Intercontinental Seating

Abstract

In spring 2005, four universities and one manufacturer on three continents designed seating units in the virtual design studio “Intercontinental Seating”. With each location describing local characters and sites for the remote designers, we were able to keep focus on comparative cultural contexts in design. A central content management system (Typo3) proved to be an effective platform for project representation and communication, both for students and external critics. Further communication and presentation technologies have been tested. As a result of this workshop, the manufacturer will develop two designs with the students and intends to offer these seating units in his product portfolio