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5x5 Oche by Barbara Princic

5x5 Oche by Barbara Princic is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2014 Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha in Nhazi Ngwá Ụlọ Competition Category.


ỌlaọchaNgwá Ụlọ· 2014

5x5 Oche

by Barbara Princic

Client: Sijaj Hrastnik

Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha Winner in Ngwá Ụlọ Category

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Colors

The Design

About 5x5 Oche

Oche 5x5 bụ ihe eji ama atụ, ebe amara mmachi ahụ bụ ihe ịma aka. A na-eji oche oche na azụ mee nke oge nkeithit nke siri ike nha. Xilith bụ akụrụngwa nke enwere ike ịchọta mita 300 n'okpuru ala ma tinye ya na kol. Ka ọ dị ugbu a, a na-atụfu ihe ka ọtụtụ n'ụdị akụrụngwa. Site na gburugburu ebe obibi ihe a na - emepụta ahihia n’elu ụwa. Ya mere, echiche banyere oche oche dị ka nke a na-akpali agụụ mmekọahụ na nke siri ike.

The Recognition

About the Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha

5x5 Oche meriri A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha, nnabata dị oke ugwu e nyere design ndị dị n'ọkwa kachasị elu, mara mma ma na-eju anya. Ndị meriri na Ọlaọcha bụ ọrụ na-egbu maramara nke ukwuu ma dị oke nzụlite nke na-egosi ọmarịcha ihe ọmụma, talent na nghọta nke ndị designer ha. A na-atụ anya na 5x5 Oche ga-abụ ọrụ dị ịtụnanya, ihe nlereanya, nke dị oke ọrụ ma dị omimi n'ihe ọhụrụ. Design a meriri A' Design Award nke Ọlaọcha bụ ihe e mepụtara dị oke ịrịba ama, nke a na-eto nke na-erite uru ma na-ebuga oke nka, sayensị, design na teknụzụ n'ihu. 5x5 Oche bụ ihe e kere eke ọtụtụ ndị na-ekwo ekworo ya nke na-akpali ọchịchọ, na-eweta mmetụta ọma ma na-akpali ịtụnanya.

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.

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