Archinect - News

Savio Firmino unveils chair collection inspired by architectural landmarks, underwritten by the Blockchain

2021-10-01T12:42:00-04:00

Italian furniture and interior design studio Savio Firmino has unveiled a collection of 16 chairs inspired by some of the world’s most iconic architectural landmarks. Titled CITYNG, and designed in collaboration with artist Cosimo De Vita, the collection was exhibited at the 2021 Salone del Mobile in September. The iconic design event, which was curated this year by Stefano Boeri, came one month after the Salone del Mobile appointed Maria Porro as its new president.

Image courtesy of Savio Firmino

The collection of 16 chairs depicts both a geographical journey between West and East and a temporal journey between tradition and contemporary design. “The chair not only becomes a symbolic object of the cities but also symbolically represents their values, traditions, and cultural substratum,” explains Savio Firmino. “It starts in Europe from Florence, the hometown of both Cosimo and the Savio Firmino company, continues to Milan, the city of the Salone and of design par excellence, to t...

Snøhetta reveals chair made of recycled plastic from local fish farming industry

2019-02-06T15:53:00-05:00

Snøhetta has unveiled the S-1500 chair, made from 100% recycled plastic and steel from the local fish farming industry in the North of Norway. Presented during Stockholm Design Week, the chair has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the market.

A collaboration between the international architecture firm and the furniture manufacturer Nordic Comfort Products, the chair's design is modeled off of Norwegian modernist Bendt Winge’s classic R-48 chair from the late sixties. Due to it production technique, the marbled pattern of each chair is unique, telling the story of the plastic's journey as fish nets to furniture.

S-1500 is part of a two year research project from the firm, aimed at employing waste material in new and sustainable ways. In order to reduce the need to produce new, virgin plastic, the project views waste as a valuable resource and instead builds up a local, circular economy by employing runoff from a local industry.

It is the first of several differ...

Can you guess which famous architect designed this newly re-released chair?

2018-12-03T16:31:00-05:00

The iconic designs of famous architects seen in buildings and furniture is visible through out the practice. Design figures like Ray and Charles Eames, Marcel Brueur, and Zaha Hadid are a few of the many architects that have made an impact in chair design. However, the architect infamously known for his characteristically specific design aesthetic is Frank Lloyd Wright. "Origami in wood" is what best describes the 607 Taliesin chair.

607 Taliesen Chair Image © Cassina

The angled components and geometric structure of the chair is a reflection of Wright's organic architecture design aesthetic. Reminiscent of the Japanese art of paper folding, the piece is manufactured from a single piece of folded plywood.

Chairs featured inside Garden Room of Taliesin West Home Image © FrankLloydWright.org

The chair was created in 1949 by Wright for his Taliesin West home-studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. Italian furniture design company, Cassina, who originally manufac...

Jems Architecki's Polish conference center is built on an old coal mine

2016-07-29T14:52:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by Figueras International Seating.

Katowice, a city of 300,000 inhabitants in the South of Poland, wants to leave its past of mining industry behind. In the heart of the city, and on what was formerly a mine and its inevitable mountains of mining residue, today we find there the new City Conference Centre: MCK ‐ International Conference Centre (ICC), designed by the most internationally known group in Poland, Jems Architecki.

The building, a unique block of 388,500m3, was erected (or submerged, depending how you look at it) in the new cultural area of the city, right next to the Spodek (saucer in English), the emblematic building of 1962, symbol of the city and which needed to be complemented in both aesthetics and in what it had to offer. Together they form Poland's largest Conference Centre.

After three years of construction, the ICC shows colossal dimensions. The structure is divided in two and at the intersection, the architects have created hills that ...

Unique seating for the Philharmonie de Paris: How to create a seat with low acoustic absorption for a perfect symphony hall

2016-07-20T09:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by Figueras International Seating.

The building of the Philharmonie de Paris, designed by Jean Nouvel, is a unique architectural work in the Parc de La Villette in the French capital. The seating installed inside was specifically created for the hall by Jean Nouvel in partnership with Figueras. Up to 10 acoustic tests, in laboratories in Paris and Barcelona, were needed to achieve the desired product.

Jean Nouvel gave the Philharmonie concert hall a unique shape, as it is an adjustable space that surrounds the spectator. The Grande Salle of the Philharmonie is not designed in a “vineyard” or “shoebox” shape like traditionally. The Grande Salle starts a new model, enveloping and moveable. Jean Nouvel chose a unique solution to offer a total and enveloping experience, placing the spectators in hanging balconies at different heights. In this way, they are immersed in the hall with the feeling of heading toward the orchestra. The sound literally wraps each of ...

Archinect's comparison of gorgeous yet pragmatic chair design

2015-09-09T17:45:00-04:00

As with any great architecture, furniture design is a nimble synthesis of form and function. In the case of chairs, some designers have artfully combined both to create visually striking objects that are actually comfortable to sit and work in. The Eames line of chairs has of course received considerable acclaim, not only for their sleek design, but their relative hardiness. College dorm, office conference center, plush living room; the Eames chair can handle it, and look good while doing so. Similarly, Heatherwick Studio's ubiquitous spun chairs have become something of a pop culture phenomenon, partially because they not only spin the person sitting within them a full 360 degrees, but also tilt that person almost completely upside down:

When not in use, the chairs also can be placed sitting straight up on their small rounded base, or left positioned at a slight angle without rolling away. They are pragmatic primarily because they are so well-engineered: indoor, outdoor, wherever, t...