define the projects aesthetic

expression and value. papmaCHAIR is inspired by

“suistainable pattern” where the concept was to use

leftover materials. The material affected the aesthet-

ic value and dictated the process towards an intui-

tive method.

With this project I want to use leftover material, that

I find problematic and is influenced by a specific men-

tality of throwing away. There are two issues that I’ve

focused on.

1: The daily newspapers. Which mostly are made of

recycled paper, but somehow it seems superfluous to

undergo the entire process of recycling and printing

a paper that will get thrown out after a short use.

2: The bulky trash that is seen on all the major cities

in Denmark and other places in the world. Furniture

in perfect conditions and other things are sent to the

scrapyard, without any consideration of recycling or

reusing.

papmaCHAIR is a classic shell chair made of uncon-

ventional materials. The shell is made of papier ma-

che and the legs are made of reused table legs.

The reuse of these materials creates an extra loop on

the material flow and prolongs the life of the mate-

rial.

To strengthen the shell and the papier mache, I’ve

worked with the geometry by creating a double

curved form and added layers of fabric and strength-

en the risky areas further by adding extra layers. This

affects the thickness of the shell in an uneven way

and creates a dynamic reverse.

Since I want an honest expression, leaving the news-

paper exposed the papier mache creates a pattern on

the shell that defines the chairs aesthetic expression

and value. To emphasise the aesthetic value I have

chosen to use the danish newspaper Politiken, which

for me has a clean graphic expression. I believe that

changing the newspaper can change the expression,

and thus change the target group.

papmaCHAIR

Francesco D’OnghiaItaly

For me it has been a very enriching exchange experience. I

come from Politecnico di Milano and I noticed a big difference

of design approach with The Royal Danish Academy.

The first one is very rational and pragmatic, while the second

one has a more “academic” approach, very manual and much

more focused on the experimentation and the experiencing.

I really enjoyed this spontaneous method of working and the

sparkling environment of experimentation and collaboration

inside our studio. When I started getting involved in the de-

sign vision of the furniture semester I felt free to risk and to

fail. And learn as much as possible also from failure.

Failure itself is probably the keyword of my experience. Mak-

ing a chair in such a short time did not allow me to get perfect

results, but I collected several mistakes that have been nec-

essary in order to get deep experience and knowhow about

chairs.

During the semester I gradually worried less about static as-

pects and final results, and caring more about coming out

with an interesting and useful experience, both manual and

conceptual.

It is clear the evolution of my chairs, starting from a dogmatic

one to get gradually to more innovative and risky outcomes.

I learnt a wider design approach that takes care about all de-

sign phases, sometimes focusing more on the process than the

object itself. This has been decisive during designing the final

chair.


32

I arrived to Copenhagen very late and I had only 3

days to do this first chair. So I wanted a chair for those

moments in which time is unfriendly, for those places

in which people are in a hurry. The public transport

seemed to meet my expectations: metro stops but

also trains and buses. I found very interesting the

concept of leaning on something rather than seating,

while waiting. Small space and fast rest were the

main features to work on. The result is a wooden

translation of an existing solution, its is modular with

the possibility to be multiplied to form a sort of bench.

It could be very interesting to introduce this concept

in a danish kitchen, often very small and packed.

Wood sticks chair

Designing this chair I tried to keep simplicity and

minimality through all the design phases.

The chair is made out of just three elements and all of

those belong from the same squared module (45cm X

45cm). Therefore the three elements can be cut out of

a standard plywood panel of 90cm x 90 cm without any

waste of material. The whole structure is simplified to

the vertical and horizontal directions. I wanted also

to experiment a way to lock this chair without usign

glue at all. Each element has particular tracks sliding

one into the other and locking in a very tight joint.

The outcome is a very geometric and rational chair,

essential in form and materials.

For the second chair I decided to focus on the

materiality and how to highlight the contrast but also

the interaction between solidwood and plywood.

I used just plywood for all “horizontal” elements

and just wood sticks for all “vertical” elements. The

two materials follow two orthogonal axes giving

the feeling of literally crossing one another through

a very expressive junction in which the dowels are

visible, showing the crossing of three elements, three

materials, along three axes.

The shape of the chair is very traditional and

conventional in order to focus the attention to

the materials and make easier the reading of the

materiality.


34

For our first and only metal chair I concentrated on

materiality. The expression of the metal sheet is

very interesting and hss potentialities need to be

explored in a totally different way from the wood.

The similarities of the metalsheet and the paper was

very exciting to me and this chair is the result of an

interesting reaction I noticed while modeling with

papersheets that, surprisingly, worked even better

with the metal.

I simply overlapped two metalsheets and welded two

corners. Then, pulling the opposite edges, the two

I was interested in the idea of being suspended

rather than sitting on a rigid structure, so I decided to

descontextualize the concept of the hammock, from

the exotic environment to the house and office; from

being used to rest and relax to the universal use of

the side chair. In order to give the feeling, also visual,

of being suspended, I avoided to use any horizontal

support. I introduced a new material, the yuta string,

that links each part of the hammock together and is

the only junction element between the seat and the

structure.

The result is an object that works with tensions

rather than compression, a chair for sitting in rather

than on.

Metal sheet chairFree wood chair

I am very interested in the feeling of being

suspended that I explored during my fourth chair.

I wanted to apply the concept of tension rather

than compression, and get to a solution as close as

possible to the everyday use of the side chair. The

hammock did not work in vertical orientation. The

concept of tension is very interesting but in a side

chair it needs a different appoach.

During the semester I understood the importance of

prototyping, moving from abstract ideas to concrete,

tangible, and experiential things. I soon realised that

sketches and digital drawing would not have helped

me since I was dealing with string tensions. Therefore

I started prototyping from the very beginning, going

through a fast and spontaneous trial and error phase

that I used to explore, evolve, and communicate my

ideas.

