MONOBLOC
This anonymous, cheap, light-weight, portable, waterproof, stackable, easy to clean, plastic patio chair, manufactured from one (ca. 2 kilogram) piece of polypropylene in a single process is the world's most famous chair.The first all-plastic chair was designed by the italian designer Joe Colombo in 1965. It was made in 5 pieces - the backrest /seat monococque and 4 single legs.Then, in 1967 the first monobloc chair was invented. ‘Selene’ by the italian designer Vico Magistretti, made from just a single piece of 3 mm thick reglar (fiberglass-reinforced polyester). Magistretti resolved the technical difficulties associated with the strenght of the legs by configuring them in an 'S' shape. Further developments culminated in the exemplary project, produced by Artemide in 1969 and was reissued in 2002 by Heller Designs in ABS plastic.At the same time, another structural one-piece plastic chair was developed by danish designer Verner Panton.The very first mass-produced monoblocs probably came from the french Allibert group or the US Grossfillex group.
