5x5 Icpalli by Barbara Princic is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2014 Mahuizolli A' Design Award Iztacteocuitlatl in Caltlapechtli Tlachihchihualiztli Competition Category.

IztacteocuitlatlCaltlapechtli· 2014

5x5 Icpalli

by Barbara Princic

Client: Sijaj Hrastnik

Mahuizolli A' Design Award Iztacteocuitlatl Winner in Caltlapechtli Category

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Colors

The Design

About 5x5 Icpalli

In 5x5 icpalli cah ce tlachihualiztequitl campa in tlatzacuiliztli motemaca iuhqui temahuiztli. In icpalyotl ihuan cuitlapantli chihualoc ica xilith, in cencah ohuic mopatlas. Xilith cah ce tetl-cahualli mani epohualli omcaxtolli metros itzintlan tlalli, monamictoc ica tetlatl. Axcan, miyecpa in cahualli moxitinia. Ipan tlalticpac-piyaliztli, inin cahualli quichihua zoquitl ipan tlalli icuexco. Nochi inic, in tlanemiliztli ipan icpalli-tlachihualiztli monemitia cencah temahuiztic ihuan ohuitequitl.

The Recognition

About the Mahuizolli A' Design Award Iztacteocuitlatl

5x5 Icpalli ca in quicuic in Mahuizolli A' Design Award Iztacteocuitlatl, hueyi tlamahuizoliztli tlen momaca in huel yectli, tlanextic ihuan mahuiztic tlachihualli. In quicuicah Iztacteocuitlatl ca cenca cualli ihuan cenca yancuic tlachihualli in quinextia in tlamatiliztli, toltecayotl ihuan ixtlamatiliztli intlachihuanime. Ca quinequi in 5x5 Icpalli ca cenca cualli, cenca motequiuhtia ihuan yancuic. Ni dizayno in quicuic Iztacteocuitlatl quihuelitia in toltecayotl, tlamatiliztli, dizayno ihuan teknolohia. 5x5 Icpalli quiyolchicahua in tlacah, quipaquiltia ihuan quitlamahuiztiltia.

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.