As for my metal chair I did not design the form of the

seat, but I focused on the process to create that form.

The result is a system of strings tightened around

an oak structure shaping the surface in an almost

unpredictable way.

HammoChair

Daniela EvansChile

I arrived in Copenhagen without knowing how to build a chair

at 1:1, without a big expirience in workshops and without

knowing anything about chairs. A big challenge.

In these five chair assignments I started knowing nothing of

chairs or construction, and as you can see, I was really basic

in the beginning, but with a big interest in knowinga chair is. I

wanted to know how to get to design one that works and has

a higher added value.This idea moved with me to the end of

the project.

Throughout the semester I made a lot of mistakes and some

interesting things, in both cases I lerned from the expirience. I

met different construction methods; crossing, repetitions and

assemblies.

At the end I took a big risk by choosing a reused material that

can be easily found on the streets of Copenhagen. To innovate

and propose was what I did along the semester.


40

As a free shape chair, and responding to the

question “what is a chair for you?” I realised that my

chair needed to contain, at that time, stability, security

and comfort.

This chair works with the concept of the “throne” as

a secure and safe chair, as an object that is hard to

move, it gives you the oportunity to seat save and have

a secure point of view. I decided to take one of the

armrests out, with this you get more possibilities of

positions. I worked with the material just as it looked

and with a simple constructive method.

Wood sticks chair

This chair also has the principle of a cross. As a plywood

chair, it is constructed with: base that consists of two

shapes that founds the middle and form the four legs

of the chair. Then there is repetition of an L shape eight

times, this repetition forms the seat and the back rest.

The concept of repetition is interesting, but again there

was the same mistake where it is not comfortable and

does not fit the body.

Acording to the side chair this is a chair with only

the most necessary parts. I decide to use the wood

sticks for the structure and plywood for the seat and

back rest. The structure of the chair is made of two

profieles, they cross each other in the middle and

give up the skeleton, and then the plywood is use to

the both resting parts, seat and back rest.

It has problems in the proportions, the back is not

confortable but has personality and carácter.


42

Following the last chair I decided to bring the same, or

almost the same chair, into metal sheet. It is a totally

different material, the construction consists more of

bending and cuting. So I ended with a chair of two

pieces; front legs and seat, and back legs and back rest.

Both of them are also follow the shape of the triangle,

but now they start in a planar map and then get the

form. I love the idea of working with the chair as a two

piece object.

In this free wood chair I used only plywood. This chair

is based in a profile that borns for the repetition and

rotation of the triangle and then extend the profile

with the thickness of the plywood. The seat is straight

with a little angle and the back rest is a concave form

that is the result of following the same shape of the

triangles. The proportions are bigger than necessary

but the result is harmonic.


Returning to the analysis of the side chair as a uni-

versal object, common for everyone, that fits with all

the activities of the day, eating, studing, working or

just sitting for a moment. I stopped one moment to

look at these activities, how a chair can respond to

everything?

All these activities have something in common: There

is always active and inactive moments . My chair will

work with this duality to include active and inactive

moments in one chair. It will reflect this duality trans-

mitting this in its shape and materiality.

I decided to work with metal tubes for the structure

and with recycled inner tubes for the seat and the

back rest. The structure is composed of two pieces

of metal tube that found each other at the floor,

the idea of this is to have a chair that we can adjust.

The second material is really interesting becouse is

a reused material that abounds in Copenhaguen.

The technique used to give to this material more

strength is called Macrame (an ancient way of weav-

ing by hand)

Spider chair is a contrast between the industrial and

the hand made production, it is also a return in our

history bringing us a different and jumpy way of sit-

ing day to day.

Spider Chair

Gustavo Bianchi

Elina Cullen

Francesco D’ onghia

Daniela Evans

Camilla Ernen-Lyngholm

Paul Farrel

Hollie Gibbons

Matthew Gilbert

Johannes Grune

Simon Harker

Nicholas Lee

Lea Paulsen

Thomas Skov

Tobias Trudsø

Camilla Ernen-LyngholmDenmark

The main idea in all my chairs stems back to my initial analysis;

When is a chair just a chair, not a stool, an armchair, a folding

chair or any other category? My goal has been to examine what

would be the bare essentials of a chair. I have aimed to define

what a generic sidechair would need, and equally importantly

not need, in order to be immediately perceived as “just” a

chair. The generic sidechair should be able to accommodate

the many functions of a chair (see the diagram). The process

of the chairs involved research, hand drawn sketches, sketch

models in paper, cardboard and wood and 1:1 work at the

work shops, engineer consulting and visits to companies with

furniture / weaving expertise.


FUNCTIONS

PLACED UPSIDE DOWN- on a table while cleaning the floor

STACkED

“STOrAgE”- for clothes, bags,

books etc.

mObILITy- easy to move with

just one hand

mEET THE rEQUIrEmENTS FrOm VArIOUS AgE-

grOUPS- add a pillow for elderly people

- add a “Handysitt” for small children

ACCOmmODATE mANy SITTINg POSITION

- by itself and in relation to a table

48

The focus in the first chair was to meet the bare

essentials of a chair, and make it able to accommodate

the various functions of a generic chair. The chair

is inspired by the Egyptian chair: a triangular motif

occurs where the backleg, the backrest and the seat

meet. This triangle

provides structural stability and contributes with a

clear and simple visual identity.

Wood sticks chair

This chair was driven by the wish to let the logic and

expression of the planar material be visible in the final

design.

Meanwhile it was also important to minimise the

material and thereby the weight in order to keep

the mobility of the chair. The chair is surprisingly

comfortable as the slits in the seat and the back

allows each piece of wood to give in to the weight that

it is carrying.

In the second chair focus was more on comfort.

Switching the materials from their most obvious

placements; Using the plywood as a frame instead

of a seat and a backrest, allowed free organic forms,

and by making the sticks rather thin they were able

to meet the shapes of the frame.


