Auditorium Chair

Billings Jackson Design collaborated with Poltrona Frau to design a chair for the new Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York State. This creative facility, designed by architect Grimshaw with Davis Brody Bond Aedas and Buro Happold, opened its doors in October.

EMPAC contains a 1,200-seat concert hall – and 400-seat theatre as well as two large studio spaces, suites for artists-in-residence, rehearsal spaces and support facilities. Every key area, including the atrium, is designed so it can be used as a site for performance.

The chair design prioritises comfort, function and affordability through the careful selection of materials and manufacturing techniques, while the choice of upholstery complements the acoustic performance of auditoria.

The use of maple in curved panels to give gentle support is a driving idea. The different chair widths required use panels shaped from the same mould for efficient mass-production. Metal parts are laser-cut from steel plate, avoiding expensive castings, and integrated into the timber to soften the feel of the chairs.

The detailing of the chair - such as the split along the back and the careful positioning of screw fixings - subtly expresses how the chair is put together. There are no unnecessary aesthetic statements, and the clarity of its lines are intended to make it work both as an individual piece and as a part of a whole when mounted in the auditorium.

Poltrona Frau is now putting the auditorium chair into mass production.