Choosing the appropriate working elements –such as furniture, lighting, flooring, and other equipment– is key for creating an optimal workplace environment. With a positive impact on productivity, as well as the comfort and well-being of team members, designing workplace elements that integrate sustainable, wellness and aesthetic qualities implies a deep understanding of the interactions between these three areas. Minimizing the environmental impact and prioritizing well-being throughout the design process, while also considering the resulting aesthetics, Boss Design’s Sia Task Chair defines a new standard for workplace design.
Sustainability: Circular design strategies
Following a long-term sustainable vision, Sia’s design process is based on the use of responsibly-sourced materials, where just 30% of the structural elements used are virgin materials, and the remaining 70% made of recycled materials. By exploring the latest technologies, 20% of its recycled content is post-consumer recycled plastic. The design plays with the combination of both types of materials because recycled plastics may not always provide the same strength, colors or surface finishes as virgin plastic.
Where does furniture waste end up? According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), 1.8 million office chairs end up in UK landfills each year. Reimagining what is possible in today’s workspaces, the new task chair design moves towards a circular manufacturing model. Through slimmer, elegant and organic lines, it uses few components and is assembled without adhesives to extend its life cycle, making its disassembly easier (by unscrewing and unclipping parts) for reusing or recycling components. When its working life ends, 98.4% of its materials can be recycled.
While the industry’s average for a task chair moves around 72 Kg of CO2, this proposal lowers it down by 22%, with a carbon footprint of 56.38 Kg of CO2. Besides being tested independently for any volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by Intec, all of the environmental data collated has been EPD certified by Declare.
Wellness: Ergonomic design for comfort and support
In addition to maximizing the amount of natural light, incorporating biophilic elements, and providing flexible spaces, workplace design can also consider ergonomic elements to create an environment of well-being.
As office workers spend around 75% of their working hours sitting down, it is crucial to provide a design that enhances the user's health and comfort. Such is the case of this task chair, which carefully considers an ergonomic form for providing optimum support, while allowing for greater concentration and focus.
With the right amount of flex and twist in the back section, the chair molds to the human form, providing lumbar support without restricting movement. Its generous high back, a lumbar pad that is adjustable across a 100mm range, and multi-adjustable armrests make Sia customizable to a wide variety of body shapes and sizes.
Aesthetics: Natural colors for various styles
Designing aesthetically alluring workplaces entails a series of decisions in the creation process. Besides defining the layout, the process involves the selection of materials, textures, colors and forms of the elements that are going to build the space. In addition to minimizing environmental impact, this task chair aims to maximize the visual appeal of the workplace.
Through its soft and organic aesthetic, this versatile chair is designed to sit harmoniously in various environments. While the frame can be in four different colors –Copper brown; Reed Green; Black or Oyster White– the mesh varies in five styles, transparencies and textures, as well as 33 color options. Also, depending on each particular workplace style, the seat can be covered in a wide range of fabrics, patterns and colors.
As for the knitted mesh, manufactured from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic waste collected from the land and sea, it can be applied in eight natural hues. When looking for a textured finish, the Cloud Knit Mesh comes in eight tranquil tones, while the Fizz mesh alternative enables a unique two-tone graphic pattern that plays with 56 color combinations. Also in 56 colors, the Duo Mesh allows different colors to be visible on each side of the backrest.
Transforming task areas into destination spaces, the chair’s gentle and organic curves aim to shape a lighter look and feel, while also introducing a calm palette of natural colors into the workplace.
For more information on Boss Design’s sustainable working elements, visit their product catalog.
