Siamese Chair
Designed by:
Rashid K
Co-Designed by:
-
Designer:
Karim Rashid
Co-Designer:
-
Date of Design:
2014
Date of Manufacture:
Decade:
2010s
Region:
Americas
Significance:
Eco-plastic injection of Amazonian Açai and Ipe Roxo, first bioplastic chair
Manufacturer:
A Lot of Brasil
Material:
PLA
Process:
Pressure moulded
Monobloc:
No
Cantilever:
No
Renewable Carbon:
Yes
Weight:
9.8
Note:
Country of origin: USA (designer), Brazil (manufacturer)
Image: A Lot of Brasil. ERPR Score= 4 (poor). The Siamese Chair (named after the two co-joined components which form the seat) was designed by Karim Rashid, for another Brazilian company A Lot of Brasil, who specialise in manufacturing furniture using sustainable, locally sourced materials. The shell of the chair is made from a plastic derived from the Amazonian fruit Acai and the bark stripped from the Ipe Roxo tree that regenerates within two years (although the exact composition of the bioplastic is unknown). Significantly, the characteristics of the ecoplastic impacted the final form of the design. Rashid said that his original intention was to design a monobloc, but this approach had to be abandoned following the discovery that the material lacked sufficient strength to be used for the legs. In addition, the new the new plastic could not be used in thin moulds, so a bulky deign was developed to ensure sufficient strength. The use of virgin aluminium for the legs of the chair, together with the weight of the shell, negatively affected the ERPR of this design.