Deck chairs—made from rectangular wooden frames and a single strip of fabric—first became popular during the 1860s when they were used on Ocean Liner decks. Since then, the foldable chairs still remain popular around the world, and their simple design has barely changed since their debut. These iconic chairs are more than comfortable seats, though. Architecture firm Lasovsky Johansson recently used 108 deck chairs to build a kinetic structure called PETAL.
PETAL is designed as a portable, easily assembled pavilion arranged in a cylindrical formation with an event space within its center. The 108 chairs are mounted on the exterior of 18 plywood columns, which are connected to a cylindrical plywood bar that acts as the foundation for the entire structure.
The designers utilized the deck chair’s foldable feature to create a structure that imitates the natural rhythm of a flower—gracefully opening at dawn and closing at night. By day, PETAL is in “full bloom,” with the chairs unfolded to offer a 360-degree bar and seating area. As night falls, the chairs fold down, transforming into a projection screen.
The PETAL pavilion was designed and built for the 2023 CHART Art Fair and is currently located in the courtyard of the Design Museum Denmark in Copenhagen. Following the principles of Bauhaus design, it showcases how sustainable design can be both beautiful and functional.
“The main driving force behind the design was to use an everyday product in a new way and still keep the original functionality,” says Lasovsky Johansson. “With the simple deck chair in mind the temporary pavilion is designed to be easy to assemble and disassemble, while using the function of the chair itself and the advantages it has of being able to be flat packed or folded out to an open structure.”
Check out photos of PETAL below and find more of Lasovsky Johansson’s innovative projects on the team’s website.
Architecture firm Lasovsky Johansson used 108 deck chairs to build a functional kinetic structure called PETAL.
The chairs are mounted on the exterior of 18 plywood columns, which are connected to a cylindrical plywood bar that acts as the foundation for the entire structure.
The designers utilized the deck chair’s foldable feature to create a structure that imitates the natural rhythm of a flower.
During the day, PETAL is in “full bloom,” with the chairs unfolded to offer a 360-degree bar and seating area.
As night falls, the chairs fold down, transforming into a projection screen.
Watch how PETAL transforms.
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