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New European Bauhaus
Project

Breeze Chair

Why not experiment with novel materials and manufacturing processes for a more sustainable, inclusive future?

Breeze Chair © European Union
Breeze Chair
© European Union, 2021

Why not experiment with novel materials and manufacturing processes for a more sustainable, inclusive future? 

Breeze Chair is a project based in Budapest, Hungary, and was submitted for the 2021 New European Bauhaus awards in the "Products & Lifestyle" category.

It is a 100% bio-composite-based chair developed by D. Fogarasi, applying innovative methods to material research to produce a chair that highlights the mechanical and emotional properties of PLA, a degradable plastic.

The project focused on sustainable materials that could be used to make high-quality design furniture. The chair has been developed under traditional industrial design criteria, is suitable for mass production and can stand in any interior due to its timeless elegance, high-quality material, and shapes. 

A fair end price for customers was considered while the manufacturing technique was being developed.

Meshlin Composites Plc's technology, which was enhanced for this project, provided the answer. The objective was to discover a biodegradable solution that would employ natural materials that grew quicker than wood yet had the same or even better mechanical characteristics than plywood.

Laminating PLA sheets with natural fabric, first as pre-laminated sheets, then in many layers, creates the new material. It is a mix of PLA and jute fabric, resulting in a biodegradable material that outperforms 3D veneers in shape.

In addition to its sustainable properties, the chair:

  • makes sitting comfortable thanks to its flexible back
  • has a customisable outside layer inspired by nature
  • has an ergonomic design allowing an active sitting that’s healthier for the spine, but also comforts and calms people with ADHD with its rocking movement
  • makes appreciating its design accessible for people with impaired vision or in the autistic spectrum, as the design was developed with other senses in mind rather than only visual.

One of the long-term objectives of Breeze Chair is to develop a modular system with various sitting surfaces, upholsteries, and leg solutions that could be converted to a variety of applications and serve as the first member of a future product family.

📸 © European Union