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Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Turner Osler and Lex Osler Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for The Ariel Chair in Furniture Design

Turner Osler and Lex Osler recognized for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that The Ariel Chair by Turner Osler and Lex Osler, designed for Qor360, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category. The award was conferred within the 2019 - 2020 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 scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Bronze A' Design Award Explained

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.

Regarding The Ariel Chair

The Ariel is an office chair designed for active sitting. The seat rocks in all directions on a patented geometric solid, so movement is possible without any moving parts. Rubber mounts join the seat to the rocker and limit the rocking range. A gas cylinder provides height adjustment and rotation on an aluminum base. The rocker is injection molded polycarbonate and the seat is upholstered in hand stitched leather. The chair weighs 8.16 kg and a handle is built into the back for carrying. The aim is to engage the core, improve posture and reduce back pain.

Award Record

This recognition makes Turner Osler and Lex Osler 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

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
The Ariel Chair
Function
Chair
Category
Furniture Design
Discipline
Industrial Design
Industry
Furniture & Home
Colors
Indian Red, Brown, Black, Linen and Light Coral
Images
4
Client
Qor360

The Recognition

Laureate
Turner Osler and Lex Osler
Country
United States of America
Recognition
Bronze A' Design Award
Edition
2019 - 2020
Design ID
#92125

Credits

Team
Dr. Turner Osler MD and Lex Osler
Image Credits
Main; Scott Brightwell Photography Optional; Scott Brightwell Photography

Design Details

Unique Properties
The patented rocking mechanism lets the seat move in all directions effortlessly. It feels like floating. However the crux of the design is there are no moving pieces. It's all done with a unique geometric solid that took Dr. Osler over a year to develop. By letting the seat move, the chair engages the core, improves posture, and relieves back pain.
Inspiration
Dr. Turner Osler MD, the inventor, was a trauma surgeon for over 30 years, he is now an emeritus professor at the University of Vermont where he does epidemiologic research. He was dogged by constant back pain when he moved to a desk job and he also saw that sitting was an immense health problem. Prolonged sitting increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer. The rate of back pain in America is over 80%. Dr. Osler set out to find a solution for both sitting disease and back pain and designed the Ariel chair. By allowing the seat to move in all directions, he injected effortless movement into the seating experience.
Research
2,500 people have purchased the chair and use it daily. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. People have said everything from, they don't feel stiff after sitting in the chair for hours, to it cured their back pain. Others have commented it improves their posture and helps with certain medical conditions (arthritis, scoliosis, disk herniation ...)
Challenge
The hardest part of this design was making it affordable. It would be easy to make an insanely complex mechanism and spare no expense, but to make it as simple and affordably as possible, this is another challenge entirely. The Ariel was successfully completed to be manufactured at scale for a reasonable price. And the mechanism is the simplest for a chair that moves directly underneath the seat.
Realization and Technology
injection molded polycarbonate rocker, hand stitched leather upholstery, 1in rubber motor mounts for bumpers, office chair parts: level 4 gas cylinder and aluminum base. Dipped red nylon handle. CNC cut Baltic birch painted with non-toxic black finish.
Operation and Interaction
The unique rocking mechanism is a geometric solid. The seat is attached to the rocker with rubber connectors. There are no moving parts, the seat rocks in all directions on the geometric solid thus letting you move while you sit. The rubber mounts merely keep the chair from falling apart, and the 1in rubber mounts on the back and sides limit the rocking range and keep people from rocking too far backwards or sideways. The gas cylinder provides rotation and elevation. There is a handle designed into the back which you can carry the chair with, which is easy because it is only 15lbs.
Project Duration and Location
Project was started in 2016 and is continuing to evolve each year. It was designed in Colchester Vermont USA.
Specifications
508-685.8 mm height adjustability. 495.3 mm star base. seat 330.2 mm x 228.6 mm with small back height of 165.1 mm weight: 8.16kg
Keywords
chair, active sitting, posture, core, back pain, movement, qor360, Dr. Turner Osler, move while you sit, effortless, geometric solid, patented

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