Chair Size Design Based on User Height

Abstract

General principles derived from anatomical studies of human body sizes should be applied to chair designs. Chairs can be designed for a specific user or a particular group of users. Universal chairs for public spaces should be comfortable for the largest possible group of users and should not be adjustable, such as office chairs. However, the fundamental problem is that the anthropometric data available in the literature either come from many years ago and are out of date or do not provide a complete set of all the dimensional parameters of a sitting human body position. This article proposes a way to design chair dimensions solely based on the height range of the intended chair users. For this purpose, based on literature data, the main structural dimensions of the chair were assigned to the appropriate anthropometric body measurements. Furthermore, calculated average body proportions for the adult population overcome the incompleteness, outdated and burdensome access to anthropometric data and link the main chair design dimensions to one easily accessible anthropometric parameter: human height. This is achieved by seven equations describing the dimensional relations between the chair’s essential design dimensions and human height or even a height range. The result of the study is a method of determining the optimal functional dimensions of a chair for a chosen range of sizes of its future users based only on users’ height range. Limitations of the presented method: the calculated body proportions are correct only for people with a standard body proportion characteristic of adults, i.e., they exclude children and adolescents up to 20 years of age, seniors, and people with a body mass index exceeding 30.

Designing chairs for users with high body weight

“…The authors concluded that the sit-to-stand movement pattern in obese subjects significantly differs from that in normal-weight subjects and is related to biomechanical and muscular factors (Galli et al 2000). In this case, even a slight increase in the seat's height significantly increases the comfort of getting up from the chair (Sydor and Hitka 2023). However, it is worth noting that a too-high seat remarkably reduces the comfort of sitting on the chair, so its height should not be excessive.…”

A systematic review of research on sitting and working furniture ergonomic from 2012 to 2022: Analysis of assessment approaches

“…Furthermore, extensive research have shown how ergonomics can actually be affected by gender segregation [ 79 , 80 ]. It has also been mentioned in a number of articles that differences in body shape exist not only in body size and body proportions, but also in gender [ 81 , 82 ]. Treaster & Burr have shown that women have been proven to be more susceptible to upper limb musculoskeletal disorders [ 83 ].…”

Strength Classification of Wooden Chairs under Cyclic Loads Based on an Experimental Study

“…It is understood from the literature that the relationships between the dimensions of the furniture and the user's anthropometric data are important in terms of ergonomics, strength, and functionality, and that the body weight of the users has a direct impact on the strength, especially in furniture used in public spaces [13][14][15]. Accordingly, it is of great importance to have acceptable design loads according to where a piece of furniture will be used and which kinds of service loads it will be exposed to, even during the design process.…”

“…The relations between the dimensions of the furniture and a user's anthropometric data is crucial for ergonomics, safety and functionality. The weight and dimensions of the user's body significantly affect the functional dimensions of the furniture, especially for overweight users [13,14]. It was stated that obesity, which has been a global epidemic in recent years, has significant effects on furniture design, especially in public spaces, and a study was conducted on the strength of chairs used by people with higher body mass [15].…”