Could you balance this chair with just one finger? …probably
This light-as-a-feather chair, called Ultraleggera, was inspired by an Italian architect Gio Ponti in the 1950s and has now been brought into the 21st century by Polish designer Oskar Zieta of Zieta Studio.
How is this different from all the other chairs I have?
The Ultraleggera is completely made from aluminum sheets that are welded together and then blown up to create a super-lightweight sitting device – or, as we know it, a chair.
Every component of the chair was created to achieve great strength, but also extreme lightness. The result is a design that weighs just 1.6 kg – or around 4 pounds (talk about light as air!).
But don’t think of this as just another metallic chair. The Ultraleggera actually comes in various colors like white matte and deep black matte. Other colors that can be requested include grey-blue, moss grey, beige grey, and stone grey. The colors were picked out by Zieta to compliment the aluminum material and the form.
How is it so light?
Through a production process called FiDU, which was developed by Zieta, the chair has been able to achieve its sturdy seating.
This process consists of cutting a 2D outline of the chair’s frame from two high-quality aluminum sheets, then welding them together. Next, he inflates the chair with compressed air, resulting in an h-shaped design (with 2 legs and half of the backrest). The process is then repeated and welded together with a laser-cut seat and back support to form a chair.
This method was shown to reduce wasted materials and conserve energy. Also, it’s made 100% from recycled materials.
Speaking of environmentally friendly…
What makes this chair stand out is its completely aluminum material. Aluminum has a low melting point which makes it more recyclable and cheaper compared to other metals.
The FiDU process also makes it more sustainable and uses less energy. Overall, it provides a reusable item that has a low impact on production and the environment.
To top it off, Ultraleggera won an award in the product category at the Materialica Design and Technology Awards earlier this year.
The cost is around $1,000. So if you’re in the market for a chair that will be sat in for a while, Ultraleggera would be an eco-friendly choice. Perhaps sometime in the future, they will also be an economical choice!
Would you buy this chair? Should more companies focus on adopting different production methods to create more durable items even if they charge more? Let us know in the comments below!