Description

Generation by Knoll

Responding to ergonomic research that challenges the idea that we only sit in a single forward-facing position, Generation is designed to support the range of postures and work styles typical of today’s workplace, allowing you to sit how you want.

FEATURES

• Frameless Flex Back fuses two elements: high-performance elastomeric Flex Back Net cradles your back, providing integral lumbar support, and figure 8 structure enables multidimensional movement
• Flex Seat offers 270 degrees of unobstructed seat edge flex with a buoyant two-piece cushion and nest structure
• Continuous Lumbar carries the lumbar support from the back into the arms to support side sitting
• The Dynamic Suspension offers weight-compensated, synchronized recline for a smooth, effortless ride
• Flex Top folds over as an armrest for side sitting
• Tilt Preference Selector offers three ranges of recline movement
• This chair has been tested and is approved for use by individuals weighing up to 300 pounds

About the Product:

By watching hundreds of hours of video and conducting in-depth interviews with workers of all ages, in all disciplines, Knoll and Formway Design recognized that the basic assumption about office seating — that there are only a few optimal ways to sit while at work — was flawed.

In fact, their investigation showed that sitting upright and facing forward was just one of the ways people use their office chairs. Shifting, stretching, rotating, leaning, and reclining not only relieve boredom but are essential to our ability to stay energized and collaborate with colleagues.

Understanding that no combination of adjustment levers could make a chair equally comfortable in each of those positions, Formway sought to achieve an elastic design—the idea that a product would rearrange itself in response to a user’s movements. After years of design and development, spent considering and reconsidering every component of the chair, Formway arrived at a truly innovative design.

With a revolutionary new material for the chair’s back and a form that anticipates and allows for a multitude of body positions, Generation achieves Knoll and Formway’s mission to help workers sit how they want. It is truly the next generation of seating.

About the Designer:

Founded in 1956, New Zealand-based Formway Design has been designing furniture for more than five decades. In 1979 the company redefined itself, developing a new identity and philosophy that focused on team-based design and extensive research. Formway’s designs are informed by insight gained through the observation and consideration of human behavior. Their user-centered approach marries a rigorous design process, an aesthetic sensitivity, and a passion for the environment.

Knoll and Formway first collaborated on the highly successful Life® chair, introduced in 2002, which is celebrated for its sophisticated design, intuitive adjustments, responsive ergonomics, and sustainable attributes. Building on these features, the two companies came together once again to develop the Generation chair, introduced in 2009. The progressive design features new materials and an elastic design that supports the physical and cognitive activities of the modern office worker.

Formway then developed a family of chairs inspired by Generation. MultiGeneration extends the comfort and freedom of movement to the multipurpose seating category and ReGeneration aims to do “more with less” — pairing down the form of Generation and minimizing materials and components without sacrificing key performance. Knoll and Formway’s most recent release, Remix, delivers unexpected performance in a familiar form. It pairs upholstered comfort with an innovative Flex Net Matrix for active, all-day support.