Hemp chair

Traditionally, monobloc stackable chairs have been developed with reinforced plastics.

'Hemp chair' by berlin-based designer/architect Werner Aisslinger is the first monochair designed with a new technology in which natural fibers like hemp that are moulded under heat with a special ecological glue resulting in a sustainable composite material.

A complete structure done in a thin layer of material is one of the most complicated ways to design and engineer a chair. Aisslinger's design which features soft curves, along with a horizontal and vertical ring structure, is a new approach to this complex seating typology.

The difficulty in working with ecological materials is the relation of ingredients compared to the stability of the lifecycle and pricing of the components. The technology that has been utilized for the 'Hemp chair' allows one to use 100 percent natural fibres in combination with a water-based glue that contains no phenols or formaldehyd. This process enables low cost mass production for 3D objects with a high stability and low specific weight.

The 'Hemp chair' shows at milan design week 2011 at ventura lambrate in the exhibition 'poetry happens' curated by werner aisslinger, tim brauns and fabien dumas. It stands to be a display of archetypal prototyped objects or installations with a narrative design quality whether it be through the 'poetry of making', 'poetry of collages', 'poetry of prototyping', 'poetry of spaces and installations' or the 'poetry of sustainability. Here, designers, architects and artists give their personal approach and interpretation of their work in relation to poetry.