JumpSeat™
John Hill
21. January 2013
Photo: Courtesy of Sedia Systems
Ziba's Portland, Oregon, office may be blessed with a 200-seat auditorium, but it one that is too compact for traditional folding chairs. So like any decent design and innovation consultancy, Ziba designed their own seats, the slender and aptly named JumpSeat, now manufactured by Sedia Systems.
At only 4" (100mm) deep when closed, the JumpSeat is amazingly compact. This is achieved through the steel core that is sandwiched between the front and back wood layers. The shorter front panel incorporates a series of ribs that allow it to be folded down. Held in tension, the seat can support 600 pounds (272 kilos)! Like the seat's overall design, the details are elegant—chamfers on the wood ribs keeps people's fingers from being pinched, and the upholstery is velcroed to the surfaces for cleaning and for access to the bolt that anchors the seats to the concrete risers.
Photos: Courtesy of Sedia Systems
In the years since Ziba's 2010 design Sedia Systems has picked up the JumpSeat for manufacturer, adding options for dimensions (width, height, straight or radius rows, various floor profiles), upholstery, finishes, armrests, and writing surfaces. The beautifully minimal design is suitable for auditorium applications, like Ziba's, but also classrooms and other spaces where people meet and space is of the essence. What sets JumpSeat apart from traditional folding seats isn't just its slim profile—it's great to see a design that considers its appearance when closed as well as when open.