In conversation with Ben van Berkel, designer of the Ahrend Remode
Ben van Berkel began his career at the Rietveld Academy. His love of Japanese architecture brought him to Kyoto. And, at the Architectural Association in London, he took a holistic course that brought together everything that interested him: engineering design, landscape architecture, urban planning and product design. At 32, he designed the Erasmus bridge. This was later followed by the Agora Theatre in Lelystad, the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart and the Central Station in Arnhem, amongst other projects. His latest design: the Ahrend Remode task chair.
Designer Ben van Berkel
What is distinctive about your designs?
'It's that they contribute to a healthy and sustainable living environment. My designs are used by many people, and I want to send a message with them. "I also want my designs to surprise. Consider the Ahrend Remode. It is a super comfortable task chair. But it's also an active chair. How so? It encourages you to move, change position, activate your core. So it isn't a lazy but rather an active chair. To make it so, I blended inspiration from sportswear with Ahrend's expertise in developing advanced task chairs.'
What was your starting point when designing the Ahrend Remode task chair?
'That the chair should not fatigue you but rather support you. It is so comfortable that you can even meditate in it. Yet at the same time, it activates your body. Sitting in the same position for too long is not healthy. Comfortable sitting and dynamic movement - it's a contradiction - but with the Remode they come together perfectly. Another feature that sets Remode apart is that it stands out everywhere. At the office, at home, at the university, in an airport lounge or hotel lobby.'
What makes the Remode task chair so special?
‘It is the most sustainable task chair yet. Fully modular, lightweight and made of circular materials. It consists of 54% recycled materials. 78% of the plastic is recycled, and of this 62% comes from the ocean.* The netweave for the seat and backrest is made of 80% post-consumer recycled polyester and is Cradle to Cradle® certified. The materials are 99% recyclable at the end of their lifespan. The sustainable material choices as well as the lightweight design result in lower CO2 emissions.
*Applicable to Ahrend Remode EN-Type A finished in black.
Where do you get the inspiration?
‘I read a lot, about science, art, philosophy, and technology. Lately I have found myself delving into electric car design - a whole new concept of design. I also like drawing inspiration from astronomy and space crafting: The possibilities of the universe. For the Remode sportswear was my inspiration. I am an keen runner. Good sneakers are indispensable. They are comfortable, support your body, get you moving, and improve performance. And that's exactly what the Remode does too!’
How did you combine sustainability, comfort and design in the Remode?
‘By forever finetuning. A task chair should be about more than a design look. The parts contain a lot of mechanisms. That need to 100% function. In addition, the chair needed to be detachable so that parts could be replaced, repaired and recycled. We wanted the most sustainable materials and for them to be as light as possible, without any loss of functionality. This involves constant testing and fine-tuning. Sometimes starting again from the beginning. And we pulled it off! The Remode is the most sustainable task chair yet. It's comfortable, activates your body and does indeed look great.'
'The Remode meets international ergonomic standards. This ensures maximum comfort and minimum weight (only 15 kg), and you can adjust it to suit your body. You can easily operate all the controls from a sitting position, thanks to the optimal placement and clear symbols. The height adjustment is easily recognised by its distinctive colour.’
What was it about designing for Ahrend that appealed to you?
‘Ahrend is geared towards a circular future and extending product lifespan. The focus on sustainable materials and disassembly was music to my ears. Ahrend stands for quality and has specialists in every field: from engineers to material specialists, from revitalisation experts to motion mechanism specialists. By combining our knowledge and skills, we were able to develop a next-level task chair.'
How do you feel now that you see the Remode in practice?
‘I'm really happy with it! The design of this chair was like designing a building. We spent years working on it. It was hard work to bring the chair up to the desired standard. I am proud of our teams for pulling it off. And I'm pretty sure the users will be happy. I'm also really intrigued by the personal choices. The limited-edition Pink Edition, for example, was something we spent a long time exploring. It is warm, friendly and inviting and adds atmosphere to any setting. In addition to the four preconfigured models, there is also a version that you can entirely assemble yourself, thereby creating your personal chair.'
