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5x5 Sella by Barbara Princic

5x5 Sella by Barbara Princic is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2014 Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum in Designatio Supellectilis Competition Category.


ArgentumSupellex· 2014

5x5 Sella

by Barbara Princic

Client: Sijaj Hrastnik

Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum Winner in Supellex Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About 5x5 Sella

5x5 cathedra quod est typical consilio project ubi est limit at in provocationem dignoscitur. Et in cathedra sede a tergo sunt, e quibus difficillimum est ut xilith informibus. CCC metris rudis materia inveniri poterit, qui est Xilith sub terram superficiem comined et in calculo. Currently de rudis materia sit maioris abiecisse. Environmental ex parte hac materia generat superficiem terrae perdere. Ergo videtur esse ideam cathedra consilium provocantes provocantes.

The Recognition

About the Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum

5x5 Sella victor est Praemii A' Design Award Argenteum, honoris eximie amplissimi formis summi generis, pulchris et conspicuis dati. Victores Argenti opera valde splendida et creandi ingenio praedita sunt, quae praestantem peritiam, talentum et acumen auctorum suorum ostendunt. Exspectatur 5x5 Sella opus mirabile, exemplare, valde professionale et penitus novum fore. Haec forma Argento victa inventum notabile et admiratum est, quod ad fines artis, scientiae, formandi rationis et technologiae promovendos confert. 5x5 Sella creatio est, quam multi invident, quae cupiditates excitat, sensus bonos affert et admirationem miraculumque movet.

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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