50

The fifth chair was designed with focus on how

the chair would meet the human body. I wished to

transform the cold, hard metal sheet into something

organic and comfortable.

The shell consists of several circles which are cut out

of the metal sheet, then pressed individually to obtain

the correct degree of a coneshape, and finally welded

together to create the curvature of the entire shell.

It is made of left-over material only, so in this way a

sustainable chair.

The fourth chair is a development of the first chair

(the Egyptian inspired chair). it is light (3,3 kg), it is

stackable, easy to handle and to get into and out

of. It fulfills many of the functions which the initial

analysis highlighted would be the demands of a

generic side chair. All the sticks are 25x50 mm, and

this uniform dimension gives the chair a visual

coherence.


In my studies into the Egyptian Chair, a 4000 year old

archetype, I read the following: “In its construction

and form this chair-type represents something

quite unique in the history of furniture, combining

simplicity and stability with comfort. A combination

which does not occur again in the history of European

furniture until the 16th century.”

(Dan Svarth, Egyptisk møbelkunst fra Faraotiden,

p.66)Main focus has been to modernise this chair by

refining it’s dimensions, proportions and materials.

Comfort has been met by making use of the lines and

points that already existed in the modernised frame.

Great attention has been put into the joints and

details of the chair; at the front legs the fingerjoints’

dimensions harmonise with the dimension of the

yarn, and the linear repetition joins the two materials

into a whole. By recessing the yarn into the wood it

becomes an integrated part of the chair rather than

an extra layer. A generic sidechair should have the

ability to accommodate unexpected functions.

Final Chair

Paul FarrellUK

Following initial discussions on what makes a chair a chair, I

wanted to define what differentiates a side chair from other

pieces of sitting furniture. The areas of the body supported

dictate how the chair is used, and therefore classified. The

relationship can be summarised by saying the task performed

on the chair is more deliberate when less of the body is sup-

ported.

Looking at archetypal side chairs, the support of ones but-

tocks and lower back in combination give the freedom to lean

forward an engage with a task, and at the same time the op-

tion to lean back, using the chair in a less formal manner.

The scale of the side chair is also largely derived from the hu-

man body. However it must also fit within the wider furniture

framework, commonly working in combination with tables/

desks to allow users perform tasks, like writing a letter.

Scale and Support were the initial themes I chose to explore

in the first of a family of chairs which would grow during the

semester.

All architects should design chairs.


56

Three identified body parts – lower back, left and right

sitting bone have their downward forces transferred

directly into the ground via three pillars.

The pillars are made as simply as possible. This served

two functions: keeping the language relating to

support clean, and providing a primary and ambiguous

form, making the scale of the object hard to distinguish

without comparable objects. It’s modest form lead to

the nickname.

Monastry

Would a different level on flexibility within the struc-

ture change the function of the chair?

Rigidity in the structure itself lead to the horizontal

bracings of the chair being created with cables under

tension. The bouncy balls act as flexible spacers.

The idea of mass producing a repeated one piece ele-

ment was the main design parameter.

Ones body is inherently symmetrical in both form

and weight. I worked from the principal that if one

half of the body could be comfortably supported by

half a chair, then this could be reflected along a cen-

tral axis to complete a whole.

Fitting the chair to the shape of the human back re-

sults in an acute angle forcing the two halves to join.

BambiSiamese

58

Continuing to look at forgotten properties, I wanted

to search for something as unique to the material as

possible.

The chair imitated similar form as the previous chair,

using 3 sided boxes to give structural strength. I then

spent the rest of my time failing to magnetize the en-

tire chair. I eventually faked the effect with magnetise

which raised interesting questions into true personali-

ties of materials. Steel’s attraction to metal for exam-

ple.

I felt materials were being interpreted on their di-

mensions, and that natural and inherent properties

of timber were being forgotten.

First I made an archetypal wooden blue chair.

I then dismantled the chair and split each piece of the

chair lengthways with an axe.

The chair was then rebuilt with the wood

essentially inside out, showing wood’s unique 3D

quality in its grain.

Magnetoforget me not

The concept for the final chair aimed to further ex-

plore themes initially touched on with the ’forget me

not’ chair.

As modern production methods have progressed,

natural materials have become industrialized. This

has happened over centuries and could be seen as

mans desire to move away from nature as he/she

evolves.

After a tree is felled it is processed, cut in to orthogo-

nal dimensions and any leftovers are reformed into

boards with the help of glues and resins. To compare,

what we buy as wood in the hardware store, or as a

wooden chair in Ikea is a million miles from the tree

in the forest.

By splitting wood I aimed to reveal the natural beau-

ty and indivualism of timber.

With consumer culture booming people are starting

to look beyond mass produced objects and towards

customized one offs in an attempt to make their ob-

jects stand out. Instead of looking to CAD/CAM rapid

prototyping, by

releasing the natural differences within wood is a

more honest way of producing mass produced indi-

viduality.

The juxtapostion between the ’snow white design

language’ parts of the chair, and its split sides aimed

to heighten the difference between the material fin-

ishes.

Overall form and joinery were kept simple to allow

the material to do as much talking as possible. The

lines the axe split follows are never perpendicular,

and this gives the chair its unique shape and char-

acter.

Split Side Chair

Hollie GibbonsUK

This semester focused upon an exciting exploration into

furniture design, paying particular attention to chairs;

combined with a number of courses tackling aesthetics and

user-centred design, the purpose of this semester was to

encourage the rapid exploration, design development and

full scale construction of a series of chair prototypes. Each

chair was introduced with a new set of parameters that could

eventually evolve into a final, more refined, working prototype.

Over the course of the semester I was able to develop new

skills and expand on those which I already possessed. Often,

as a student of architecture, there is seldom chance you will

see one of your designs become an actual full scale object.

