AC 4 Office Chair

red dot: best of the best
red dot award: product design 2009

Elegant object of function
It is very close to people. For months and even years, people working in offices sit on it: the office chair. Which model a user chooses for this daily relationship tells a lot about that person’s individual sense of style, yet ergonomics also play a role, as much as trends in form and colour schemes. The AC 4 office swivel chair – which was created by Antonio Citterio, a designer who is known above all for objective and elegant concepts – features a design that is the outcome of a very clear attitude: instead of developing its form in a one-dimensional approach only via the primacy of comfort or its functional characteristics, this office chair aims to merge both parameters into a highly self-sufficient design. The AC 4 integrates its ergonomic features discreetly and the benefits of its comfort unlock themselves only in their functional context. Thus the details of the sophisticatedly designed backrest, for example, at first remain invisible to the user. The backrest is actually divided into three sections with distinct internal functions: above the rigid lumbar support zone begins the flexible zone with cushioned chambers that distribute pressure evenly across the upper back, followed by a support zone for the shoulders. This innovative technical feature, however, is neither put on display, nor is it hidden beneath foam padding. Rather, it presents itself self-evidently to the user – details such as aluminium loop armrests or variably adjustable 3D armrests accentuate this visual appearance. The design of the AC 4 resulted in an object of elegant looks and user-centred functionality – an emblem of understated comfort.