We’ve seen plenty of folding chair designs, from purely utilitarian pieces to ones that double as functional décor. I have to say, though, we’ve never quite seen anything like the Cassina Swish, a folding stool that’s been developed using an entirely new process.
Instead of being dreamed up in someone’s imagination, sketched on a pad, and refined over time like traditional furniture, the piece was actually designed using computer algorithms. To do it, they fed detailed input parameters into a custom modeling software, which took into account factors such as user weight, user height, and body shapes, on top of the fact that it needed to fold into a flat pile.
Designed by Carlo Ratti Associati, the Cassina Swish consists of 27 individual wooden pieces that interlocked through a system of individually-designed junctions and hinges. That’s right, every hinge has been designed to lock at a specific angle, ensuring it will unfold at the exact shape required to be a functional stool. And, yes, every single one of those dozen or so hinges were designed by the modeling software, so no human had to pull out their hairs trying to bring this thing into reality.
You can learn more about the Cassina Swish from the link below.