5x5 Cathair by Barbara Princic is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2014 Duais Airgid A' Design Award in Dealbhadh Àirneis Competition Category.

AirgeadÀirneis· 2014

5x5 Cathair

by Barbara Princic

Client: Sijaj Hrastnik

Duais Airgid A' Design Award Winner in Àirneis Category

34,305
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #31513

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About 5x5 Cathair

Tha an cathair 5x5 na phròiseact dealbhaidh àbhaisteach far a bheil an cuingealachadh air aithneachadh mar dhùbhlan. Tha cathair a ’chathraiche agus an cùl air an dèanamh le xilith a tha gu math duilich a chumadh. Is e Xilith an stuth amh a lorgar 300 meatair fo uachdar na talmhainn agus tha e air a chuairteachadh le gual. An-dràsta tha a ’mhòr-chuid den stuth amh air a thilgeil air falbh. Bho thaobh na h-àrainneachd tha an stuth seo a ’gineadh sgudal air uachdar na talmhainn. Mar sin bha e coltach gu robh am beachd mu dhealbhadh a ’chathair gu math brosnachail agus dùbhlanach.

The Recognition

About the Duais Airgid A' Design Award

Tha 5x5 Cathair air Duais Airgid A' Design Award a bhuannachadh, aithneachadh gu math urramach a bheirear do dhealbhaidhean den chiad ìre, àlainn agus drùidhteach. Tha buannaichean Airgid nan obraichean anabarrach boillsgeach agus gu math cruthachail a nochdas sàr-eòlas, tàlant agus geurchuis an luchd-dealbhaidh. Thathar an dùil gum bi 5x5 Cathair na obair mhìorbhaileach, na sàr-eisimpleir a tha gu sònraichte proifeiseanta agus gu domhainn ùr-ghnàthach. Tha an dealbhadh seo a bhuannaich Duais Airgid A' Design Award na innleachd glè fhaicsinneach, ion-mholta a bhrosnaicheas crìochan ealain, saidheans, dealbhaidh agus teicneolais. Tha 5x5 Cathair na chruthachadh air a bheil mòran eud, a dhùisgeas miannan, a bheir faireachdainnean math agus a thogas iongnadh is miorbhail.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The 5x5 chair is a typical design project where the limitation is recognized as a challenge. The chair's seat and the back are made of xilith which is very difficult to be shaped. Xilith is the raw material that can be found 300 meters under the ground surface and is comined with a coal. But it is nither the coal nor the wood. Currently the majority of the raw material is thrown away. From environmental point of view this material generates waste on the earth surface. Therefore the idea about chair design seemed to be very provocative and challenging. The scientific methods of the material's final surface treatment have been explored so if applied properly the final look can be close to that of ebony.
Each chair is unique as neither two tiles look the same. Therefore the chair can have more brown or more black look depending on the tiles collected together.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width 470 mm x Depth 540 mm x Hight 840 mm
Tags: xilith, tiles, metal, elegant, thin, material innovation, experiment
Production Technology: Chair's structure:
- metal tub legs, surface nickel treated
- seat and back support made of laser cutted metal sheet, surface nickel treated
- Xilith tiles, cut, surface treated with linseed oil;
tiles glued on metal sheet surface
Design Challenge: Material's unique visual properties, physical characteristics and manufacturing limitations were challenging.
The design challenge was simply how to make a chair from little tiles? how to connect them? How to make the underneath seat's metal sheet stiff but yet almost invisible, thin.
Research: It was all about experimental work with this unique material. The scientific methods of surface treatment were examined years before within Biotechnological Faculty, University of Ljubljana. If the surface is treated properly, the outcome look is similar to ebony.
Inspiration: As explained in the project explanation; material's unique visual properties, physical characteristics and manufacturing limitations were challenging.
Xilith is the raw material that is very hard and fragile. Therefore the tile's dimension 5x5 cm is the maximum still acceptable dimension for manufacturing since the material itself is very difficult to be manufactured and shaped.
Project Duration: The project started in May 2008 and finished in October 2008 in Slovenia. It was exhibited at several exhibitions like
- Month of Design, October 2008, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Reader-friendly Design, January 2010, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- The Design Assembly, May 2010, Graz, Austria
- IDEA Award Winners and Finalists exhibition, August 2010, Henry Ford Museum, Michigan USA
- Charm of wood, spring 2011, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Ambient, furniture fair, October 2013, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Operation Flow: It enables very comfortable and ergonomic sitting.
Team Members: Barbara Princic, designer
Mr. Miran Drac, technologist
Image Credits: Images No.1-5, photographer Miha Benedicic, 5x5 chair, 2009.