Press Release
Plit Side Chair by Kutay Guler Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Furniture Design
The international grand jury of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Kutay Guler for furniture design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2021 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category for Plit Side Chair by Kutay Guler, designed for Plit Co.. The award was conferred within the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Bronze A' Design Award Means
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
About Plit Side Chair
Plit is a side chair designed for corporate and residential interiors. The seating surface is split on the vertical axis, creating two sides that react independently as the user shifts weight and changes posture. The seat surface is scored to provide better support. The base is formed by two curving strips of machined and cold-formed aluminium with polished and black satin anodized finishes. The seat is overmolded polypropylene copolymer around an aluminium frame, and the surface is flexible with a smooth matte texture. The design responds to the dynamic nature of sitting.
About Kutay Guler
Kutay Guler is an award-winning, NCIDQ licensed interior architect and academician based in Manhattan, KS. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Bilkent University – Turkey, Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design in 2006 and 2009 respectively. He joined Kansas State University, Department of Interior Architecture and Industrial Design in 2018. His research focuses on the intersection of environmental design dynamics and digital tools. His papers were published in leading high impact journals such as Computers & Education, Journal of Simulation, Museum Management & Curatorship.
Award Record
This recognition makes Kutay Guler a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Furniture Design Award
The A' Furniture Design Award is an international furniture competition recognizing good furniture designs by best furniture designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and furniture brands from all countries. Entries typically include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. Awarded furniture designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/furniture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/113795
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/113795
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!113795
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/290070
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Plit Side Chair
- Function
- Side Chair
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Gray, Firebrick, Dim Gray, Dark Gray and Tomato
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Plit Co.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Kutay Guler
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2020 - 2021
- Design ID
- #113795
Credits
- Image Credits
- Kutay Guler, 2020
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The typical seat is often imagined as a static entity, supporting the body in a linear way, disregarding the frequent changes in sitting poses and the shifting user weight. Plit chair proposes a new perspective by dividing the seating surface on the vertical axis to create two sides that react to the user independently as they re-adjust their pose. The seat surface is scored to provide better support. The base is composed of two curving strips to give the impression of fluidity and leniency.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the dynamic nature of sitting, in order to adaptively support the shifting poses and weight of the user, the chair form is split on the vertical axis creating two halves that can react to the user independently and asymmetrically. The effect of the split is inspired by the Onement series of paintings by Barnett Newman. The split creates a negative space that emphasizes independence yet, it also becomes the visual element that underlines and celebrates unity and totality.
- Research
- Although often envisioned as a static posture, sitting is a dynamic action. Seating surface applies pressure to the user’s body and forces them to shift their weight and realign their body to regulate blood flow and balance tissue perfusion. Research suggests that fidgeting starts within 30 minutes. This design addresses the dynamic nature of seating by splitting the chair into two sides that can flex independently and respond to the shift in weight distribution more actively and efficiently.
- Challenge
- The typical chair design assumes that seating positions are static and weight distribution is symmetrical on the vertical axis at all times. However, research suggests that sitting is a dynamic action and users naturally shift their body weight to regulate blood flow and balance tissue perfusion. This chair proposes a unique design by splitting the chair on the vertical axis. Through utilizing flexible materials, the chair can respond to the shifting body weight independently and asymmetrically.
- Realization and Technology
- The structure of the chair is a combination of machined and cold-formed aluminum. The continuous strips that form the base feature a polished and a black satin finish applied through masked anodization to create a laminated effect. The seat is overmolded Polypropylene Copolymer around a machined aluminum internal frame to increase structural integrity, featuring a smooth matte finish with slight texturing, soft to the touch and flexible. The seat components are connected via a set of bolts.
- Operation and Interaction
- The chair is designed to deliver an unusual and comfortable seating experience while complementing modern corporate and residential interiors with its unique look. The flowing lines and sculptural aesthetic makes the chair ideal for creating focal points, however, the relatively simplistic features enable the designer to use the chair in a repeated fashion without overwhelming the intended visual composition.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was started in May 2020 and completed in November 2020.
- Specifications
- Seat Height – 453mm; Seat Width – 445mm; Seat Depth – 445mm; Seat Angle – 5 degrees Backrest Height – 405mm; Backrest Width – 405mm; Backrest Angle – 5 degrees; Lumbar Support Height – 155mm Base Total Height – 505mm; Base Depth – 515mm Package Size – 600mm x 600mm x 300mm unassembled
- Keywords
- Chair, Contemporary, Ergonomy, Onement, Side Chair, Split
