Praxis I: Redefining the Office Chair

Osayande Imarhiagbe's Award-Winning Design Merges Comfort and Aesthetics

The inspiration for Praxis I came from Imarhiagbe's personal desire to improve the comfort and visual appeal of the office environment. He questioned whether it was possible to design an office chair that was not only practical and cost-effective but also comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. This led to the creation of Praxis I, a chair that reinterprets the common office chair.

What sets Praxis I apart from other office chairs is its unique design. The chair features a unified seat and back cushion atop a singular frame, merging the essential elements of the modern office chair into a consistent and unified design. The cushion, made from a molded block of viscoelastic foam and upholstered with perforated leather, adapts easily to a wide range of body types, making Praxis I unique in its commitment to comfort and simplicity.

The chair's design was realized using a specific process. The silhouette of the chair was derived by intersecting two lines at a 105-degree angle and creating offset lines from those original lines to create the depth of the chair frame. The angle was chosen to encourage a more natural and comfortable seating position. The design was further refined by rounding the corner angles of the chair to soften its appearance.

Praxis I is designed for use in professional workspaces. It provides the user with a maximum level of comfort with only the essential components. The chair can easily adapt to the user when occupied, with the viscoelastic foam in the chair cushion molding to the shape of the user’s body. The spring-tilt mechanism allows the user to recline backwards to alleviate back pressure, and the cylindrical gas lift provides easy height adjustment.

The concept of Praxis I was created in July 2016 and completed in September 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the research that went into the development of this concept focused on finding out what components of a chair made it the most comfortable. Information gathered from the Cornell Human Factors and Ergonomics Research Group was instrumental in determining what physical properties the chair would need to incorporate.

Praxis I faced several challenges during its development, including creating a visually coherent design that was also realistic in the application of materials. Despite these challenges, Imarhiagbe was able to create an innovative and award-winning design that redefines the office chair. Praxis I is a testament to Imarhiagbe's commitment to improving the office environment through design, comfort, and aesthetics.