Long may we live!
Competition for a chair for the elderly (1968)
A comfortable chair for the elderly
In 1968 the Central Union of Furniture Manufactures held a national competition to design a comfortable chair for the average pensioner. It had to be suitable for mass production and cost less than three hundred guilders. The jury assessed sixty submissions in terms of functionality, aesthetics and technical qualities. The jury awarded several cash prized but did not award the main prize: no single chair met all the criteria. The competition demonstrates that ergonomic factors such as sitting comfort are just as important as architectural and environmental issues when considering the elderly.