The world’s first densified wooden chair

Chile-based designer Vicente Carmona Montedonico designed what is said to be the first chair made of densified wood, which weighs only 2.3 kilograms.

Wood densification is a process that improves the strength of low density wood species, but has vary niche applications. Montedonico used this knowledge to design a chair that shows the potential of densified wood.

The design objective was to exhibit the strength of densified wood through its lightness, so that it would look like it was incapable of enduring stress. Montedonico had to first design a system to make his own densified wood, as the material is not commercially available.

Called D01 chair, it is made of densified radiata pine, a low value, disposable soft wood. A square 16×16 mm section was determined for its visual slenderness and sufficient strength. Sixteen elements were arranged such to support a proper ergonomic and proven seating position whilst maintaining mathematical proportion and harmony as every distance corresponds to a multiple of four.

Photos: Vicente Carmona Montedonico

Sigrid Lussenburg