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Smart Seat

Edited by Karen D. Singh, Deborah Wilk, Mark McMenamin, and Yvonne M. Chan -- Interior Design, 5/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

Knoll calls it holistic ergonomics: complete support of the seated body's fluid state of motion. This concept defines the Generation by Knoll task chair, a collaboration with Formway Design's Kent Parker. The development process entailed stripping away some of the bells and whistles found on the current crop of task chairs, resulting in a control mechanism known as dynamic suspension, which uses approximately 30 percent fewer parts.

The support system is produced by the chair's figure-eight frame of reinforced polyester, available in onyx or Meteor. Choose a base to match or a contrasting version in polished aluminum. A high-performance thermoplastic polyester-composite elastomer creates the backrest's flexible mesh. It's offered in nine colors including lemongrass, Firecracker, and Pebble—as is the polyester upholstery on the urethane-foam seat supported by a nylon substructure. A range of KnollTextiles fabrics is also available. For the polyurethane arm pads, select light or dark gray. 800-445-5045; knoll.com. circle 419