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www.Labofa.com New generation of ergonomic school furniture. Based on a world patented, new seating principle. The design is based on years of rigorous analysis and testing of school children’s sitting positions. International collaboration between one of Europe’s most acknowledged institutes of ergonomic studies, the NCAD in Dublin with PhD researcher Simon Dennehy and well known Danish designer Hans Thyge Raunkjær Designed and produced in Denmark and England. 3

www.Labofa.com CHAIR RANGE 4 Small version: Size mark 3-4 Seat height interval: 340-440 mm Stature range of students: 119 - 159 mm Cantilever and sviwel base

Small version: Size mark 5-6 Seat height interval: 420-520 mm Stature range of students: 146 - 188 mm Cantilever and sviwel base 5

www.Labofa.com Colors: Support frame and back will be black in standard option, also available in grey. Seat pan, hook and lever to be made in a wide color range. Cantilever version with steel tube base is still in progress concerning design of leg structure. 6

www.Labofa.com CHAIR PARTS The Ray chair is engineered and manufactured by one of the most competent plastic technology companies in Europe. Rigorous testing has been carried out by the FIRA institute in the UK and all the chairs in the range conform to EN1729 standards. The seat pan has been subject to long term fatigue testing, withstanding more than 100.000 cycles without deformation. 8

Hook in nylon Seat in high quality flexible plastic Support frame in glassfilled nylon Lever in nylon Gas pump Sviwel base made in glassfilled nylon Wheels can be supplied with automatic brakes or changed to gliders 9

TABLE The school tables will be primarily single tables. The tables feature a height adjustable leg system developed by Labofa. The tilting mechanism for the tabletop was designed specifically for the RAY system, and is very easy to operate. Despite its technical function the table has a very simple and clean look. The flat surface nearest to the user ensures a good elbow resting area, and also ensures that paper and other items on the table do not slide easily from the table. The construction is very strong and durable resulting in long lasting problem free use. 11

www.Labofa.com TABLE 700 mm table top depth 100 mm flat 12° tilt 30 mm free space Table rises when handle is pulled Height adjustable legs 12

“To make radical changes, you have to start in the schools because grown-up people are accustomed to sit bent over” (A. C. Mandal)

ERGONOMIC PRINCIPLES Schools are the workplace of students. Throughout the course of a school day, they will assume several different postures, because of the nature and position of their work. It is important to be aware of these and to design furniture which enables healthier, safer and more comfortable working conditions for students. Simon Dennehy Designer & Phd Researcher Dublin 15

OPEN POSTURE The RAY chair focuses primarily on the seat pan design. Research has shown that traditional ‘rightangle’ sitting encourages poor back alignment, atrophy of the core muscle group and many long term, ‘lifestyle’ illnesses. The most effective way to sit for students, is with an open angle between thighs and torso and with hip abduction. This allows the users’ pelvis to rotate forward, until the spine is neutrally balanced and can support the upper body. When sitting at right angles, the thigh bone locks against the pelvis, and rotates it backwards. This occurs at approximately 60...

Lab test with pressure mapping on traditional school furniture, Cork institute of technology, Ireland 18

ANALYSIS Traditional school chairs, where the seat is horizontal or reclined, contribute to long term postural and health problems, especially when combined with a horizontal work table. The position of the students’ work determines their sitting posture, which is the main reason for students to maintain extremely slouched sitting postures during task work. In these sitting positions, extreme neck and back flexion are usually observed, as a result of the student trying to access their work. Horizontal desks, combined with horizontal or reclined seats are simply not suited for hand-writing...

Standard school chair Lab test with pressure mapping on traditional school chair, Cork institute of technology, Ireland 20 High pressure on sit bones and under knees

LAB TEST WITH PRESSURE MAPPING ON MORE EVEN DISTRIBUTION OF PRESSURE RAY CHAIR, UNDER LEGS CORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, IRELAND

FLEXIBLE SEAT PAN The majority of new seating innovations occur around the area of lumbar support, with very little attention afforded to new seating technologies. The height adjustable RAY chair is the result of many years of development and testing. The RAY chair’s patented seat technology encourages dynamic sitting, enabling the user to shift and move positions as they wish. The chair’s seat pan flexes in specific regions, encouraging frequent and asymmetrical movement. The rear seat section is static and supports the users’ sit bones. There is a rigid ‘pommel’ region at the front of the...

SADDLE SEAT Office furniture designers commonly design chairs, which encourage reclined sitting, to encourage greater thigh-torso angles. In school, where the students are focused, on horizontally positioned work, a reclined solution is not valid. Most school furniture offers a reclined seat surface for the students which compound the problem. During hand written tasks, or reading from books, students will move their head as close to their work as possible. Flat work surfaces, and reclined seating is completely counterintuitive and detrimental to the students health. The area outside of...

The Design Team For many years now, Ergonomic studies have been top priority at the National College of Art and Design’s Industrial Design Department. Last year they got a very lucrative and prestigious grant from the EU, which enabled them to open a new research department, to specifically research and develop furniture for education. This department is known as TFE (Task Furniture in Education). One of the many positive results from the work carried out over the last number of years has been Simon Dennehys school project “Perch” that has got international acclaim and has been publicised...