Most of the executive office chairs today have castor wheels that are having a five-star base. These caster wheels in the office chairs provide better comfort and balance and with these wheels you can move around easily and rotate to 360 degrees. Before the 19th Century, according to Workplace Insight, a UK publication dedicated to the design and management of workplaces, most of the global workforce was employed in agrarian labour—an “office chair” was only relevant for the wealthy, government officials and academics. Charles Darwin is the earliest known adopter of a proto-office chair, grafting wheels onto a normal chair in the 1840s so he could swivel between specimens. Office chairs hadn’t been invented yet, so Darwin slapped some wheels on the feet of his chair so he could work faster. It’s basically an armchair on wheels which people weren’t used to, but it was ahead of its time. Office chairs evolved into a recognisable form after World War II. This was no accident: ergonomic research played a tremendous role in the design of instruments of war, like tanks and plane cockpits, as well as the factories that produced them. According to Rubbish Begone, a waste clearance company in the UK, the era of the ergonomic office chair began in earnest in the 1970s. Several catalysts played a role in the popularisation of ergonomic design. The Ergon chair was invented in 1976 by William Stumpf and it was the very first chair made with the actual idea of sustaining the physical health and improve the comfort of the average office worker. This chair could make adjustments to its size and get a comfortable spine support. The end result of this process are modern office chairs, the best of which mould to our needs. The original Aeron was then released in 1994 by design company Herman Miller. It introduced a revolutionary new fabric to the world of office chairs— Pellicle mesh. This fabric allowed the air to circulate through the chair, letting workers’ skin breathe and keeping them cool. Not only that, but it looked fantastic; a futuristic vision in mesh and chrome. The iconic design is still revered today and seen as a symbol of status and power. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
