Coop Himmelb(l)au is a group of Austrian architects who are considered to be Deconstructivists. This stylistic trend attempts to break away from Functionalism by pursuing ways of fragmenting a building and reorganizing its components into unusual structures. With Vodöl lounge chair, Coop Himmelb(l)au for the first time takes on the classic forms of Modernity at the level of furniture design. The starting point for their design was the Fauteuil grand confort, designed in 1928 by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand. There, a symmetrical tubular steel frame surrounds rectangular, stacked cushions in a perfect fit, whereas in the Vodöl the entire volume of the furniture seems to have come unhinged and been lifted into a slant by a steel I-beam cross-section – a quotation from the architecture of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The cushions appear to be beveled, and the surrounding steel tube resembles a bent-open paper clip. It is difficult to tell whether one can sit comfortably upright in the chair. However, steel springs have been installed under the seat, letting it swing easily, and providing an unexpected degree of comfort. With the name of the chair – the French word fauteuil written in Viennese dialect, and thus a reference to the model which inspired it – and the color chosen for the leather covering, Coop Himmelb(l)au has given the piece their unmistakably subversive stamp
Text: Vitra Design Museum