Working at a scale of one to one has demonstrated how

simple, and, at times, how frustrating it can be to transform

an idea on paper into a real, performing, object. Tackling

a number of new materials and design limitations, I have

designed and constructed a series of individual chairs,

several of which demonstrate my interest in expressing

the chair as a flexible and active object; engaging and

responding to the weight and movement of the human body.

Hollie Gibbons, June 2011


Taglæter chair

The project began through my understanding of a

chair to be something that supports and elevates the

body from the ground. The form of this chair relies on

a series of repeated module components laminated

together. The first component serves as a front leg and

backrest; the second serves as the seat and back leg.

These two modules are repeated to create a suitable

seat width to support the body. Comfort was addressed

by closing the comb structure to reduce pressure on

the user’s legs and shoulders when sat on the chair.

Working with the properties of the ply sheet I decided

to concentrate on using as few elements as possible

in order to create an expressive side chair. The

chair consists of three main interlocking plywood

planes and a smaller forth element of the same

material. Limiting the chair to as few components

as possible resulted in an asymmetric form which

created a number of problems in the chair’s overall

function; as a result of these earlier limitations

the chair loses its expression as a side chair.

This chair is designed for use at a dining table.

Inspiration was derived from shaker style and shell

chairs. The combination of taglæter and plywood

materials provides a strong rigid base and flexible

seat that responds to the movement, and changes in

weight, of the user throughout the course of a meal.

The chair is composed of a box frame and plywood

shell loop overlaid with plywood slats; both the loop

and the slats are fixed to the base with dowel pegs.

12mm Plywood chairTaglæter and 4mm plywood chair

In keeping with the properties of the steel sheet

I decided to tackle the conventional tubular steel

cantilever chair and explore whether it was possible

to create a cantilever chair in 1mm steel sheet.

The chair is designed in four strip sections which

are bent and closed via spot welds down a central

seam. Each individual section is then tig welded to

the next section by means of additional external

seams. This cantilever chair is equally flexible and

robust, able to tolerate the movements of the user.

I decided to expand on the previous plywood chair

and overcome the problems encountered by freeing

up the parameters I imposed upon my last design.

Allowing more components, I attempted to improve

upon the asymmetrical chair’s stability and overall

look. To refine the form of the chair; I split the chair

into five components: two legs, backrest, seat and the

pivotal brace. Utilising more components I was able to

achieve better proportions appropriate for a side chair.

1mm Steel Sheet chairFree wood chair

Act

ive

Active Chair

The chair has become somewhat of a passive object

in our everyday lives - allowing users to transfer

their weight and find themselves in a very passive

posture. The concept behind the final chair is to

facilitate and maintain an active sitting position,

preventing passive engagement between the chair

and the user. To satisfy this concept, I decided to

concentrate on materiality and scale; avoiding the

notion of the overly-designed ergonomic chair. It was

important to consider materials that were flexible,

which could respond to the weight and movement

of the body. I decided to reduce the materiality of

the chair to the minimum, only allowing materials to

be used where necessary, or where they come into

contact with the body e.g the back rest and the seat.

Pa

ssiv

eR

ela

xed

Act

ive

Mattehw GilbertUK

Moving from architectural design to furniture design

has been a very interesting and beneficial experience for me.

The most fundamental aspect of this change is one of scale.

I am used to working with abstract scales that make a large

amount of complex data understandable; whereas a chair is

perfectly understandable and indeed should be understood

at 1:1. With the program given- that we are to design a side

chair, I have found myself becoming increasingly interested

in material properties and their tectonic expression. I am

very interested in exploring the properties unique to every

material, and how such properties can be exploited and

expressed in the construction of a chair. I love the idea that

an object can visually state how it is held together without

keeping any secrets. Furthermore, I am not so interested in

designing a chair where the forces are distributed- up, down,

left, right. For me, oblique angles and less predictable forces

are infinitely more interesting, and provide me with a much

wider and more mysterious territory to explore.


72

This was the first chair I had ever made, it was

also the first time I had ever thought critically about

the design of a chair as an object.

I thought about how I use my chair in the studio; I

am normally either engaged and working, or leaning

back and thinking. I designed a chair to accomodate

this motion. It is in two parts, a seat and backrest part

and a base part, with no fixed connection between the

two. One is able to lean back, or sit comfotably in an

unpright position to work.

Wood sticks chair

With this chair I sought to further investgate the

potential of unfixed connections. I was interested in

the idea that a chair could be very fast to assemble,

and that this rapidity of assembly could become

its tectonic expression. I developed a ‘family’ of

components that shared a common geometric

expression, and that added up to a cohesive whole.

I worked with the idea that the chair could be held

together through tension, via a balanced relationship

of forces.

I sought to create a chair that expresses tension

via the bending properties of plywood. I wanted

to experiment with various bending processes-

namely glue-laminating and steam-bending. I was

also keen to express the tectonic quality of these

processes. I created a very simple and lightweight

shell construction, bent-up from a flat form and held

together with wire. The legs are glue-laminated and

also held together with wire, forming a simple plinth

for the shell.


74

I worked with the idea of creating stiffness in the chair

via a ‘seam’ running down its centre. The purpose of

this seam was to divide the maximum dimensions of

all the pieces in two, and introduce more bends into

the material- thus creating more stiffness.

The chair is composed of four simple bent pieces,

joined at the seam with wooden spacers. These

decisions result in a visually open chair, one can see

right through the chair from several angles.

A development of the plywood chair, I sought to

further investigate the idea of a ‘family’ of like

components held together by tension. While the first

ply-wood chair was more sketch-like in its expression,

with this I sought to develop the geometric expression

of the whole. I also tested the idea of a series of parts

that can make multiple chairs; the seat can be flipped

such that the chair opens up towards the back rather

than the front.


With the final chair I sought to further investigate

the potential of a plywood chair held together by

virtue of its tensile properties.

