BASF Presents Myto, the First Plastic Cantilever Chair at K2007

Myto, Photo © Basf

Myto, Photo © Basf

Via Design Spotter I came across this innovative chair: The Myto Plastic Cantilever Chair, designed by Konstantin Grcic, a possible threat to the infamous traditional monobloc plastic chair and presented at K2007, the German International Trade Fair for Plastic and Rubber

From the BASF Press release:

Today, October 24, 2007, upon the occasion of the opening of the world’s largest plastics trade fair in Duesseldorf, Germany, Dr. John Feldmann, member of the Executive Board of BASF, will be at the BASF stand to unveil the MYTO chair in the presence of its creator, Konstantin Grcic, acclaimed industrial designer and recipient of many international awards.

MYTO: a cantilever chair made entirely of engineering plastic

This innovative piece of design furniture is a cantilever chair made entirely of BASF’s novel, especially easy-flowing engineering plastic Ultradur ® High Speed. The high flowability, coupled with the strength of this plastic, allows an elegant transition from thick to thin cross sections. Even though the chair is manufactured as a monobloc and has a sturdy frame, its net-like perforations integrated into the backrest and the seat give it a graceful appearance.

Record-breaking development time

The MYTO project was completed within record time. It took just a bit over a year to go from the original idea to the tool for serial production. The Italian furniture manufacturer Plank came on board at a very early stage of the development and was put in charge of manufacturing the serial part as well as of selling the chair. Before the first serially produced chair could be shown in Duesseldorf, the final optimization steps had to be carried out: the plastic had to have just the right ratio of elasticity, stiffness and strength in order to meet the requirements made of a comfortable, sturdy and yet shapely cantilever chair.

Design and designfabrik

The collaboration with Konstantin Grcic and the MYTO chair are the impressive outcome of an expanded marketing concept adopted by BASF Plastics: in order to tap into new markets, BASF is increasingly concentrating on the topic of designing with plastic. An integral part of this concept is the designfabrik, the design factory founded in Ludwigshafen, Germany in May of 2006, where industrial designers can consult with BASF plastic experts and receive advice ranging from the initial idea to the product concept, all the way to color and tool design.

Project Partners

Left Konstantin Grcic and right Martin Plank
Photo © Basf

KGID:
Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design (KGID), established in Munich, Germany in 1991; Konstantin Grcic (*1965) is currently Germany’s most successful industrial designer. He designs furniture, products and lighting for several of the leading design companies in the world. Many of his products have been awarded prestigious prizes for their design and can be found in the permanent collections of major design museums (Museum of Modern Art in New York, Centre George Pompidou in Paris), e.g. his multi-functional lamp MAYDAY (Flos 1998). His clients include Authentics, ClassiCon, Flos, Krups, Lamy, Muji, Plank and Vitra. In 2007 Konstantin Grcic was awarded Designer of the Yearâ„¢ by the German magazine Architektur&Wohnen and also by the Stockholm Furniture Fair in Sweden as well as by the trade fair Maison et Objet /NOW! in France.

Plank
This Italian furniture company can look back on a history spanning more than a hundred years. For generations, its name has stood for the highest quality. Plank works together with renowned designers. Together with Konstantin Grcic, Plank introduced the MIURA bar stool (2005) to the market, which was recently added to the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

BASF
BASF is one of the world’s leading chemical companies. BASF has approximately 95,000 employees and posted sales of Euro 52.6 billion in 2006. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN).