Posted August 20, 2009 - 6:49pm by Rosa Valencia
Professor Martin Linder and DAI graduate Chris Morlock of MSL Design introduce a new collection of health care seating for a Herman Miller Company.
Florabella, the new healthcare line from Brandrud (a Herman Miller Company), has redefined performance in the healthcare environment.
Healthcare furniture has created many new challenges for furniture design. Long waits, tense situations, and a sense of vulnerability pervade the experience. Hospital acquired infections are a major issue facing healthcare providers.
Florabella is next generation of healthcare furniture that addresses this infection control issue. Materials such as food, liquids, to hair can easily be trapped in traditional designs, cannot easily be cleaned, and becomes a breeding ground for pathogens.
MSL has approached the problem with a series of innovations. A clean-out gap that goes all the way around the seat that allows that ‘stuff’ to fall through to the floor where it is most likely to be cleaned up. This is accomplished by utilizing an engineered steel frame that creates the structure of the chair and suspends the seat in the middle. This design and frame also create incredible strength – allowing Florabella to handle bariatric loads, and have the increased durability required to work in the healthcare environment.
Beyond these attributes, Florabella also includes replaceable wear points. These are more durable, cleanable and easier to replace. Florabella’s replaceable wear points include the hands and feet of the chair because they must withstand mops, vacuums and all the other traffic that will bump into the chair over time.
A 25% recycled bio-foam covers the entire tubular metal frame providing environment advantages while bringing comfort, warmth, and a sense of security back into the Healthcare environment.
MSL’s extensive client list in the field of furniture design include Metro Furniture (a Steelcase company), Design America (a Knoll company), and Brandrud (a Herman Miller company.)
