Life

Designed for
Knoll

2002

Overview

The Life Chair set a new benchmark in workplace seating when it launched in at the turn of the century. 

The Life Chair was born from a dream to take New Zealand design and innovation to the world stage.

Prior to the Life Chair, Formway existed as a contract furniture manufacturer with a focus on the Australasian market. In the late 1990’s the studio decided to commit to designing a new to the world chair for the global market that would harness ergonomics, materials and innovative construction to be the next step in task seating.

Formway presented the chair and its IP to Knoll in 2000 and formed a partnership that would leverage the expertise of both, while forming a shared vision of the future workplace.

The chair was brought to life over the following two years, and at the NeoCon Trade Fair in 2002, the Life Chair was introduced to the world.

Discover

Extensive market research was built around analysing the latest products from international manufacturers, comparing each to create a broad understanding of the market’s expectations. This research was combined with Formway’s decades of experience in manufacturing and marketing office furniture, and a deep understanding of ergonomics. This foundational knowledge was built on with our first studies of how people move while sitting and working. The user need was for a chair that could support a spectrum of activities, from focused work to informal collaboration.

In the late 1990s, when development of the Life Chair began, the world was flush with task chairs featuring manual knobs, adjustments, dense foam padding, and prescriptive mechanisms.

Formway saw an opportunity to introduce something more flexible and responsive to the market, a chair that that could react to the body and support the key postures we take—leaning forward, reclining and perching—as well as the postures we take in between.

Design

Light

Technological breakthroughs in materials and manufacturing are what make the Life Chair’s stunningly slim, pared back aesthetic possible. The simplicity of the chair belies the underlying complexity behind the chair’s high level of performance. A light, luminous quality means the Life Chair doesn’t dominate a space, and versatility in appearance and performance means the chair not only looks great in any space, but it can also be tailored to your needs, too.

Intuitive

As soon as you sit down, the Life Chair automatically adjusts to hold you in balance without requiring manual adjustment. The integrated weight compensated mechanism balances the recline force automatically, using your own bodyweight as a counterbalance, creating a light and free sitting experience. Manual adjustments and overrides to further tailor the chair to your liking are easy and obvious to operate while sitting.

Flexible

The mechanical movements in the chair are coupled with fine-tuned flexibility and support to bring another dimension of comfort and responsiveness to the chair. This combination of systems makes the Life Chair come alive, creating a sitting experience that is so in sync with your body the chair becomes like a second skin.

Elastomeric mesh and sturdy yet flexible engineering polymers combine to form the Chair’s back. The seat pan introduces flexibility through integrated perforations and ribbed structures, turning a solid-state material into a responsive, comfortable sitting surface.

Environmental

The Life Chair took a radical turn within the market by considering environmental consciousness across every level of its design and construction. Environmental life cycle thinking became a core source of product innovation and design direction.

The Chair can be easily re-upholstered and reconfigured on site for a long usable life, while recycled and recyclable aluminium components enable a closed loop material cycle. Natural finishes were chosen to not only remove hazardous compounds and processes from manufacture, but to also aid in recycling.

Each component can be easily removed and replaced, enabling refurbishment and eventual recycling back into valuable materials.

Features

At the core of the Life Chair is an effortless user experience—intuitive, automatic, and deeply supportive.

Moulding, flexing back

Back suspension fabric moulds and supports, yet doesn't constrain movement. The amount of flex in the back is automatically tuned to your weight, so that you get the benefits of flexing and stretching no matter what your size.

Responsive, flexing seat

The flexing seat pan responds to your leg movements. Whether your legs are tucked under or stretched out in front, the seat adapts perfectly. The front edge flexes in response to thigh movement avoiding concentrated pressure points. The mid-seat features perforations to conform with the body, eliminating the need for thick foam. 

Auto balanced recline tension

The Life Chair automatically adjusts to hold you in balance in any position as you recline. No matter who you are, big or small, the recline tension is right for you - no manual adjustments. The Chair’s geometry allows the seat and back planes to move in sync with your body, providing constant support without constraining your movements.

Low profile base

The low profile of the base enables easier leg movement, and creates a comfortable footrest. Complimenting the base, unique castors provide a light floating effect and ease of mobility.

Intuitive controls

Automated and intuitive where possible. Manual adjustments are easy, obvious and operable from a seated position.

Awards

  • 2003Chicago Athenaeum – Good Design
  • 2002Best of NeoCon – Gold
  • 2002FX Awards – Overall Interior Product of the Year
  • 2002FX Awards – Seating Product of the Year
  • 2002IIDEX Sustainable Design – Gold
  • 2002IIDEX Task Seating Design – Gold

Available from: 
knoll.com
zenithinteriors.com