Press Release
Takashi Niwa Is Honored with the Bronze A' Design Award for Hopper Chair in Furniture Design
Takashi Niwa acknowledged for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 28, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category for Hopper Chair by Takashi Niwa. The result belongs to the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Regarding Hopper Chair
Hopper is a wooden chair designed for relaxed seating. The double curved frame with a customized profile supports comfort and gives the chair a dynamic form. Three corners of the profile are rounded where the body touches the chair, while one sharp edge remains to highlight the overall shape. The reclined angle turns into smooth armrests and backrests. Resting and support panels add lightness and structural stability. The parts were made with five axis CNC machining and then assembled by hand.
About Takashi Niwa
Takashi Niwa is a Japanese architect who established offices in Vietnam in 2018 and Japan in 2020. By the design approach of “Visualize the values”, Niwa’s firm designs from small furniture to big symbols, from interior to urban planning and from private space to public space. The aim of the approach is to create the best environment and culture to bring more meaning for the users, clients and the society. It will reflect on our actual design and how we consider the best with supporting culture for the end users. Beside designing many hospitality designs such as restaurants and hotels, Niwa and the team won an international competition of Saigon footbridge in 2021.
Award Record
With this recognition, Takashi Niwa is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Furniture Design Award
The A' Furniture Design Award is an international furniture competition recognizing good furniture designs by best furniture designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and furniture brands from all countries. Entries typically include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. Awarded furniture designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/furniture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/137986
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/137986
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!137986
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/328650
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Hopper Chair
- Function
- Chair
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Rosy Brown, Tan, Peru, Indian Red and Silver
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Takashi Niwa
- Country
- Viet Nam
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2021 - 2022
- Design ID
- #137986
Credits
- Image Credits
- Naoto Ohike
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The double curved wood frame with customized profile ensures comfort while also enhancing the dynamic form of the chair. The profile has its three corners filletted where the body is in contact with the chair. On the other hand, one strong edge still remains to highlight the overall gesture and appears with higher contrast under the lighting effect.
- Inspiration
- Hopper Chair with its reclined ergonomics invites the users to sit back and relax. The signature double curves form an energizing and friendly gesture, which recalls a joyful spirit of hopping. When not in use, Hopper Chair is still a spark of joy in the space.
- Research
- Throughout the design process, there were many studies on the overall form to reveal strong gestures with simplicity. After multiple iterations of the leg and frame profile, a scale model was 3d printed for mock up before sending the final design to the factory.
- Challenge
- It was a challenge to ensure structure and rigidity with the chair’s significant curves and incline without losing the purity of the form. Various testing took place to study different relationships between front legs and back legs’ curve and angle. Supporting structural frames and joints were then added underneath the seat to ensure stability.
- Realization and Technology
- With high quality requirement and subtle details, the chair’s parts were made using 5 axis CNC for finishing accuration. A technician with 20 years of experience in craftsmanship then worked to assemble these parts and details together.
- Operation and Interaction
- With a welcoming gesture, Hopper Chair offers its user to relax with comfort. The reclined angle with a smooth curve turns into pleasant armrests and backrests. The double curved frame is designed to give light and open feelings with resting and support panels, which also enhance structural stability.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was designed in Hanoi, Vietnam in May 2021 and finished in Binh Duong, Vietnam in February 2022
- Keywords
- furniture, chair, ergonomic, wood
