bjarke ingels, zaha hadid + others reinterpret arne jacobsen's series 7 chair

on the occasion of its 60th anniversary, a host of international architects — including bjarke ingels and zaha hadid — have reinterpreted arne jacobsen’s series 7 chair produced by fritz hansen. unlike many of jacobsen’s other pieces, the ‘sevener’ was not designed for one particular project, but rather to be used in a variety of ways. consequently, the distinctive chair can be adapted to suit a range of different contexts.

the full list of participating architects are as follows: bjarke ingels group (BIG), carlos ott & carlos ponce de león, jean nouvel, jun igarashi, neri & hu, snøhetta and zaha hadid. the designs form part of a traveling exhibition titled ‘7 cool architects’, set to open at belgium’s design museum gent on july 14, 2015. see each version in more detail below.

bjarke ingels group (BIG) / 1 of 7 cool architects

BIG’s design references the way that multiple ‘seveners’ can be stacked
all images courtesy of fritz hansen

referencing the way that multiple ‘seveners’ can be stacked, BIG’s design focuses on the chair’s materiality, and the essence of the layered veneer. the final result is a subtle repetition of the original design’s formal language, with fifteen layered elements supporting the singular seat and back piece.

fifteen layered elements support the singular seat and back piece

zaha hadid/ 2 of 7 cool architects

formed from two continuous steel rods, the sculptural base sweeps down to the ground

zaha hadid’s interpretation formalizes the series 7 chair as a dynamic and seamless expression of structure and support. formed from two continuous steel rods, the sculptural base sweeps down to the ground and reaches up to embrace the undulating shape of the instantly recognizable plywood seat.

the support embraces the undulating shape of the instantly recognizable plywood seat

neri & hu/ 3 of 7 cool architects

the seats are oriented to face one another, with a small table at the center

embracing the notion of duality, neri & hu’s design involves replicating the singular chair to allow two people to be seated at once. the seats are oriented to face one another, placing an emphasis on the communal aspect of sitting.

the design places an emphasis on the communal aspect of sitting

jun igarashi/ 4 of 7 cool architects

an element of color introduced to the design’s legs and seat

proposed as a way to reuse building materials, jun igarashi‘s design responds to two of his previous projects in japan – ‘house M’ and ‘rectangle of light’. the chair is constructed from discarded wood, with an element of color introduced to the design’s legs and seat.

the chair reuses waste building materials

jean nouvel/ 5 of 7 cool architects

bold black and white patterns mark each chair

jean nouvel’s design is an example of one of the architect’s design signatures – contrasting colors and juxtapositions. bold black and white patterns mark each chair, creating a visual reinforcement of the chair’s original curves.

snøhetta/ 6 of 7 cool architects

snøhetta’s reinterpretation allows the seat to be disconnected from its legs

conceived as an outdoor chair, snøhetta’s reinterpretation allows the seat to be disconnected from its legs, allowing it to be used for a large number of the firm’s projects. in the short movie below, snøhetta explains how they worked with jacobsen’s original design.

carlos ott &carlos ponce de león/ 7 of 7 cool architects

this design sees the upholstery climb and settle on the shell

completed by carlos ott architects in association with carlos ponce de léon architects, this design sees the upholstery climb and settle peacefully on the chair’s shell. referencing a vertical garden, curved lines are mimicked and adapted to the anatomy of the existing chair.

referencing a vertical garden, curved lines are mimicked and adapted to the anatomy of the chair