Further to the previous experiments I sought to work

closely with the end form, rather than letting this be

a result of the individual pieces.

I concentrated on resolving the global stability as

well as developing a joint logic that could be used

throughout.

The three elements at each side of the chair, the front

leg, back leg and arm, join each other with a flexible

junction that is held tight by the cross bracing pieces.

I developed this joint as a way to control yet also

express tension.

I did not just work with a finished chair design, but

also the order that it is assembled. This helped me

resolve the stability step by step.

The end product is a visceral display of tension,

balanced with a cohesion of form.

(use this page for showing proces, concepts or what-

ever you wants)

PLY Chair

Johannes GruneGermany

80

Pine wood (55 x 38) offers a wide range of simple and

fast wood joinings. For my design i cut the material to

length and connected vertical and horizontal parts of

the framework with glue and screws. The seat and the

backrest are formed by putting wood sticks together,

thereby creating components that look like cushions

because of their thickness. I came up with a really solid

and heavy wooden chair that is easy to read. Material

and appearance going well together. While using this

unusual and oversized profiles for the construction, it

even carries some playfulness besides its simplicity.

timber chair

Following the sub-rules of the assignment - cutting,

drilling and routing allowed, no laser cutting, no

bending - I designed a chair out of 6 mm plywood. I

used sketching and rhino-modelling to evolve shapes

and generate a construction out of that panel-material

that is able to be a comfortable chair and doesn‘t

look like a box. The sitting surface is reinforcing the

hole leg-construction underneath. I failed in adding a

proper backrest to the contruction. It was more able

to be a interesting stool than a side chair.

Inspired by the light constructions used for theater-

decorations i designed this lightweigth chair out of

thin woodsticks (18mm x 24mm) and 4 mm plywood.

The framework out of pine wood sticks receives its

stability through the plywood surfaces that at the

same time shape the seat and backrest of the chair.

While i bend it two dimensionally, the thin flexible

plywood forms rigid and loadable surfaces. That also

leads to a more comfortable seat. Through joining

vertical and horizontal plywood parts without any

overhang, I created an interesting effect like a skin

on a fragile framework.

plywood chairlight chair

82

Although the metal sheet was only 1 mm thick I

associated a lot of weight with steel and decided to

focus on reducing material as far as possible. I wanted

to avoid big straight surfaces where it is not necessary

and designed a framework out of L - profiles which

only through adding the straight and bent surfaces of

the seat and the backrest gained enough stiffness. The

legs are reinforced by a flat base. Possibly a steeltube-

construction would have been easier to handle but

could not show that interesting reduced, paper-fragile

appearance.

I started the design process with building 1:5 models

out of small woodsticks and cardboard. Obviously

the stick character stayed to the end. One of the main

features is the “seatbox” out of 9 mm plywood that

is held by the left & right side wood frames. On the

one hand it creates an interesting space “in the chair”

and on the other hand it offers some functional

space. A second approach was to add armrests to

the construction. In the end i was impressed by the

challange it presents and how easy the side chair-

character can switch into a armchair-character.

metal sheet chairwooden chair

The basic concept was to design a side chair using

wood and wood-based materials, in order to underline

both materials advantages and characteristics in

tectonics and appearance.

I developed a rib-construction to bend 4 mm plywood

in order to get rigid surfaces for the seat and back.

They stabilise a light frame construction consisting

of oak sticks and birch plywood parts.

The L-shaped plywood parts on the left and right

side absorb and visualise the forces in the chair and

at the same time highlight the stick-character of the

four legs.

I used CNC-technology and simplified the process of

assembly, to create an affordable chair that shows

an interesting contrast of material and surface

qualities through combining varnished plywood and

hardwood.

side chair

Simon HarkerUK

This investigation has focused on the side chair

through a series of full scale experiments exploring this

common chair type. A short user centered observational study

focused the requirements of side chair design to be versatile

for various spaces, uses and situations. The fast progression

between each chair made, critically amassed many ideas and

themes to build the final chair. The different materials of each

assignment explored the importance of tectonics, but the

underlying considerations of the proportion, function and

character of a side chair remained paramount at every stage.

These qualities were elevated by the parallel study of chairs

through recent history. The assignments and process have

developed a strong design concept with an identity for a series

of side chair. The rapid process of design and production has

given a steep and accomplishing learning curve. Lessons learnt

from studying chairs in this way have focused many detail,

material and anthropometric issues which will contribute to

the remaining architecture projects of the course. It has been

one of the most rewarding and enjoyable design semesters

that I have undertaken.

Simon Harker, June 2011


88

The taglægter chair aimed to address initial

perceptions of the proportions and function that a

chair should have. A system was developed to use

the 38 x 56 mm timber in whole, half and quarter

sections. This provided a basic design language and

hierarchy whilst helping to proportion the form and

simplify construction. This chair invited a preliminary

exploration of tectonics with focus on a key

connection, however this expression of construction

could be more minimal, subtle and refined.

Taglægter Chair

Plywood was used exclusively, using the planes of

faceted plates to form a single shell of the chair,

which aims to achieve unity in form. The strength of

the cantilever was derived from creating sectional

depth between two planes. The boxed section at the

core of the chair opposes the planar language of the

seat and base. The geometry was challenging due to

the interdependent relations between planes and

the resultant solution gave a tipping point close to

equilibrium.

The two essential components of the side chair, the

legs and seat, were considered respectively in the two

prescribed materials of wooden stick and plywood

sheet. The chair aims to express and contrast these

parts with the tectonic focus being the detail of their

integrated and minimal junction. Counter bending

and cross-laminating planes of ply in the seat showed

the potential to create a strong boxed element with

opposing clean faces which consider the chair as an

object from all sides.

