Contract - September 2011 - (Page 70)

chair history (continued from page 68) Contract asked Olivares to explain the process of producing A Taxonomy of Office Chairs, and how it is unique among design books. Why a taxonomy of office chairs as opposed to anything else? The book could’ve been about toaster ovens, perfume bottles, automotive engines, or any other manmade object with a complex technical evolution Jonathan Olivares behind it. Knowing that the book would be largely technical in nature, I chose the office chair because of its close relationship to everyday life and the human body. This polarity gives the book a sense of humor and makes it appealing to a wider audience than, say, the carburetor may have. What inspired you to create this book in the first place? The book was motivated by the fact that manmade objects go largely uncatalogued in any manner that could be called objective. We cherish and study the natural world but don’t keep track of the manmade one that surrounds us. Describe your process in researching and gathering information for this book. I researched and produced the book with a small team of assistants over the course of four years. I traveled extensively to meet chair designers and engineers in the United States and Europe and to interview them about technical aspects of their designs. The information was compiled in about 50 project binders, and gradually sifted and edited down to the book. We had to invent nomenclature for the aspects of chair design that we were cataloguing. “Double Spine,” “Multiple Connection,” or “Panel and Upholstery” are not standard industry terms. The illustrations took a year to produce. It was a rigorous process that tested the patience of everyone involved. What do you expect a reader, whether a professional designer or student, to gain from having this book? Aside from the essay at the beginning of the book, this is not a book that’s designed to be read from cover to cover—it’s a reference manual. The essay will give a reader a thorough understanding of the complex factors that came to affect office chair design, and how the typology has shifted since it emerged in the 1840s. The book is about the details in the world around us. The rest of the book, the catalogue of chairs, and the taxonomical illustrations, will offer the average person a sense of how many products our society churns out, and how immensely varied these are. It offers the reader the opportunity to understand the office chair in real depth, to know, for instance, where the height adjustable armrest came from, or why the base of the office chair has five legs. Although the book is intended for the general public, it’s also the only book exclusively on office chairs, and because industry experts supplied most of the content, the book is an invaluable reference for design professionals. (continued on page 72) Ameristar Casino Woven Wire Fabric Projects include multi-story wire mesh draperies for hotels, auditoriums, and casinos; curved dividers for visual merchandising; window treatments for private homes; safety & blast mitigation screening; sculptural forms for urban gardens; decorative interior/exterior wall coverings; solar shading for buildings and parking garages; aviary screening for animal habitats, and see-through appealing barriers for commercial security. Whatever the application, let us help you realize your creative vision. Select No. 27 at ContractDesign.com/readerservice http://www.cascadecoil.com http://www.cascadecoil.com http://www.ContractDesign.com/readerservice

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - September 2011

Contract - September 2011
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Briefs: Sustainable
Product Focus: Here Comes the Sun
Product Focus: Cream of the Crop
Memory Museum
Triple Threat
Mission Sustainable
Model of Sustainability
Desert Oasis
LEED by Example
Cooking Light
Trends: The Resilient Workplace
Ideas: Chair History
Designers Select: Boardroom Furnishings
Sources
Ad Index
Perspectives: Steven M. Davis, Faia, Aedas

Contract - September 2011