Monobloc (chair)

History

Variants of the one-piece plastic chair designed by Canadian Douglas C. Simpson in 1946 went into production with Allibert Group and Grosfillex Group in the 1970s. Other sources name the French engineer Henry Massonnet from Nurieux-Volognat with his "Fauteuil 300" from 1972 as the inventor of the Monobloc. Manufacture of these designs was preceded by Joe Colombo's Model 4867 Universal chair in 1965, and the 1967 Selene chair by Vico Magistretti (both made by Kartell), but no patents were filed for a monobloc chair design per se. Since then, billions have been manufactured around the world.

Production and usage

The Monobloc chair is so named because it is injection moulded from thermoplastic as one piece rather than being assembled from multiple pieces. Many variations and styles exist, but all are designed to allow the chair to be made quickly and cheaply through injection molding. A standard material used is thermoplastic polypropylene, with the granules being heated approximately 220 Celsius, and the resulting melt injected into a mold. The gate of the mould is usually located in the seat, ensuring smooth molten plastic flow to all parts of the tool.

Approximately one billion Monoblocs have been sold in Europe, with one Italian manufacturer producing over ten million units annually in 2004. The chairs cost approximately $3.50 to produce in 2011, making them both affordable and ubiquitous—in the billions—worldwide. Their lightweight and stackable design eases both their deployment and storage, even for large gatherings. One modern design weighs 2.7 kg, half that of the standard make, and can be stacked 24 high. They are also prevalent in both corporate and individual outdoor usage due to features such as the slits on seat and backrest which rain water and wind pass through, their wide base which resists their occupants tipping over, and their sheer utility and replaceability.

Social reception

Social theorist Ethan Zuckerman described the chair as having achieved ubiquity at a global scale. This quality has been seen as both a positive and a negative, with some considering the homogeneous nature of the chair "disturbing" and "the real evil of globalization", while others have called it one of "the world's most perfectly designed object[s]".

Monobloc plastic chairs were banned from public spaces in the city of Basel, Switzerland, from 2008 to 2017 to preserve the beauty of the cityscape.

Exhibitions

• 2017: Monobloc. A chair for the world at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein.
• 2018: Honor Cheap Furniture by Martí Guixé at Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome.

References

References

1. Alter, Bonnie. (2010-11-18). "Is This the World's Most Famous Chair?".
2. Rashid, Karim. (2015-09-13). "A brief history of the humble plastic chair".
3. (2017). "Monobloc – Ein Stuhl für die Welt".
4. Naidoo, Ridhika. (2004-06-08). "Selene forerunner of today's monobloc chairs".
5. Suzdaltsev, Jules. (2015-01-28). "White Plastic Chairs Are Taking Over the World".
6. van den Elshout, Guido J.. (2011-12-27). "Monobloc Chair: Joe Colombo and Vico Magistretti".
7. Gosnell, Mariana. (July 2004). "Everybody Take A Seat".
8. (2017-07-03). "Chair, Misunderstood".
9. (May 19, 2023). "Injection Molding Gates Advanced Brochure: Functions, Types, Location Selection And Defects".
10. "Intro to Plastics: Solving Jetting in Injection Molding".
11. (June 8, 2004). "the monobloc plastic chair".
12. (2021-02-19). "The Monobloc Chair: a symbol of globalised design and a controversial icon".
13. (4 April 2012). "A Cadeira Monobloco (The Monobloc Chair)".
14. (4 August 2020). "€77 Bell Chair by Konstantin Grcic for Magis is made in less than a minute". Dezeen.
15. (26 August 2004). "Ingo Niermann: Plastic Chair".
16. (April 7, 2011). "Those White Plastic Chairs – The Monobloc and the Context-Free Object {{!}} … My heart's in Accra". [[Ethan Zuckerman]].
17. Niermann, Ingo. (August 26, 2004). "Ingo Niermann: Plastic Chair".
18. "Abschied von Plastikstühlen". Basler Zeitung.
19. (2017-02-14). "Basel rüstet auf: Foodtrucks ab sofort erlaubt und Plastikstühle wieder willkommen".
20. (2017-03-20). "Grossräte wollen die Lex Plastikstuhl zurück".
21. ''Der Allgegenwärtige (The Omnipresent)'' in [[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]. 30 April 2017, Page 53
22. "MARTI GUIXE – GUIXE.COM {{!}} Honour Cheap Furniture A.P. Chairs".
23. "Honour Cheap Furniture di Martí Guixé".