Capitol Complex Office Chair chair with armrests, seat and back in Vienna straw

COMPLEX CONVERGENCE

One of the most well-known pieces from the Capitol Complex in the Indian city of Chandigarh, the solid wood design armchair, a tribute to Pierre Jeanneret, is set apart by its unique construction in solid oak or teak with seat in Viennese cane.

This chair is one of the most recognisable in Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex, found throughout the offices of the Secretariat. The independent pieces, including the side bars in an inverted “V” supporting the armrests, are all made of solid wood. The woven backrest and seat, stretched across a wooden frame, are elements common in the area, much like the use of local woods like teak. Similar to the better-known office chair, this armless chair also uses the “V” approach to sidebars, in this case shorter as they do not extend to the arms. Importance, instead, is given to the seating/ backrest sequence in Viennese woven cane, connected with an immense geometric section supported by two wooden profiles, and coplanar legs, that together, are simple and yet, powerful at the same time. Cassina’s reissue offers the classic version in teak, and two versions in natural and stained black oak.

The structure is made up of separate pieces, including the lateral supports that converge to form an inverted “V” to support the armrests, a technical solution also shared by the Capitol Complex Chair version without armrests.

This Viennese cane chair conjures up the characteristic spirit of the place, also expressed in the use of local wood, like teak. The seat-backrest sequence joins the flush legs to form a simple yet powerful whole.