Rock N Roll Chair

Program: Outdoor Furniture Design

Location: New York, USA

Client: The Battery Conservancy

The Rock N’ Roll Chair is an ergonomic, iconic, and (most importantly) fun chair for New York’s Battery Park!! the uniquely elegant design sparks visual interest, encourages interaction, and is highly mobile while utilizing an economic, responsible and sustainable manufacturing process. the stackable pod shaped design can be “rolled” into two different seated “rocking” positions – an upright chair position that is perfect for group discussions and a low slung lawn chair position that is perfect for individual lounging in the park. Both positions feature an ergonomic form that hugs the user and provide maximum comfort for extended sitting in either a static or rocking condition. the perforated pattern of the skin reduces the weight of the chair while placing more material where the structure requires more rigidity, this simultaneously produces a stunning moiré effect which encourages visual interaction. With a monotone outer skin, the colored inner skin appears and disappears as one moves around the chair. the proposed color schemes reference New York’s professional sports legacies, providing a splash of color, fanaticism and local identity. Inspired by the 111 Navy Chair by Emeco, the proposed fabrication process utilizes recycled glass bottle flakes combined with glass fiber and non-toxic color pigment. A composite of 65% rPET plastic and 35% glass fiber pellets, is melted down and injected into a rotational mould. Once the mould is loaded, the mould is rotated/revolved, tempered and cooled. the entire process takes approximately three minutes and takes 111 recycled bottles out of landfill.