What happens when you pair an internationally acclaimed design firm with a German chemical company and automobile technology? A monobloc stackable chair made from natural fibers that takes advantage of mass production processes without sacrificing the environment. The Hemp Chair has a modern form with a natural, soft air that suggests its non-toxic origins. Werner Aisslinger released the Hemp Chair at the exhibition “Poetry Happens” in Ventura Lambrate, a project which is supported by the German chemical company BASF.

Hemp Chair. Designed by Werner Aisslinger.

The material of the chair is 70% natural fibers (hemp and kenaf) which are combined with BASF’s water-based acrylic resin Acrodur. Unlike with classic reactive resins, water is the only by-product of the curing process. Compression molding allows for the manufacturer of low-cost, mass produced three-dimensional objects with high mechanical resistance which are surprisingly light weight. The finished product has the structural characteristics of a pressed piece of metal with the softness of a felted rug. Stackable chairs are a conundrum for a variety of issues (look, weight & function) and Studio Aisslinger has managed to tackle them all with a new, sustainable material.

A quote from Werner Aisslinger on the Hemp Chair, “Design history is driven by new technologies and material innovation. For us designers, the advent of these technologies has always been the starting point for new objects and typologies in design.”

via Designboom

About the Designer. Werner Aisslinger lives and works in Berlin, Germany where his designs range from experimental to artistic through the lens of industrial design and architecture. He puts a strong emphasis on making use of the latest technologies and has helped introduce new materials and techniques to the world of product design, one examples is his gel furniture with the collection for Zanotta in 2000. His work is exhibited in the permanent collections of international museums such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the French Fonds National d´Art Contemporain in Paris, the Museum Neue Sammlung in Munich, and the Vitra Design Museum in Weil, Germany.