Ply 9 ChairLaminated Chair

90

Five steel ribbons were bent and folded to give

conceptual elements with continuous and clean

tactile edges. The form of the curved steel around

a structural leg is true to the material quality and is

dynamic in the chair form. The 0.5mm steel sheet had

to be cut, bent and welded to form strips and through

this process the concept of a single flowing element

was almost lost. Despite the construction difficulties

and imprecisions, the chair helped to focus the five

element concept.

The lightest weight chair of my investigations

weighing just 2.4kg, is strong and fully rigid due to

its construction from 4mm boxed plywood. Five

elements unify the seat, back and leg components

into forms that in isolation may appear as non

chair like objects. The facing surfaces of the box

elements were fixed to give the overall chair form,

which through the composition of its parts works

ergonomically and spatially for the user.

Steel 0.5 ChairPly 4 Chair

The culmination of investigations into side chair

design has followed the concept of a chair made from

five elemental forms. The result has a strong tectonic

where pieces are joined in vertical splaying planes

to give a distinctive form which juxtaposes facet

and fluid faces. The proportion and appearance aim

to be visceral and the limit of the chairs statement.

Functionally, the chair was to have the versatility and

modesty associated with a side chair, providing the

kind of comfort to give it a subconscious existence

in use.

This prototype was shaped and constructed from

solid lind wood. The vision for industrially viable

production would be to injection mold each of

the elements from plastic with the opportunity to

explore colour and surface texture.

1. Spatial proportions of the chair

2. 1:5 plastic 3D printed model

3. Solid wood pieces before assembly

Five Piece Chair

1

3

2

Nicholas LeeUK

This semester focused on chair design has been very

challenging but also very rewarding. The pace of the semester

has resulted in the need for the rapid generation of concepts

and rapid critical self reflection when given only one week

to design and build a chair at full scale. Throughout the

semester I have been interested in the idea that a chair unlike

an architectural work does not have the permanent context

of its immediate surroundings. I am fascinated by a chairs

strong physical connection with the human body which I

have continually viewed as its context. I believe that there

is a strong similarity between furniture and apparel design

which both share this immediate physical and symbolic

connection with the body. I have been surprised by the

importance of proportion when dealing with design on the

scale of furniture. Sizing and composition becomes inherently

intuitive when dealing with full scale models which give you

immediate feedback. It is also refreshing to work in a design

discipline which does not carry the burden of functionalist

rationalisation often found in architectural projects. It will be

very interesting to apply the skills we have developed during

this semester to an architectural project.


96

With the first chair I wanted to play with

the themes of temporality, adaptability and user

customisation. It is a kit chair made of standardised

components which are slotted together without the

need for glue resulting in a fully adjustable back rest

and seat. I was disappointed with the final result

which was aesthetically clumsy and unstable due to

its demountable nature. The main points I have learnt

from this chair are the importance of proportion in

furniture and the need to make physical models.

Wood sticks chair


With the third chair I wanted to explore the theme of

‘Folding a Planar Surface’ to create a three dimensional

form to support the human body with a minimal

number of contact points. All joints on the chair have

been chamfered to create a continuous ply ribbon

which runs around the side of planar surfaces. I have

also considered proportion carefully and have created

a hierarchy in thickness of the plywood ribbon based

on function where the parts of the chair in contact

with the body are widest.

The concept for the second chair came from the de-

sire to articulate the void left by the human body. I

profiled the plywood seat and backrest slats with

an ‘imprint’ of the human form. I produced a sketch

1/5 working model prior to making the full size chair

which was very useful for tweaking the design. I have

found that the vertical contoured plywood slats are

surprisingly comfortable to sit on due to their flex. I

consider the human body as the context for a chair

and will continue this belief.

98


I was interested to experiment with the malleability of

metal and to use the material in thin strip rather than

as a planar material due to its heavy weight and lack

of stiffness. I liked the concept of using wooden form

work to create a mould of the desired chair form that

could then be wrapped in thin metal strips creating a

structural grid shell which could then stand indepen-

dently from the mould as a chair. The intention would

be that the metal would deform with use to create an

imprint.

I was keen to develop the concept of ‘profiling’

and ‘contouring’ to articulate the void left for the

human body with the fourth chair. I wanted to

make a cantilevered chair made only from 4mm

thick laser cut ply-wood sheet that would create a

homogeneous structural form. I thought it would be

really interesting to play with transparency and chose

a slotted grid structure for the chair with support fins

angled at 45° to create a chair that visually changes

dramatically as you view it from various angles.

The underlying theme for my final chair was ‘Imprint’

expressing the void left by the human body which

I view as the context for my project. The imprint

represents a trace captured in time of the human

form elevating the chair beyond an inanimate object.

I have considered proportion to be of paramount

importance when designing and detailing the chair.

The horizontal slats have been arranged with two

focal points accentuating the ergonomic form of

the human body. The spacing also provides visual

variation creating both transparency and mass as

the viewer moves around the chair. I developed

upon the homogeneous structural system from

my fourth chair by making it more rigid and by

improving stability. I would envisage that the chair

could be developed further and eventually could be

manufactured in other materials such as polished

aluminium.

‘Imprint’ Chair

Lea PaulsenDenmark

Working with an object such as the generic side chair is a very

interesting design task. As the generic chair has to cater to

many different activities it has to be specific, yet not too spe-

cific, in its design programme.

Approaching this task can seem a bit difficult and intangible,

and what I have found during these months of work is that

one has to choose a standpoint from which the subject can be

tackled.

E.g. to percieve the process as a design exercise revolving

around pure shape and material, or to take on a more concep-

tual approach that might represent a certain issue.

In my approach to the topic I have found the discussion about

the generic side chair and its properties quite interesting. In

this context the Super Normal Design is a very evident ap-

proach.

And as I see it, a way of going about this Super Normal, without

denying the importance of aesthetics and emotional design,

can for me be by working with Scandinavian minimalism as a

key approach in the design task.


