Is the barcelona chair ergonomic?

It proved to be a success. Although many architects and furniture designers of the Bauhaus era were anxious to provide the common man with well-designed houses and impeccably crafted furniture, the Barcelona chair was an exception. It was designed for the Spanish royal family to oversee the exhibition’s opening ceremonies and was described by Time magazine as a resident of its magnificent German pavilion. It is believed that the shape was extrapolated from Roman folding chairs known as the Curule chair — upholstered ottomans used by the Roman aristocracy,

according to Knoll Inc., Barcelona Chair is truly a modern design with a combination of chrome, steel and leather. The legs are X-shaped and made of chrome-plated stainless steel. The seat has a leather finish and is upholstered on the back.

Second, the design was a work of modern minimalist design and was designed for the Barcelona Pavilion for the 1929 International Exhibition. In 1929, the International Exhibition (2nd World’s Fair) took place in Barcelona, Spain, in which 14 European nations took part, including Germany. As one of the most important representatives of classical modernism, Mies van der Rohe’s groundbreaking ideas influenced generations of architects, as did his numerous furniture designs, designs which he often developed as part of an architectural project, as in the case of Barcelona Chairs, and remained true to his less is more philosophy. As with most celebrities, or more specifically divas, there are some people who haven’t fallen under the spell of this iconic chair.

The chair was first used at Villa Tugendhat, a private residence designed by Mies in Brno (Czech Republic). The Barcelona chair is now referred to as the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe chair (creator) or Knoll Barcelona chair (first to be manufactured). The Barcelona Chair embodies Mies van der Rohe’s maxim of the modern movement “less is more” and was literally designed to be suitable for a king. The Barcelona Chair was designed together by leading 20th century architect and former Bauhaus director Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and designer Lilly Reich and has become one of the most sought after pieces of furniture of all time.

Professor Eshelman says there are many examples of classic chairs that fail for ergonomic reasons, and the Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer, designed in 1925, is at the top of his list. Although it quickly achieved celebrity status due to its royal origins and stylistic silhouette, many argue that this chair and its design ignore the basic requirements, such as ergonomics and comfort, of the people using the chair. As such, he was chosen to design the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona. Mies designed the German Pavilion Barcelona Pavilion for the 1929 International Exhibition, which took place in Barcelona, Spain.

With the Barcelona Chair Relax, Knoll recently adapted the leather armchair, which is so popular in waiting and lounge areas, with a multi-layer upholstered version specifically for use in living areas. In the history of 20th century design, the Barcelona chair is considered groundbreaking and iconographic, and more than sixty years after it was first produced, it is still manufactured to its original dimensions.

References:

• Barcelona chair – Wikipedia
• Knoll International Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1929 – Designer furniture by smow.com