Core77
e
Gala Systems' Clever Spiralift Design Turns Columns Flat to Create Disappearing Auditorium Seating
By Rain Noe - Feb 19
Auditorium seating might not sound like a glamorous subcategory of furniture design, but when it's done right, it really stands out. Previously the neatest system we'd ever seen was the Genya system, designed by Dante Bonuccelli and produced by Italian manufacturer Lamm.
Enter a caption (optional)
Enter a caption (optional)
Enter a caption (optional)
Enter a caption (optional)
Enter a caption (optional)Another nifty system is Ziba's Jumpseat Auditorium Seating, which won a Core77 Design Award.
Enter a caption (optional)With both of those systems, the seating surface seamlessly disappears into the backrest. The next level of design, however, is where the seating disappears entirely. Swiss company Gala Systems has created an incredible system that relies on spiral lifts that can move entire rows:
Here's the crazy thing: That spiraling column you see in the videos is not really a column. Meaning when it disappears into the ground, it's not sinking down into a cylindrical shaft, but is actually unspooling into a relatively flat space. What the engineers have figured out is how to turn a long, flat ribbon of steel into a column:
Enter a caption (optional)That's pretty darn brilliant.
Rain Noe
Rain Noe is a writer and industrial designer based in New York City.
4 Comments
-
Lifts that assemble and disassemble as needed, fascinating!
!Report as spam -
The mechanism is cool. The seating is ludicrously overengineered.
!Report as spam -
Spiralift: Utterly freaking awesome. Brain-rattlingly clever. OMFG.
I see that they patented the spiralift idea in 1989, so it's been around for a while. But I'd never even heard of it. Thanks Rain.
I also see that "rigid chain," including zippered rigid chain (!) is used in the same way, for the same purposes. Fascinating. Again, something I'd never heard of.!Report as spam -
Hey Rain
Gala is a Canadian company.!Report as spam
Continued Reading
-
By Rain Noe - Feb 05
Mitch Peacock's Fold-Flat Lap Desk Design
…with integrated pen/pencil storage tube
In Part 2 of our recent interview, Chris Schwarz mentioned the importance of not letting a machine's limitations dictate your designs. Moving forward, I want to start showing you some examples of modern, functional items designed to be built by handwork. Australia-based YouTuber, craftsman and instructor Mitch Peacock came up
-
By Rain Noe - Feb 02
Yea or Nay: Are These "Space-Saving" Transforming Furniture Designs Valid, or Do They Miss the Point?
Here are two pieces of furniture that transform, and that don't make any sense to me. First up the Twofold: Okay, so it's supposed to be a wall shelf that can turn into a desk. But as you can see, it's not deep enough to hold a laptop unless you
-
By Emily Engle - Feb 01
Steelcase's VP of Design on Designing a Carbon Fiber Alternative in a Startup Environment
James Ludwig discusses the unique design process behind new office chair SILQ
Steelcase recently announced SILQ, an office chair inspired by the sleekness of aerospace designs and the high-performance of Paralympic prosthetic legs. While the chair itself is beautiful and the inspiration is clear in the final result, SILQ's uniqueness lies in its revolt against the corporate design process, stagnant work days
-
By Rain Noe - Jan 24
Ikea and Tom Dixon Collaboration Yields the Delaktig, an "Open Source Furniture" System
Given the popularity of Ikea-hacking, it was inevitable that Ikea would court those who like to modify their furniture. Thus the company has collaborated with Tom Dixon and created the Delaktig, a sort of furniture platform that end users are meant to customize with add-ons either purchased or DIY'ed. The
K
{Welcome
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
K
Reset Password
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.
