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A Chair Created Through Generative Design

Autodesk has been generating solutions using generative design, but only recently did they create the Elbo Chair, a project that’s unlike any other they’ve worked on. With the goal being to use a chair as a design space for their generative design research platform, Arthur Harsuvanakit and Brittany Presten of Autodesk’s generative design lab spent many months designing and producing the Elbo Chair.

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Why this project was more challenging was because the generative design software had to not only result in an aesthetically pleasing and functional chair, but it also had to be able to be made using wood and a CNC router.

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To get the final result, they seeded the chair design into Dreamcatcher, Autodesk’s generative design solution. Then, they optimized the structure of the chair by including load conditions that represents the weight of a normal person sitting in the chair. The software then predicated the number and type of furniture joints—10 total pieces.

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The result is a smooth, sculptural chair that combines the best of technology and organic materials. Using generative design as a collaborator in the design process, making it easier for the designer to maximize important criteria like ergonomics and load conditions, while also focusing on aesthetics.

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After surviving a quarter life crisis, Nanette went from working in healthcare canadian meds to pursuing her loves of design, food and writing. During the day she works in social media marketing, by night she writes for Design Milk. You can find more of her work at nanettewong.com.