by Ann Withanee — June 24, 2011—Humanscale says its new Trea chair’s unexpected comfort and wide-ranging applications make Trea an ideal choice for hospitality, conference, guest, and even residential seating. Trea was showcased in Humanscale’s showroom at The Merchandise Mart, Chicago, during the NeoCon World’s Trade Fair in June.
Designed by Todd Bracher, Trea reportedly achieves high-performance functionality in a streamlined design. From the chair’s inception, Bracher intended that, “as in natural selection, the design should express only what is necessary and essential.” Building on Bracher’s vision for Trea, the Humanscale Design Studio incorporated its trademark ergonomic comfort and performance into the chair while concealing its advanced engineering to maintain the chair’s immaculate aesthetics. The name Trea is derived from the Latin word for “three” and is a nod to the three minimal components of the chair: its seat, back and frame.
Fundamental to Trea’s performance is Humanscale’s innovative “solid state” recline mechanism. Hidden at the junction of the seat and backrest, this unique mechanism discretely mimics the hips’ natural movements during recline to provide easy postural changes, enhanced upper body support, and unexpected comfort in its class.
As part of Humanscale’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and in keeping with Humanscale’s design philosophy, the Trea chair was designed and engineered to consume less of the Earth’s limited resources. Using post-consumer plastic, the Trea chair is made of 30 percent recycled and 99.5 percent recyclable content. With only three main parts and minor hardware, Trea’s light weight and minimal-part design further reduce its carbon footprint.
Scheduled for production in the first quarter of 2012, Trea will be offered at a U.S. list price of $399 and will be available in multiple frame and shell colors, as well as an optional upholstered seat cushion for enhanced comfort and specifier flexibility.
For more information visit the Humanscale Web site.
