Steelcase Wins Good Design™ Award
The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design Recognizes Steelcase Inc. cobi™Chair
January 19, 2009 – Grand Rapids, MI – Steelcase Inc. (NYSE: SCS), a global office environments manufacturer whose offerings help individuals collaborate and work more effectively and organizations to use space more efficiently, today announced that the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design has awarded its cobi™ chair with a Good Design™ award.
Founded in 1950, Good Design awards publicly acknowledge the world’s most prestigious industrial design firms and manufacturers. The awards recognize the best and finest new design and design innovation for products and graphics designed and manufactured between 2006 and 2008. The jury of architects, designers, and authorities in the design community selected winners from record thousands of entries from all over the world.
The design of Steelcase’s cobi chair was among the over 500 products that were awarded this year. Compact and lightweight, cobi™ is seating for teams that helps people move freely and minimize fatigue. cobi™ dynamically supports a wide range of postures with only one manual adjustment for seat height. An intuitive, weight-activated mechanism provides support by automatically responding to the user’s movement and supporting each individual’s center of gravity. Its elastomeric top edge gives way and provides comfort, as opposed to resistance, when users drape an arm over the back of the chair. Additionally, the seat pan flexes on three sides, allowing users to sit in multiple directions in comfort. A unique, breathable knit material on the back adds to cobi’s cool, comfortable sit. Created by British design firm, PearsonLloyd, in collaboration with Steelcase Design Studio.
Cobi is composed of materials approved by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) as safe for human and environmental health and designed according to Gold Cradle to Cradle standards. Cobi is also Indoor Air Quality certified helping to meet LEED certification criteria. The chair is also currently undergoing a full lifecycle assessment to measure environmental impact throughout the product’s useful life.
“The Good Design award recognizes superiority in innovation, construction, and function – standards Steelcase always seeks to exceed throughout the concept and development of its products,” said James Ludwig, Steelcase Inc. Vice President, Global Design. “We are honored that the Chicago Athenaeum has recognized the cobi chair as among the best designs in the world.”
About Steelcase, Inc.
Steelcase provides furniture, services and insights to help people have a better work experience, and to help companies and organizations create inspiring spaces with a maximum impact on performance and a minimum impact on the environment. A Michigan-based company that has been serving customers for nearly a century, Steelcase leads the global office furniture industry with $3.4 billion in annual revenue.
Contact:
Laura Muyskens
616.247.2747
lmuysken@steelcase.com