michele de lucchi's unicredit pavilion stimulates his 298 chair for cassina

michele de lucchi’s unicredit pavilion stimulates his 298 chair for cassina

michele de lucchi references his innovative ‘unicredit pavilion’ project to stimulate furniture design in the form of ‘298’ for cassina. envisioned as seating for the multi-purpose building, ‘298’ stands as the pinnacle of a director’s chair, realized through the combination of high technology and cassina’s skilled carpenters.

the ‘298’ chair is composed of a natural beech wood frame with an inox steel folding mechanism
54″ x 53″ x “H82

in realizing ‘298’, it was important for de lucchi to not only respect the aesthetics of the ‘unicredit pavilion’, but also respond to the dynamic space and its numerous programs. the italian architect studied and developed a sophisticated interpretation of the typical director’s chair in beech wood — a resistant and durable material. each of the 900 pieces produced are equipped with an inox steel mechanism which allows users to easily fold them away and neatly store them when not in use.

the frame’s tapered wooden arms smoothly curve into its legs

the ‘298’ chairs were produced in cassina’s carpentry workshop using a number of advanced machinery, further elaborated, assembled and finished by hand. this particular attention to detail can be seen in the frame’s tapered wooden arms which smoothly curve into its legs, resulting in a light silhouette. left in a natural state, with a low-gloss varnish to enhance the warmth of the timber, ‘298’ is outfitted with a padded seat and back rest — thermoformed polyurethane inserts — upholstered in fabric.

the ‘298’ chair by michele de lucchi was presented at the 2015 salone del mobile.

the chair is outfitted with an inox steel folding mechanism

detail of the folding component of ‘298’ allows users to easily close and store the chair when not in use