The ultimate partnership in Danish design: Republic of Fritz Hansen, the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels and the Danish design group KiBiSi, now launches the VIA57™ chair. The partnership is the culmination of great Danish design visions coming together with the VIA57 chair’s dynamic, tetrahedral shape translated through the lens of the heritage furniture brand. Debuting in New York on 13 May 2016, the collaboration celebrates the completion of Bjarke Ingels Group’s first New York City project — the VIA57 WEST building — giving design lovers around the world the opportunity to have a piece of the Manhattan skyline in their own homes.
Another iconic Dane
When the SAS Royal Hotel was built in 1960 as Copenhagen’s first skyscraper, Arne Jacobsen, the master of Danish Modernism, designed everything from the exterior architecture to the interior design;
from the furniture and lamps to the spoons and cups. Today, Bjarke Ingels, who is known for his innovative architecture and KiBiSi, which is known for its idea-driven approach, take Danish design abroad by reinventing the American skyscraper and presenting the VIA57 chair. The partnership between BIG, KiBiSi and Republic of Fritz Hansen is a unique example of architecture and design going hand in hand, as it did in Arne Jacobsen’s work in the 1960s.
‘VIA57 West is a ScanAmerican hybrid combining the communal space of a Scandinavian courtyard building with the density and views of an American skyscraper into what we have nicknamed a courtscraper. Designed for its lobby and lounges, the VIA57 chair combines Scandinavian simplicity and elegance with American comfort and generosity. The rotated corners allow a variety of social configurations while also evoking the tetrahedronical geometry of its parent architecture,’ says Bjarke Ingels, founding Partner, BIG. VIA57 is more than a chair VIA57 is any type of seating furniture you want it to be. With its adaptive and inventive design, VIA57 is the ultimate chair for the modern lifestyle, allowing you to reconfigure it to suit individual
needs: create a small sofa for intimate conversations, expand it into a sprawling lounge area with a welcoming atmosphere, or just let the chair stand out on its own as a beautiful sculpture that doubles as a
seat.
‘For the first time in many years, we have designed a piece of furniture, with an architect who normally creates buildings. This is in line with some of our classic products from the past, including our collaboration with Arne Jacobsen. In its shape, the VIA57TM chair is a meeting between Scandinavia and America. Bjarke Ingels and KiBiSi have succeeded in merging the American lounge chair with minimalist organic Scandinavian design, and we are extremely happy with the result,’ says Christian Andresen, head of design, Republic of Fritz Hansen.
Open and engaging
Just as the VIA57 West building casually leans into the Manhattan skyline, the VIA57 chair has a laid-back feel that will add an element of ease to its surroundings. At first sight, the look is engaging and inviting. Once seated, users will appreciate its calm and comfortable embrace. They can position themselves on any of the three sides, remaining open to interaction, approachable by anyone in the room. In addition to its modular functionality and multiple settings, VIA57TM has a powerful visual appeal that makes it the centre of attention. The design expression softens the traditional lines of a room and offers uncompromising comfort.
For additional information please contact:
Rikke Smidth-Fibiger, Global Marketing Manager, tel. +45 2519 0778, risf@fritzhansen.com
About VIA57 West
VIA at West 57th Street is a residential building designed by BIG Bjarke Ingels Group that provides a dramatic visual addition to Manhattan’s skyline along the Hudson River. The building offers residents a compelling mix of 709 rental residences, an unsurpassed selection of amenities and 45,000 square feet of retail space. The vast array of amenities for residents to enjoy includes a pool, fitness center, half-basketball court, golf simulator, children’s playroom, library, poker room and media room. Residents may also reserve a variety of ‘living rooms’ for entertainment and take advantage of such features as a fireplace, a chef’s kitchen, a serving kitchen, a dining room and an outdoor terrace with dramatic river views. Residential leasing began in March 2016.
About KiBiSi
KiBiSi merges the faculties of its founding partners into a symbiotic hybrid of design, architecture and ideation: production know-how and design sensibility, big ideas and, holistic perspective and idea-driven innovation. KiBiSi was founded in Copenhagen by Lars Larsen, Bjarke Ingels and Jens Martin Skibsted. Each partner contributes with intelligence and experience from within his specific field, providing KiBiSi with cutting-edge knowledge and know-how within the fields of architecture, design, furniture, electronics, transportation, contemporary culture and lifestyle. KiBiSi’s work is present in many major museum collections, including the MoMA in New York, Paris’s Centre National d’Arts Plastique and SFMoMA.
