Berlin designer Ronen Kadushin has created a chair made of a single sheet of metal and published the design so that it can be downloaded, manipulated and produced by anyone.
Kadushin has made the CAD files for the design – called Hack Chair – available under a Creative Commons license, meaning that anyone can download, copy, alter and produce the chair.
His prototype is made of 6mm thick aluminium, laser-cut and folded into shape.
Here are some more details from Kadushin:
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Hack chair prototype
Following a warm response to my design work from the hacker community, I chose a literally “hacked” look for this experimental chair prototype. Like most of my designs of the last five years, it is an Open Design, meaning, its design CAD files can be freely downloaded, copied, modified and produced by anyone, without special tooling, under a Creative Commons license .
Open Design tunes to an essential cultural wave: towards open and freer information and Web collaborations. It is based on the principles of the already successful Open Source method that revolutionized the software industry, and gave birth to a social movement that is cooperative and community-minded. It couples web distribution of design with flexible CNC production to encourage free creative development and direct contact between designers and consumers.
The Hack chair is one piece of laser cut 6mm aluminum and hand bent. The outcome is stable and even sort of comfortable with its flexible back. You are welcome to see and use more Open Designs from my website.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:10 am
ouch!
September 8th, 2009 at 9:11 am
or in german
auwa!
September 8th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Very clever construction. and the open source design idea in it is very forward looking. I Like the shape- it’ s so sculptural
September 8th, 2009 at 10:30 am
I like the exploration of open source form – but the question is, why – after downloading the file, sourcing manufacturing equipment, etc would I want to own that chair ?
What aspects of this object are actually desirable ?
Is this the best level of refinement in ergonomics and form the designer can achieve ?
Wait till ’sketchbook’ sees this from the Joesph & Joesph thread !
September 8th, 2009 at 11:01 am
nice idea.
shocking execution
September 8th, 2009 at 11:03 am
im really interested in these Creative Commons license’s, from what ive read they sound really well thought out especially for collaborative work and open source products,
September 8th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
So cooool!
Made of aluminum board?
September 8th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I like the ideas– single die-cut folded piece, no fasteners– and open-source design– enough to forgive the ugliness. At a minimum, it’s an invitation for other designers to keep the principle and improve on the design.
September 8th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Whether moving to it or carrying it, you’re likely not to live through the experience…
However, I do enjoy that it is not a typical flat pack looking piece of furniture. It has elements that make it entirely unique and hard to identify as a single sheet, fastener-less design. Nice prototype, would like to see evolutions of this.
September 8th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
i like the sculptorical dising. but what is the funtion?
September 8th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Picasso´s dream chair
September 9th, 2009 at 3:30 am
i dun think i can be convinced to pruchase it and have fun setting up the chair. It does not look comfortable to me anyway. Its pure abstract
September 9th, 2009 at 8:30 am
<3 open-source idea but the design is really .. really bad !
September 9th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Hey LOW You are right !
September 15th, 2009 at 3:35 am
Hack Chair by Ronen Kadushin
The name says it all —imho.
September 26th, 2009 at 10:13 am
This is an astoundingly complicated and interesting design but it yielded such a simplistic construction. This is brilliant. I wish most furniture was this easy to assemble.