What is Body Conscious Design?
You may have seen our last blog, guest written by Professor Galen Cranz of Berkeley University who kindly reviewed our Z Chair from a ‘body conscious design’ perspective. Galen is a proponent of and teaches the theory of Body Conscious Design around the world. But what exactly is it?
Body Conscious Design (BCD) is a practice and theory that encourages putting the human body at the starting point of any design. But it is more than just ergonomics, it also encourages designers to consider how we move and interact with our environment.
How poor design impacts us and why it matters
We are all wonderfully unique in our body size, shape and range of motion!
Yet for hundreds of years, with the onset of mass production of everything from chairs to clothes to shoes to workplaces, we are expected by manufacturers to fit into whatever is provided.
The result? Shoes are too tight; chairs lead to back problems, classrooms and offices are designed in a such a way that leads to restricted movement.
As Galen Cranz states,
“Body Conscious Design proposes to take the body as a starting point. Designers could—and should—offer ways for people to adjust the environment to their sizes and shapes.”
As anyone who has worn ill fitting shoes will testify, of course it immediately impacts how you move and how you feel!
Standard chairs – the worst design of all?
There is increasing evidence that all sitting is harmful, and the standard chair design possibly the least helpful to support the human body. Yet it has persisted for centuries and is now the norm. Why?
For centuries chairs were usually the preserve of the wealthy. But mass manufacturing in the 19th century, and the rapid social and economic changes that came with it, brought chairs into daily life. Industrial jobs required a seated posture, and the high demand for chairs that this created in turn made them widely available.
Unfortunately the standard chair design with its flat base at 90 degrees forces the pelvis to roll backwards. Our postural muscles fatigue and we slowly slouch backwards. This places load onto our spine and discs and is a major cause of back pain, disc injury, and disablement. Ever more padded options mean that our bodies become immunes to the need to get up and move and change position.
The Z Chair, Body Conscious Design approved!
All is not lost, it is heartening to see more and more awareness of the dangers of remaining sedentary, particularly on ill designed seating.
When we designed the Z Chair, it was with the human body in mind. Both in terms of its ergonomics but also specifically to encourage the user to get up and move around. Without being swaddled from every angle in plastic and padding, we are more in tune with our bodies and freer to move. We are proud to be Body Conscious Design approved!
Ready to make the change? Purchase your Z Chair here
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