Project Description
The Diffrient Occasional™ Chair was designed by Niels Diffrient in order to compliment his task seating line for Humanscale® with guest seating. Featuring a stacking cantilevered frame with a unique welded joint instead of the unsightly bend used by most other cantilevered chairs, strength testing was required immediately in order to meet BIFMA and Humanscale’s quality team requirements.
Shea+Latone translated Niels’ hand drawn sketches into various CAD models, used a combination of virtual analysis and real testing to evaluate many different frame constructions, and prepared engineering-level CAD files for tooling and part inspection. During tooling, S+L worked directly with each vendor to ensure each part was cost effective, able to be produced efficiently and had an acceptable appearance. We fabricated prototypes throughout the development cycle and supported initial production through the design and fabrication of assembly fixtures and custom machinery. Ultimately, the Occasional Chair was given recognition at NeoCon 2015, with a Silver Award in the Guest Seating category.
