Stoll Giroflex AG – Cradle to Cradle® Certification Office Chair 656
Cradle to Cradle® Case Study
Project of EPEA Switzerland in cooperation with EPEA Int. Umweltforschung
The perfect match
At ORGATEC 2010 in Cologne Giroflex presents the 656 family of chairs of the same name, consisting of swivel, conference and visitor’s chair. Once again the Swiss seating furniture specialist has developed a complete series. All models exhibit the highest quality craftsmanship, are technically state of the art, ergonomically ahead of their time and almost completely recyclable. The giroflex 656 series was created by designer duo Carmen and Urs Greutmann and will be awarded the «Cradle to Cradle» certificate «Silver» in Cologne. The heart of the swivel chair, which looks just as good in the office and the home office, is its Shiftmove synchronized mechanism. With just a 360 degree turn of the rotary knob this innovative mechanism individually adjusts the chair in eight stages to body weights from 45 to 120, optionally to 150 kilograms.
Thanks to this unique technology the back tilt resistance remains consistently even. In addition, the backrest and dual-zone seat profile effectively support and relieve the pelvis and back. Together with the lumbar support, which is both height- and depth-adjustable, the Shiftmove synchronized mechanism promotes and supports active, anatomically correct sitting. The Giroflex development department developed the mechanism and, as for the chairs, only uses raw materials that can be almost completely recycled.
Raw materials are reused as much as possible
Giroflex consistently continues to maintain its high ecological standards and is having the 656 chair family certified «Cradle to Cradle». Every 656 chair has been designed from A to Z to keep all parts in a closed technical cycle, from the castors through the mechanism to the gas spring. The chair can be easily dismantled and Giroflex carries out mono-material separation of all parts to keep the quality of the valuable raw materials high – a steel tube becomes a steel tube again. giroflex 656 is a good example of how resources can be used intelligently, carefully, sparingly and thus eco-effectively in the production cycle. Furthermore, Giroflex produces exclusively in Switzerland and has no semi-finished products shipped around the world – this is also part of sustainable and responsible use of valuable resources.
The onion as a model for the designers The design of the swivel, conference and visitor’s chairs is reduced to what really matters: simple, clear
and expressive styling and comfortable and anatomically correct sitting. All chairs are constructed in layers. The additive structure is a basic concept and aesthetic principle at the same time. On the one hand, each chair can be dismantled in a few minutes so all components can be returned to the production cycle; on the other hand, all parts can be easily replaced, or, as with the fixed and the 3-D armrest, retrofitted. With this approach giroflex 656 also succinctly expresses what «Cradle to Cradle» is all about.
For Urs Greutmann from «greutmann bolzern designstudio» in Zurich, the onion-like structure has another advantage: «Thanks to the flexibly usable components, the customer can immediately see that the chairs of the 656 series fit into any room and meet all requirements.»
Very flexible: the swivel chair
Every person sits differently. For this reason the giroflex 656 swivel chair adapts to the person – and not the other way round. The swivel chair with the globally unique Shiftmove synchronized mechanism is available in various backrest heights and seat widths, with 3-D or fixed armrests, in leather, fabric or with black 3-D knitted fabric for the backrest. Its 5-arm aluminium base with castors for soft or hard floors is either polished aluminium or powder-coated. With their height- and depth-adjustable lumbar support, all models effectively support anatomically correct, active sitting and relieve the pelvic and back muscles.
Very representative: the conference chair
Meetings sometimes take longer than planned, so the giroflex 656 conference chair keeps meeting participants fit longer. The straightforward conference chair is available in leather or fabric in various colours or with black 3-D knitted fabric for the backrest, with or without armrest (optionally with hand-sewn leather sleeve), with 4-arm base in polished or coated aluminium with glides or castors. The perfectly
proportioned chair fits into any meeting room or conference room and also looks good on its own.
Very inviting: the visitor’s chair First impressions count. Especially at the reception or in the waiting room. That’s why the giroflex 656
visitor’s chairs are an eye-catcher: modern, timeless, elegant, delicate and stable. The two chairs with integrated armrests are available in rectangular steel tubing as a cantilever or a stackable four-legged chair in leather or fabric.
©2010 EPEA SWITZERLAND GmbH