The new Free Balance_2011 seating concept by designers Andreas Krob and Joachim Brüske lies—to my eyes—somewhere on the continuum between Konstantin Grcic’s Myto and Antonio Citterio’s Unix. It shares with the former the engineering savvy of cantilevered construction, and with the latter the ergonomic propensities of an office all-rounder. The comparison is certainly meant as a compliment, but something tells me that it might not be high enough praise for Krob and Brüske (and manufacturer Interstuhl) who describe Free Balance as “a fluid interplay of seat, armrest and backrest… a unique form distinctly apart from the mass of apparently similar chairs.”

Free Balance_2011. Designed by Interstuhl.

A New Concept for Cantilevered Comfort

A closer examination of these claims by Krob and Brüske reveals a surprising lack of hyperbole. Free Balance boasts several cutting-edge features that indeed bridge the gap between a typical cantilevered all-purpose chair and an adjustable ergonomic office number. First among these is its “body float mechanism,” which allows the seat to make subtle intuitive adjustments by sliding rearwards until the body in question has achieved optimal positioning. Second is the multiple seat angle adjustments facilitated by that very same cantilevered design. And third is Free Balance’s weight regulation system, whose broad range of settings allows easy customization for a correspondingly broad range of sizes and body types.

Your eye may also have gravitated to the conspicuous identification of the forthcoming year within Free Balance’s name. And while the onset of 2011 may be a scant ten days’ hence, Interstuhl fully intends to withhold this ergonomic gem until summer of same. By that time, one imagines, Free Balance will present with as many colors and finish options as ergonomic features. Until then, let’s all be content with this brief sneak peak while we await the full unveiling come June.

Via Stylepark.