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5x5 Alaga by Barbara Princic

5x5 Alaga by Barbara Princic is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2014 Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Fàdákà A' Design Award in Àpẹẹrẹ Ohun-èlò Ilé Competition Category.


FàdákàOhun-èlò Ilé· 2014

5x5 Alaga

by Barbara Princic

Client: Sijaj Hrastnik

Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Fàdákà A' Design Award Winner in Ohun-èlò Ilé Category

Colors

The Design

About 5x5 Alaga

Alaga 5x5 jẹ apẹrẹ akanṣe apẹrẹ nibiti a ti mọ idiwọ naa bi ipenija. Ijoko alaga ati ẹhin ni a ṣe ti xilith eyiti o jẹ gidigidi soro lati ni apẹrẹ. Xilith jẹ ohun elo aise ti a le rii ni awọn mita 300 labẹ ilẹ ti ilẹ ati pe a fi orisii paadi. Lọwọlọwọ opolopo ninu ohun elo aise ti sọ nù. Lati oju wiwo ayika yii ohun elo yii n ṣafihan egbin lori oju ilẹ. Nitorinaa imọran nipa apẹrẹ alaga dabi ẹnipe o jẹ arofin ati ariyanjiyan.

The Recognition

About the Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Fàdákà A' Design Award

5x5 Alaga jẹ́ olùborí Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Fàdákà A' Design Award, ìdánimọ̀ onípọ̀nlé lọ́nà àrà ọ̀tọ̀ tí a fún àwọn àwòṣe ìpele gíga jùlọ tó dára tó sì ń kan ọkàn. Àwọn olùborí Fàdákà jẹ́ àwọn iṣẹ́ tó ń tàn yòò gidigidi tó sì ní ìṣẹ̀dá púpọ̀ tí wọ́n ń ṣàfihàn ìmọ̀ ìjìnlẹ̀, ẹ̀bùn àti ìmọ̀ràn àwọn olùṣàwòṣe wọn. A retí pé 5x5 Alaga yóò jẹ́ iṣẹ́ àgbàyanu, àpẹẹrẹ rere, ti ọ̀jáfáfá lọ́nà tó ṣe pàtàkì tó sì ní ìmúṣẹ̀dá tuntun jinlẹ̀. Àwòṣe tó borí Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Fàdákà A' Design Award yìí jẹ́ ohun ìmúṣẹ̀dá tó hàn gbangba gidigidi tí a mọrírì tó ń ṣe anfàní tó sì ń tì ààlà iṣẹ́ ọnà, sáyẹ́ǹsì, àwòṣe àti ìmọ̀-ẹ̀rọ síwájú. 5x5 Alaga jẹ́ ẹ̀dá tí ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ ń ṣe ìlara, tó ń jí ìfẹ́ inú, tó ń mú ìmọ̀lára rere wá tó sì ń jí ìyàlẹ́nu àti ìyanu.

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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