Gaudi Chair and Stool by Bram Geenen
Amsterdam based designer, Bram Geenen calls his chair design ‘Gaudi’ because the shape of the Gaudi chair & stool was created in the same way that Antoní Gaudi designed the structure of his churches, by making a model of hanging chains, so letting gravity determine the strongest and most logical shape for withstanding forces. High-end techniques and materials were used to be able to apply Gaudi’s methods in lightweight furniture.
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 technology 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.
