Rudolph Steiner House
Specification
About the venue
Thousands of people are welcomed through the doors of Rudolf Steiner House every year. It is a hub for contemporary culture in the heart of London.
The venue offers spiritually oriented events in a unique and stunning architectural environment.
The name is inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, particularly the first Goetheanum building in Dornach, Switzerland.
Rudolf Steiner House is the first and only example of ‘expressionist’ architecture in London.
In 1991 the building was Grade 2 listed.
Brief
The Anthroposophical Society were looking to renovate the auditorium at Rudolph Steiner house and contacted us for our help. The auditorium needed an upgrade with the seating, although in reasonable condition, in need modernising to reflect the buildings status.
The new chair had to be sympathetic to the listed building status but also modern. Existing sight lines were far from ideal chairs did not really offer the required level of comfort.
A large factor was the roots of Rudolph Steiner, the chair design would ideally encapsulate the defining characteristics of expressionism.
Solution
By chance at the first meeting we presented our Chipping Norton Chair for consideration. It was very much a starting point and an example of our quality. The chair was an instant hit with the society and the project architect Nicolas Pople.
After further review the feeling was the chair needed some small adaptations. We were happy to assist and our flexible approach to manufacturing meant changes were easily made. What followed was a process where the chair was “Steinerized”. The seat and back cushions were modified to the exact architectural requirement. Tapered sides and an indent to the top of the back mirrored the gentle arched lines of the auditorium roof.
The outer timber back was replaced with a fully upholstered panel to assist with the aesthetic and acoustic. The seat cushions were adjusted with additional support to the front edge. The result of all the development work is our new “Steiner” chair. A brand new model which has been proudly added to our range of auditorium seating.
We then began work on the layout. Where previously the aisles were in-bound we created a central block of seating. Set on a gentle curve the seats would offer vastly improved lines of sight. The single bank also continued the “Steiner” visual.
In addition to the main bank of seating special rear perch seats were fitted to complement the design. Mounted on “floating” timber shelves they provide an informal offer for the late comer or casual viewer.
Just prior to the chairs being fitted the country entered the first lockdown owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Not only did this delay the installation it also offered some time to further adapt the design. The chair arms were specified as being upholstered. To offer a better option for cleaning and sanitisation timber arms were chosen. Samples were quickly prepared to ensure the stain on the timber perfectly matched the rest of the auditorium.
Fitting chairs in the newly restored parquet flooring meant using special fixings for a durable and solid hold.
If you wish to discuss a project of your own, please do not hesitate to make contact info@audise.co.uk
