Creating an office chair that is ergonomic and affordable, environmentally friendly and comfortable – this was the challenge facing designer Martin Ballendat. The result is Drumback, one of the most innovative office chairs in recent times. This intelligent product potentially saves up to 400 tons of foam upholstery material and polypropylene per year and as a result has now received the “Green Product Award”.
Martin Ballendat’s design includes many practical details that create an outstanding piece. The first thing of note is the distinct and attractive design. Viasit also wanted to make sure that the chair was easy to use. The user-friendly function buttons are integral to the chair and marked with self-explanatory icons. The height of the back is easily adjusted with two clamps, which are intuitive and used easily. The digital user manual can be accessed from any web browser to help users adjust the chair to their individual needs.
The design of the back is the most important innovation of Drumback. Until now, there were just two basic forms of back for office chairs. An upholstered back with a solid back and a fabric upholstered foam pad or a mesh back with a warp resistant frame and a stretched membrane. Both versions have their merits but Drumback combines the advantages of both. Drumback features a solid, curved back surface to which a memory retaining mesh is tightly fastened in a similar way to the skin of a drum. Hence the name ìDrumbackî and this solution has broken new technical ground with correspondingly high demands on product development.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a key word at Viasit and the unique design of the backrest reduces the number of component parts required in the manufacturing process as it saves two components, the inner back and the upholstery foam element. The upholstery foam for a comparable chair weighs about 560 grams. With around 720,000 upholstered chairs being produced in Germany annually, the potential saving of upholstery foam is in the region of 400 tons per year without compromising on either sitting comfort or ergonomics.
Drumback also delivers environmental advantages when compared to a conventional mesh chair. The fastening plate of a mesh back chair must be sturdy and warp resistant to give stability to the back. Composites, which are difficult to recycle, have to be used to achieve this. With Drumback there is less static stress because of the solid back support and this component is therefore made with non-composite 100% recyclable polypropylene that can be re-made into chair backs over and over again.
Drumback is good for your back, your wallet and the environment.
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