radiolaria # 1, a 3D printed chair that mimics unicellular organisms, by lilian van daal

‘radiolaria #1’ is a real size 3D printed model of a chair by lilian van daal is made out of a single material that mimics unicellular natural structures. these structures incorporate all functionalities — flexibility, adaptability, firmness, and stability — necessary for the comfort of a chair.

all images by lonneke van der palen

with radiolaria #1, van daal proceeds with her quest to improve, adjust and innovate the production of soft-seating by making use of nature’s laws. in this design, nature and the newest technology come together to use energy and material in the most efficient way — the result is a chair constructed without glue out of a single material — recycled polyamide (PA 12).

radiolaria are unicellular organisms that are found as zooplankton throughout the ocean and take their name from the radial symmetry of their skeletal spines. the structure of radiolaria amplified by 3D printing affords various levels of flexibility and comfort without using foam.

radiolaria #1 is a successor to van daal’s graduation project biomimicry soft seating presented four years ago. since the very first soft seating project, production time and energy consumption have both been decreased by 50% due to optimizations in the design that allow all elements of one chair to fit in one production run of the 3D printing machine.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: maria erman | designboom