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Galleries // 2012 Spark:Product // QiVi

QiVi

Winner - Silver

Competition: Spark:Product
Designer: Steelcase Design Studio and Brodbeck Design
Design Type: Office/Work

Productive collaborative working requires a chair that enables users to change position at will - people naturally want to shift position after sitting in the same posture in a visitor chair for a lengthy period. However, most visitor chairs do not adequately enable such natural movement. QiVi is the first dynamic visitor chair range that provides dynamic support and favors movement thanks to its automatic adjustments, thus bringing more comfort to people in meetings. QiVi – a new member of its High Performance Collaborative Seating range - is designed to encourage movement, to support different postures and - as always - to guarantee ergonomic comfort. The innovation lies in the combination of a pivoting back and a sliding seat, which brings comfort and allows people to change postures easily. QiVi is free of adjustments and offers immediate comfort so that people can stay focused and engaged in meetings. As workers tilt forward or backwards in the chair the seat slides accordingly and the backrest pivots following the motion, providing ergonomic benefits. Fruit of the partnership between Steelcase Design Studio and Brodbeck Design, the QiVi visitor chair was created from the insight led research that highlighted the need to provide natural posture change to support collaborative settings. These research findings and observations showed that in a meeting, people keep on moving constantly. Very often, they don’t adjust their chairs in collaborative work environments. They need chairs that are comfortable for long periods, with intuitive or automatic adjustments and that promote movement. Plus, tasks are more complex and require the attention of not just one person, but several. Meetings have evolved and people spend more time working together than ever before. According to a Steelcase IPSOS survey, European office workers devote 70% of their time to group work. Movement and dynamism are key features of the chair with the sliding seat and pivoting backrest, therefore the team concentrated on translating these two ideas in the visual expression of the chair. The design effort was also put in the sculptural aspect of the chair, considering every angle of the chair and giving it three-dimensional interest. Its wide palette of finishes accommodates everyone’s taste and needs, as it was designed to optimize the use of space without compromising comfort or design. The chairs are available in polished metal or painted frames. The seat is upholstered and complements the backrest which is available with a suspension net fabric finish. The range is available in different models: plain and mesh backs versions; 4- leg, sled, conference, all with or without armrests, including several options like writing tablets, ganging, row spacer, height adjustment or castor base. QiVi is the ideal collaborative chair for working in pairs, smaller or larger groups. It helps keep meetings productive, whether they are being held in informal office areas, traditional meeting rooms or boardrooms. As the chair can be wheeled, stacked and stored, QiVi can also be used to configure flexible training rooms and can be combined with task chairs to create bespoke tasking areas. QiVi is a versatile chair offering comfort and flexibility – ideally suited to meeting the needs of workspaces today.