Chairs. Praise the Technology!
The Sparkling Chair by Marcel Wanders for Magis is produced using an unusual technique for furniture making, however commonly used for water bottles: blow moulding. It is made of 100% PET, which makes it fully recyclable. After blow moulding the legs and the seat, the hollow space is filled with high pressure air to strengthen the components. The result is a minimal use of material and a lightweight chair; around 1kg. Furthermore, the chair can be disassembled for transportation as the legs are screwed onto the seat. The smaller volume and weight reduces its carbon footprint. “It’s as easy as drinking a glass of water” said the Sparkling Chair designer.
Sparkling Chair
111 Navy Chair ® is the result of cooperation of Coca-Cola and Emeco the manufacturer behind the iconic aluminum Navy chair designed in 1944 for the U.S. Navy. The chair's name is derived from the fact that plastic from approximately 111 soda bottles is used to make each chair. In Coke-Speak "The goal of the 111 Navy project was to alter consumer behavior by illustrating the value of rPET with beautifully designed and everyday products — ultimately encouraging more recycling.”
The chair contains a mix of 60 percent rPET plastic (recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic) and a special combination of other materials including pigment and glass fiber. It has the attributes of the original aluminum version – super strong, durable and comfortable, but now its also warm, colorful and about half the price of the aluminum one (195₤). The 111 Navy Chair ® carries a 5-year structural guarantee and is available in six colors, three of them are recommended for outdoor use.
111 Navy Chair ®
Impossible Wood Chair designed by London based design studio Doshi Levien for Moroso is an injection-moulded wooden chair. According to the designer ”We found a mouldable wood material that has very distinct visual and tactile properties. It is a thermoplastic composite made using 80% wood fibre and 20% polypropylene and it can be processed using conventional injection moulding machines. The pressure and heat from the mould releases moisture from the wood fibre which in turn burns on the surface of the aluminium tool, creating a random, leather-like tarnished effect. Inspired by the characteristics of this material, we decided to create a chair that references the genre of light, graceful, bent wood frame chairs but would be impossible to make in any other way than by injection moulding, hence the name “impossible wood”.
Impossible Wood Chair has a used, worn, raw and earthy quality that is timeless and natural. It also smells of wood.
Impossible Wood Chair
Random8 chair by David Lesort and Arnaud Giroud of Pitaya Design is shaped like a brilliant cut diamond. It’s transparent so the light passes it through. It shines in every color of the rainbow and changes its colors depending on the ambient light and on the viewing angle. The chair creates its own lighting effects thanks to the dichroic treatment of the Plexiglas. It also reflects colourful shapes on the surrounding walls and floor, thanks to the reflecting properties of the material.
Random8
Alvi Silkchair by Alvi Design is an environmental friendly seating furniture with silk thread tightened around a bearing oak frame. It will easily hold a person and the threads won’t deflect as they are made of silk.
Alvi Silkchair
The Pod by Benjamin Hubert for De Vorm is a large privacy chair. It is an environmental alternative to large upholstered furniture which are mostly difficult to recycle. Pod replaces the large upholstery with moulded felt created from recycled pet bottles. The shell of the chair is the largest form ever produced utilizing pressed PET felt technology. It allows a distinctive aesthetic as well as offers sound dampening properties to increase the sensation of privacy with acoustic performance. In addition the chair is stackable for minimum carbon footprint in transportation and storage.
The Pod
