Genya Auditorium Seating won the Best of NeoCon Innovation Award—for good reason. Although it’s not always easy to get excited about auditorium seating, Genya’s manufacturer Sedia Systems is making it easy. The innovative design here joins the seating and framework into one sleek panel. The retractable seats and arms work on a gas device which “automatically retracts the arms and seat and folds them into a sleek, rectangular compartment that also functions as the structural framework.” The mechanism involved in this movement has been patented by Sedia Systems.

Sedia Systems. Designed by Genya. At #NeoConEast.

Designed by Dante Bonuccelli, Genya balances “sophistication and simplicity.” When the seats are closed, the system creates architectural walls with a visually interesting angle—something in the way of a slant (or, more commonly, the ubiquitous slash). Genya works with flat, tiered, or sloped floors in straight row configurations only (you can see how it can’t nor should be any other way, however, as this would ruin the clean look of the design). The minimum row spacing is 35.5″, which works well for some groups—but not others (National Basketball Association, for one).

Reinforced elastic belts provide backrest suspension, and seat and back padding is non-deformable. Upholstery for Genya is leather or fabric; backrest panels come in leather, marble, or wood. When upholstered in leather completely, the seating system achieves a strikingly uniform look—very Star Trek Command Center. Combine upholstered seats with a wood or marble back for a bold geometry. This is a well-earned Innovation Award from Best of NeoCon: Genya alters the very concept of auditorium seating.