The Gaudi Chair by Bram Geenen
Dutch designer Bram Geenen has a follow-up piece to the Gaudi Stool that he introduced in 2009, the Gaudi Chair is made by the same principles, but includes a small backrest.
You can watch a short video about the Gaudi Stool – here.
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Description from Bram Geenen:
The Gaudi Chair is the follow-up of the Gaudi Stool which was created in 2009. It was designed using the same method as Antoni Gaudi, who made models of hanging chains, which upside-down showed him the strongest shape for his churches. Additionally, to be able to determine the structure of the chair’s backrest, a software script was used.
The script was based on three steps: First the distribution of forces across the surface of the chair. Secondly the direction of forces defined the direction of the ribs. Finally the amount of force specified the height of a rib.
Materials and techniques were chosen to create a lightweight chair. The surface is of carbonfiber, the ribs are made of glass-filled nylon, by selective laser sintering.
The project researches how new technoloqy can be based on simple, logical concepts. In this case a concept which has proven it’s strength and beauty for over a hundred years.
Visit Bram Geenen’s website – here.
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Thibaud Maunoury on 10 Jun 2010 at 9:28 am #
The Gaudi like chain experiment just forget the weight of the user (50 to 100 kg).
That’s why it looks original.
For the Gaudi’s building it was Ok : the stone as just to support it’s own weight.
Cristina on 10 Jun 2010 at 12:46 pm #
Love this!
Lance on 10 Jun 2010 at 5:04 pm #
Indeed! It’s alive! And I mean that in a good way. There’s so much to like about this, but I wish there was a version that had the back a little higher and further back, a’la a fainting stool. But it’s naha zaha hadid.
fasiha on 10 Jun 2010 at 7:33 pm #
with such a minimal backrest, this stool doesnt ‘graduate to a chair. looks uncomfortable. nice color, tho!
Marco Velasco on 10 Jun 2010 at 9:16 pm #
Great design, congratulation.
luis on 11 Jun 2010 at 6:17 am #
well i really don’t like it. Maybe as a demostration for the material could work, but as a design piece, I’m not agree. Why carbon fiber? does it gives any value to the object?,,, don’t think so… this happens when the form it’s a banal form and has to have any atractive…. the material… but at the end, I think is a project without any real concept. Sorry if I anyone is not agree with me, but it’s just my personal opinion…. good luck
TW on 11 Jun 2010 at 7:12 pm #
Beautifully executed piece of design.
The use of materials is perfection. Luis – the value that carbon fibre adds to any piece of furniture is that it gives it an incredible weightlessness. I couldn’t think of a more suitable material for a chair.
Jimw on 11 Jun 2010 at 9:41 pm #
Beautiful. An absolutely elegant interpretation of Gaudi’s principles. And carbon fiber, along with its lightweight benefits, is incredibly strong especially when used in complex shapes. An ingenious application.
luis on 12 Jun 2010 at 2:08 am #
guys, we are talking about a chair, not a F1 car, or anythig else that need these advantage. It’s insignificant how much weight can you take off in a chair or a stool, adding some materials like carbon fiber.
Carbon fiber it’s a good and a explicit material that has to be use very carfully in design pieces, otherwise it gives a wrong value to it, economical, physical, and tecnological.
Lance on 12 Jun 2010 at 6:02 am #
But you forget luis… One day trees will be so precious that furniture will have to be made of materials such as this. But even though carbon fiber is strong it is easily cracked if hit with a hammer, not like anyone is going to get their Gaudi chair mixed up with Droog’s Do Hit chair.
It’s simply a concept chair, much like many concept cars, and illustrates principles of design and how they can be used in various ways. I think it’s great that someone took an architechual design based on strength and interpreted that into a design for living. This chair isn’t likely to see production, much like many concept cars, but elements of it’s design will show up in chair in the years to come.
But even though carbon fiber is more expensive, it’s always a great alternative to cutting down yet another tree. And if people start placing emotional value on things such as carbon fiber, which is used in quite a few products these days of varying degrees of worth, then that sends a terrible message in my opinion and trys to make something even more elitist.
TW on 12 Jun 2010 at 4:38 pm #
Luis – Carbon Fibre is used on a multitude of everyday objects at the moment. Bikes, tennis raquets, guitars instantly spring to mind.
It’s not an unusual or particularly overly expensive material once the manufacturing process becomes efficient.
And why a chair needs to be lightweight? Unlike any other piece of furniture in a house, a chair is the ONLY piece of furniture that a human has to move constantly – from one room to another, in and out of a dining table, adjusted position even when you are sitting on it etc. Perhaps go to your nearest designer showroom and check out a Gio Ponti chair?
luis on 13 Jun 2010 at 1:20 am #
I’m agree that using carbon fiber or other materials in differents products can make decrees the cost of produIction of it, but what I’m saying is that usign carbon fiber on these chair-stool, is unnecessary, it doesen’t give any value to it…. for me it just represent a good material that has beign applied to a mediocre shape, to make the object more attractive. I wondering why we don’t start doing piano made of carbon fiber, or other furniture objects… in these case is not elegant, it looks cheep… and plese don’t compare la superleggera di Gio ponti (that has an extraordinary aproach between the tecnology used and the final result) with these. Instead we can have a look at Shigeru Ban or Alberto Meda chairs what they represent as a design pices and maybe we can understand my point of view… good luck to all
Kristof Lenz on 13 Jun 2010 at 2:02 am #
This chair is not about the materials, it’s about the idea behind the structure. The materials were simply chosen to create a lightweight chair.
Forget the carbon fibre, because it has little to do with the concept of the chair. Did you read the designer’s description? Did you read about his inspiration?
This chair (and the stool before it) is an exploration of structure.
Structure
Structure
Structure
luis on 13 Jun 2010 at 2:30 am #
in fact i’m not criticising the structure, Gaudi was a Great master and his principle is very useful in actual architecture and other aplications. Telling these we can talk about the rest of the project, that was the origin of the discussion.