104

What makes a Chair

A)

B)

C)

What is the essence of a chair? Based on that question

three chairs were made, each representing a given

issue: A) the chair’s relationship with its surroundings -

how a chair is normally seen as an object that operates

freely and non-dependent in its spatial context. B)

how the chair meets the body - to question whether

a chair is only a chair when it supports the buttocks.

C) the physical shape of a chair - to challenge the most

common perception of a chair being four legs, seat and

back.

Working with fewest number of parts and structure

as my main points of focus, I wanted to make a

simple chair that was easy to read tectonically. As a

result of that the chair is made up of a very simple

base, that clearly is the bearing part of the chair, and

a backrest and seat that is borne, and held in place,

by the frame. The chair responds to my initial points

of focus, but based on the dimensions and the crude

joints, the overall impression ends up as quite a

rough caricature of a chair.

Three legged Chair

106

In continuation of my previous work, I initially

chose to keep my point of focus on a simple three-

legged chair. I chose to ‘split’ each leg, as I, during

my sketching process, found the emerging wishbone

motif interesting in terms of both aesthetics and

constructional possibilities. The wishbone motif

works as a gesture visually leading the forces from

the ground and up, to support and also position the

person sitting on the chair. Because of the inherent

dynamics of the divisive movement I find the

wishbone motif quite interesting.

Wishbone Chair

My main wish for the final chair was to make a good

utilitarian side chair. A chair which should be light,

have a fluid/dynamic relationship with its surround-

ing space and a modest personality - and which could

easily be mass produced.

Furthermore I wanted to address the Super Normal

Design approach with a clear reference to Scandina-

vian minimalism, both in terms of choice of materials

and tectonics being legible and clear.

As my previous chairs have had an emphasis on the

base, making the seat and back less inviting and com-

fortable, I this time wished to work towards creating

a shell chair cradling the human body.

Based on this I have made a plywood shell with a split

backrest making room for the spine of the seated

and allowing maximum flexibility while still fixed

and stable. As a base I’ve made a frame of wire which

Invertebrate Chair

holds the two pieces of the backrest in place and with

an outward movement creates a handle to manoeuvre

the chair with. This movement is repeated under the

seat, and spacers part the two ‘systems’ that together

make up the chair.

Thomas SkovDenmark

The following five chairs are a result of five assignments, each

one having a particular set of rules and demands, that had to

be fullfilled.

I started with an experimental approach, when making the

first chair, but later I focused on lightness in weight, and sim-

plicity in apperance.

I wanted to make five different chairs during the period, in-

stead of developing a specific design, through

the different steps.

It has been a intensive period, but working with different ma-

terials, and weekly deadlines, is something I will benefit from

in the future.

I have learnt a lot about materials, especially ply, but also

working with steel, has been a new and developing experi-

ence.

During this process, I have collected a sum of ideas, that I want

to use, when designing the final chair.


112

This chair is made of vertical 17 mm wooden sticks,

that are united by 17 mm horizontal sticks.

The idea was to create a chair, that would look like a

cube from behind, but with a profile of a chair cut out

of the “cube” seen from the side.

As this was the first chair, it was an experiment, to try

out a solution that might not be used another time.

More a concept chair, than a chair that could be

developed into a final project.

Wood sticks chair

This chair is a low chair, it is more a lounge chair, than

a chair for dining.

The chair is made of 12 mm ply, with no visible joinings.

The structure consists of two sides, that are united

by a back plate, and a three-sided seat, this is the part

that stabilises the chair.

As the components are joined without visible joinings,

the chair appears very clean, simple, and a little naive.

The chair consists of two different components,

36x36 mm wood and 3 mm ply.

The wooded leg-structure is two quadrilaterals,

joined with a bar for stabilisation at the bottom, and

by the seat at top.

The seat is made of two wooden sides that are united

by a louvres-structure of 3 mm ply for each 28 mm.

The result is a chair, that is quite light, transparent,

and stable. If the louvres were cut out with curves for

the body, the chair would be more comfortable.


114

The chair is made of 0.75 mm steel, and consists of two

leg-structures, that are united by the seating plate.

The seating plate is bend into shape, and is spotwelded

onto the leg-structures.

The welds on the front and the top ensure stability,

however the seat could be more stiff, and a thicker

steelplate would be necessary to improve the stiffness

of the chair.

The visual expression of the chair is very clean and

strong.

The idea behind the chair, was to make a simple chair,

that should be stackable.

The plate-structure is made of 15 mm ply, which gives

a massive appereance. But the chair is a lot lighter

than it appears, as every plate consists of three layers

of ply, with a middle layer, that has been hollowed for

lightness.

The joinings are not visible and are made with dowels.

The hole in the back serves as a decoration, and as

handle.


While working with the five different chairs,

mentioned earlier, I collected some thoughts and

ideas, that i want to use in the final chair.

The chair has to made in bend ply only, as I wanted

to explore the opportunities and limitations when

working with this material.

My focus was to find out the accurate thickness

for the material, ensuring a great look and a great

stability.

I wanted to work with the joining of the different

parts, to investigate how strength, flexibilty and a

smooth appearance can be achieved.

I wanted to use some of the ideas and priciples from

the Plywood Chair and The Free Wood Chair.

I will use the experiences gained during the work with

these chairs, to develop and refine the concept, so

the final chair will appear with accurate proportions,

great stability and comfort for the user.

The result is not quite as i planned it to be, but

adjustments according to production at the schools

Final Chair

workshops changed the chair a bit.

My experience from this is, that in future projects I

will not change my design, according to the workshop

facilities at the school, but to keep the design as I

want it.

Furthermore I have achieved a lot of “hands-on”

experience working with bend ply, and exploring the

possibilities and limitations of this material.

Malthe Tobias TrudsøDenmark

120

When I designed this chair, I thought a lot about how

a person could be suspended in the sitting position.

Questions like these arise: Where does the weight

of the human body meet the chair? And how is it

possible to obtain comfort in the sitting position?

