In 2006 Stefan Diez set out to develop a chair for the office furniture company Wilkhahn that would combine technical and sustainable materiality with state-of-the-art technology and minimalist aesthetics. Diez used sheet steel, which is both flexible and stable, and relied on an innovative, cost- and material-saving lightweight processing technology adapted from the automobile industry. His Chassis chair is produced using space frame technology, a deep-drawing process in which 1.2- millimetre-thick fine sheet steel is moulded three-dimensionally under 300 tons of pressure, resulting in maximum stability. The first prototypes were made by a bodywork specialist, and serial production is likewise carried out by a car-body manufacturer. The ergonomically shaped plastic seat and back shell, which is available with leather or fabric covering, simply clicks onto the frame. Weighing only 5.4 kilograms, the Chassis was presented during the Orgatec fair in 2008 and attracted great interest from trade professionals. In 2013 Diez created a slightly modified version of the Chassis for Schellmann Furniture: the Tune Chair.
Text: Wiebke Lang
