Movement & ergonomics

"Traditional furniture encourages children to sit up straight and still. We think this should be a thing of the past. Health, well being and learning depend on movement, even when students are sitting."
- Dr. Dieter Breithecker - Ergonomist. (2005)

We live in a sedentary society; we spend more time sitting than standing or lying. While humans originally evolved to being able to stand on two legs, we spend the majority of the day standing or sitting on 6 legs. And to add more atop of that, the ergonomic tradition mposed the throne-model as the most ergonomic way to sit. Straight back, feet on the ground and remain seated!

But those days are over. Finally, ergonomists and designers of all professional inclinations start to understand that it is not sitting still but rather moving - even while being seated - that people like doing most. Try to watch a child for half an hour that is sitting on a chair, and count the number of different positions that it takes. It will show you what sitting is all about.

Keeping this in mind, the next step would be to build our furniture so that it supports and encourages the natural human movements. In other words: we should be standing, or sitting, or maybe even lying again. Tables should be placed at different heights. A nice revolving chair, a rocking chair or even a real dynamic solution? Designing a good chair is perfectly possible!

All that remains to be done is to convince teachers, school principals and policy makers that a good chair, alternating postures and regularly changing place / position during and between the classes can be healthy and stimulating indeed!

Source: New World of Learning (VANERUM Group).