The overall concept became passive flexibility. After

studying the human anatomy, I decided to go for two

“rotation points”. One just under the knee, and one

around the lower part of the spine. Using quite thin

sticks of wood, I obtained flexibility in the sitting

position.

Wood sticks chair

How to design with plane surfaces? In the process

of making this chair, I changed my way of looking

at chairs. Instead of understanding my chairs as

“complete” objects, I began to give the different

parts of the chair names, related to their function.

This plywood chair consist of three planar pieces,

“the skin”, which are all held together by a fourth

planar piece; “the spine”, which runs along the chair.

The idea about a spine – naturally taken from the

human anatomy – created a concept I could easily

expand into several new designs.

This chair is all about laminating! After the wood

stick chair, I was still fascinated about flexibility.

But I tried to combine flexibility with an interlocking

structure, in a classic triangle shape. The more

weight one put on the seat, the more the triangle

will lock. Furthermore, I liked the idea that one

is not completely sure what is what in this chair.

The front legs become the high back; the back leg

connects the seat… By slicing up the ply I was able

to form it around the back of the seat, providing a

double curved support for the back - adding comfort

in the sitting position.


122 Department 11, Furniture Semester

Somehow I became interested in combining construction

techniques from the aero industry with chair design. The

design can best be described as an evolution from the free

wood chair; from three to four legs. The spine became a

supporting triangular framework for the skin, emerging

from one point under the seat I four directions. Instead

of being passive, the skin now plays an important role by

fixing the positions of the legs. The pieces of the chair are

cut out in 0.5 mm aluminum sheet, bended and blind riveted

together. In areas with a lot of stress, extra material is

inserted inside and perpendicular to the triangular tubes,

providing side stability.

After working in plywood, it became clear that I had

to rethink the concept of the “spine chair”. I had some

structural concerns, and I wanted to refine the expression

of the chair, so it would become clearer. Instead of using a

plane piece to provide stability in the back, I introduced

a laminated oak frame: the back legs. This frame is

intersected by another laminated oak piece, running

from the front leg; supporting the seat and continuing by

supporting the back. The four pieces are joined in a way

that interlocks them; neither glue nor screws are used.

Together with the two ply pieces, the structure clearly

expresses its own connection to the other parts.


Overall Idea

The concept of my final chair is “spine and skin”. I see my final

chair as a new step in the process I started with The Plywood

Chair. I want to study the possibilities of introducing a four

legged version - does it give meaning to talk about spine and

skin, when dealing with four legs? Is it possible to integrate

passive flexibility, when working with a spine?

Function and Flexibility

I think it is important that a side chair can be used in many

different ways, and that it stays desirable, even though the

time and style changes. The word flexibility relates in this

context more to the function of the chair, than the chair

is actual being flexible. If a side chair is able to meet the

demands from different situations, e.g. around a dining table

or in an auditorium, I think it is successful in its function.

Comfort

It is very important for me, that a chair provides a high level

of comfort in the sitting position. Often one sits in a chair for

a long time and there is nothing worse than being annoyed

by a badly made chair. First of all, a chair should fill out its

function by being something that supports the human body.

The design comes secondly and should be “negotiated” with

the level of comfort.

Appearance

The appearance of my final side chair should be light, simple

and refined. I would like to push the material to the edge

and express the way the wood is put together in a refined

structure. It is important that the chair looks light and is

easy to carry around. By working with a modest design of

the chair, I hope it is possible to develop a chair that suits

several spatial scenarios, and in that way, the chair becomes

more universal.

Structure

The chair should have a defined structure, with a clear

difference between the supporting structure and the

structure that meets the skin and carries the human body.

In that way, I am able to work with different supporting

structures and different “contact” structures – but they

should always be related and developed in relation to each

other, in order to appear as a whole.

Materials

The structure will be made of laminated European ash

wood; the shell will be cast in glass fibre. Ash is chosen

because it is hard and strong and very suitable for furniture.

Furthermore, I like the light yellow color and the structure

of the grains.

Tectonic

By using the weight of the sitting person, it is possible to

work with interlocking wood joining. By doing so, I would

like to avoid assembling the parts with screws or glue in

order to be able to disassemble the chair at a later time.

In general, I think it is interesting to use as few parts as

possible because I like the minimalistic and simple look.

The simpler the chair can be, without compromising the

function and comfort, the better I think it is. A very simple

construction is often difficult to invent, because each part

is very related and integrated with the others.

Final Chair

FINAL CHAIR 1:1

Make a final chair. Combine all your experience

from the semester.

You will have much more time to develop this one,

but make 1:1 models on the way.

BACKSTAGE

With thanks to the students:

Gustavo Bianchi, Elina Cullen,Francesco D’onghia,

Daniela Evans, Camilla Ernen -Lyngholm,

Paul Farrel, Hollie Gibbons, Matthew Gilbert,

Johannes Grune, Simon Harker, Nicholas Lee,

Lea Paulsen, Thomas Skov, Tobias Trudsø.

Teachers: Nicolai de Gier, Deane Alan Simpson.

The workshop staff: Mads Johnsen, Torben Valerius,

Henrik Litske, Lars Tingskov Mikkelsen

Graphic design: Daniela Evans

Edited by Nicolai de Gier

Photographer: Frank Cerri

Wood sponsor: Keflico a/s www.keflico.com

Fonts & paper:

Eurostile and Vista Sans

134 pages

120g paper

Key search-words: chairs, construction, form, materi-

als, tectonics

Furniture semester, Department 11: Architecture,

Design and Industrial Form

The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts

School of Architecture

Philip de Langes Alle 10

Dk – 1435 Copenhagen

Printed by Frederiksberg Bogtrykkeri

Published in 2011

ISBN: 978-87-7830-270-0

One Chair a Week - the book

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Transcript of One Chair a Week - the book