Creating an office chair that is ergonomic and affordable, environmentally friendly and comfortable – that was the challenge facing designer Martin Ballendat. The result is the Drumback, one of the most innovative office chairs in recent times. This intelligent product saves up to 400 tons of foam upholstery material and polypropylene per year and has now received the “Green Product Award” 2017 because of that.

Martin Ballendat included a number of practical details that create an outstanding piece. The first thing of note is the distinct and attractive design.

Viasit also wanted to make sure that it is easy to use. The user-friendly control elements are integral to the chair and marked with self-explanatory icons. The height of the back is easily adjusted with two clamps, which nearly all test persons found immediately and were able to use easily. The new digital user manual can be accessed from any web browser to help users adjust the chair to their individual needs.

The design of the back is the most important innovation of the Drumback.

Until now, there were just two basic forms of back for office chairs. Upholstered backs are constructed with a solid back to which a pad of upholstery foam is fastened and then covered with fabric. The second type is the mesh chair. As the name suggests, a mesh is stretched tightly over the sturdy warp resistant frame of the back. Both versions have their fans. The Drumback combines the advantages of both.

The back of the Drumback is made of a solid, slightly curved back surface to which a mesh is fastened tightly – just as the skin over a drum. Hence the name “Drumback”. This solution broke new technical ground with correspondingly high demands on product development.

Sustainability
This design of the back saves two components, the inner back and the upholstery foam element. These components do not need to be manufactured, transported to our factory, glued together and later recycled.

The upholstery foam for a comparable chair weighs about 560 grams. With around 720,000 upholstered chairs being produced in Germany annually, the potential saving of upholstery foam is roughly 400 tons per year – without compromising on either seating comfort or ergonomic properties.

The Drumback also has environmental advantages when it comes to the conventional mesh chair. The fastening plate must be very sturdy and warp resistant to give stability to the meshed back. Composites are used to achieve this, and which are difficult to recycle. The Drumback is different: There is less static stress on the large solid back support. It can therefore be made with non-composite, 100% recyclable polypropylene that can be turned into chair backs over and over again.

This means the Drumback is good for your back, your wallet – and the environment.