Vitra

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Vitra year 9 chair project
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Vitra Philosophy of Vitra SITUATION We
are convinced that rooms and interior design
have a decisive influence on peoples motivation,
performance, emotions and health. So we have made
it our mission to develop furniture and
furnishing systems that stimulate, inspire and
motivate, while also offering the body comfort,
safety and support. In order to attain this goal,
we work with renowned designers and a specialised
team. We experiment with new ideas, and are
continuously tackling the new challenges of the
world of work.
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Views on designDesign is the process
through which nearly all objects are given a
specific design and function- from cars to paper
clips, from clothing up to chairs. Design means
more than styling or giving shape to an object.
Good design is a complex process in which the
various, often contradictory requirements have to
be fulfilled so objects can function in the
desired manner. Design is only good when
aesthetics, ergonomics, durability, function,
ecology and comfort come together to complement
and harmonise with one another.
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AESTHETICS
FUNCTION
TARGET GROUP
MATERIAL SELECTION
DESIGNING A CHAIR
ENVIRONMENT
COST
ERGONOMICS
ANTHROPOMETRICS
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Material Selection includes Sheet materials
such as Acrylic, Polypropylene, Polycarbonate,
Polystyrene, Laminate Plywood, Aluminium,
Stainless Steel Meshing, etc. Section materials
such as Acrylic, Mild Steel or Aluminium Tubing
or Bar, Extruded sections, Wooden Dowel, etc.
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Accurate, scaled models of final chair designs,
made using the materials, construction methods
and finishes that would be used for full-sized
product
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Vitra Design Tasks year 9 chair
project Page 3 Research Existing Chair
Designs Your task is to investigates different
chair designs that you have at home or seen in
shops, restaurants or parts around schools.
Analyse the different designs you have looked
using the following points - what type of
environment or room is/would the chair be used
and why? - what kind of materials have been used
in the construction of the chair and what
makes these materials suitable in the function of
the design? - what comments can you make about
the aesthetics of the chair and the market
group it is intended for? - what features do you
like or dislike about the overall design? Page
56 Initial Ideas - loads of freehand sketches
with notes explaining how idea works, what the
main aim of the design is - draw
sub-components showing parts and their function,
joining techniques or surface texture -
discuss material selection and with information
justifying your choice - use a variety of
rendering techniques to present your ideas Page
7-9 Development of an Idea - Develop a chosen
idea with emphasis on refining the idea. Use 2D
and 3D modelling techniques to develop how
each aspect of the chair design will work, will
be constructed, calculate sizes using
the anthropometric data, finalise shape of chair
using ergonomic considerations - Review the
design against your Specification on Page 4 of
your design folder
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Ideas Development Orthographic Projection Presenta
tion Drawing
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• Designing for Strength and Stiffness
• Whatever sort of seat you design it will need to
  be strong (so that it does not break when people
  sit on it) and stiff (so that it does not deform
  too much when people sit on it). You can imagine
  your seat as being made from a combination of
  different structural elements
• flat surfaces or platforms (slabs)
  
• frameworks
  
• shell forms
• You will need to think about ways in which these
  structural elements can be combined to give a
  design which is both stiff and strong. To help
  you, the panel shows several different seating
  designs in terms of these structural elements.
  Once you have worked out a design in these 'broad
  sweep terms you will need to think about the
  shapes and sizes of the parts making up the
  framework, the way these are joined together and
  the way shell forms and flat surfaces are joined
  to the framework.

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• What about mistreatment?
• Often people use seating in ways for which it was
  not designed
• they stand on chairs
• they lean back in them and tip them over
• they use them to prop doors open
• they use them to hold up planks for painting
• they play party games with them
• Well designed seating will be able to withstand
  most of this ill-treatment. Think carefully about
  what might happen to the seating you design and
  make sure it is not too flimsy.

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Are You Sitting Comfortably...? We all spend a
lot of our lives sitting down, in the car, in the
office, at school, in the cinema or just watching
television. The seats that we sit on have a big
influence on our comfort, enjoyment or
effectiveness - in other words, on the quality of
whatever we are doing. Seats always have to be
designed with safety in mind, especially in cars
and aircraft where they may have to withstand
large forces if a crash occurs. Seating design
is particularly important in restaurants. Chairs
and seats have to look attractive and enhance the
image of the restaurant, but they also have to be
functional. In quick-service restaurants which
serve large numbers of people in fairly short
times this means that the chairs must be safe,
strong, comfortable, easy to clean and compact so
as not to take up too much space. McDonald's
constantly reviews its use of seating, seeking
continuing improvement in order to enhance the
performance of its restaurants. Choices are made
from a wide variety of fixed (e.g. bench or
stool) and free-standing seating.
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Some of the factors which chair designers have to
consider are given below Safety Chairs
should be strong enough to avoid danger of
collapse have no sharp edges or corners contain
no toxic materials (e.g. lead in paint) be fire
resistant. Size The size of the chair should be
matched to the size of the person (adult or
child) for whom it is designed. No two people
have the same dimensions, so designers have to
use tables of data giving the range of sizes of
people of different age and sex called
"Anthropometric Data". The diagram, right, shows
the range of various measurements for seated
adults. Hygiene
Restaurant chairs are bound to have food
drinks dropped on them so it is very important
that they are easy to clean and don't have any
crevices where food can get trapped, creating a
health hazard. The materials of the frame, seat
and back should be capable of being wiped clean,
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Cost The cost of
chairs has to be kept as low as possible. This
can be achieved by using simple yet elegant
designs without complex fixtures and fittings,
which are economical to manufacture.
Materials
Materials have to be chosen with regard
to all the above factors. Coated steel is
often used for frames, and plastics of various
types for seats, but wood and woven fabrics are
sometimes used for more comfort. Storage Chair
storage is important in a restaurant, where extra
chairs are often required for especially busy
periods. Small overall size, light weight and
stack ability are useful here. Comfort Comfort
is the most difficult thing to achieve in a chair
because it depends so much on the size, shape and
preference of the person using it, and the use to
which it is put. Some people prefer a soft seat,
others a hard seat some like a straight back,
others a sloping back. Comfort is also dependent
on for how long the chair is intended to be used
what is acceptable for a few minutes' use might
be painful after an hour! The most important
factors are probably the length and resilience of
the seat, and the height and shape of the back
support.
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Example of Design Situation Restaurant chairs
have to cater for all sorts of different sizes
and shapes of people, from small children to
large adults. It is impossible to make any one
chair suitable for everyone, and so restaurant
designers have to compromise by providing a range
of seats, some where people might spend only a
few minutes for a quick snack, others more
comfortable, perhaps with arms, where customers
may sit for longer periods to relax, and special
chairs for children. The lower figure is for the
5th percent! Ie, i.e. the value at, or below
which, measures for 5 of the total population are
found. The upper figure is for the 95th
percentile, i.e. the value at, or below which,
measures for 95 of the total population are
found. Anthropometric Data for Seated Adults
(18-40 yrs)