Elizabeth Whelan’s Newest Design Enhances Ergonomic Performance of Humanscale Task Seating
Humanscale continues to set the standard for ergonomic seating through collaborations with award winning designers like Elizabeth Whelan, Niels Diffrient, Don Chadwick, and Todd Bracher. From the original Freedom to the newer Liberty, Smart and World additions, Humanscale has routinely focused on creating ergonomic support for the body and improving health and comfort in the workplace with simple, yet impactful designs. Corde 4, the latest collaboration with celebrated textile designer Whelan, is no different. This new collection of coverings optimizes the overall design and performance of Humanscale’s impressive range of seating.
Whelan studies fabric with the same interest and focus as Humanscale’s ergonomic designers who study the mechanics of a design. “Fabric can bring innovation to a product,” says Whelan. “It is far more than an afterthought or a decorative element. It is a fundamental element of the overall structure and integrity of a product.” This isn’t the first partnership between Humanscale and Whelan. Their work on the Diffrient Collection of task chairs extends back to 2004, and in 2010, their collaboration on the mesh collection for the World chair garnered the prestigious Best of the Best Red Dot Award. Around this same time, Whelan and Humanscale began searching for an upholstery fabric that provided the comfort, durability and flexibility specifically needed for ergonomic seating.
The solution, Corde 4, is a woven four-way stretch fabric, developed after years of testing and research by both parties. Whelan reflects on the nature of her collaboration with Humanscale after this particularly challenging but rewarding development: “Humanscale has been a great partner over the years; I respect and admire its approach to design – there is a genuine commitment to solving problems rather than strictly responding to trends. This allows for useful and beautiful design to emerge. Corde 4 is a great example of how this commitment stimulates innovation.” Between its original design and the highest quality materials, the new Corde 4 promises to outlast the standard mesh textiles of its competition. A small modular weave placed in a half drop repeat creates a rib-like dimensional surface, giving the fabric a unique design that is both visually appealing and engaging to touch. Corde 4 will endure the test of time as it is constructed from high-performance nylon and polyurethane, a combination that’s well above industry textile standards in abrasion, colorfastness to light and solvents, pilling and cracking.
Inspired by the natural gradients of honeycomb, Whelan piece-dyed Corde 4 so that its textured surface creates rich shaded areas. However on the back, Corde 4 provides an even, stable surface, so that the four-way stretch conforms to unique shapes, supporting the ergonomic objectives of all Humanscale chairs. High performance and style come together in this innovative new textile, available in an array of neutral and vibrant shades.
About Humanscale
Humanscale is the premier designer and manufacturer of ergonomic products that improve the health and comfort of work life. Achieving more with less, Humanscale’s product designs have been honored with more than 140 prestigious awards since 2007 and featured in various museums such as The Museum of Modern Art. For more information on Humanscale and its products, visit www.humanscale.com.
About Elizabeth Whelan
Elizabeth Whelan engineers innovative solutions into the textiles she designs for industry. She couples a refined aesthetic sense honed by a lifetime of creative handwork with a master’s understanding of manufacturing processes. Whelan’s revolutionary mesh launched her reputation as a fabric futurist. Her mesh performs such an essential ergonomic function in the groundbreaking task chairs designed by Niels Diffrient for Humanscale, that in 2005, I.D. magazine singled out Whelan’s Luminesce mesh collection for a Design Distinction award because of its comfortable practicality as well as its beauty. Her mesh collection for the World Chair won the 2010 Best of the Best in the Red Dot Competition. She’s also been recognized by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Craft. Whelan is, in short, a designer’s designer with an engineer’s wizard-like technical abilities.