3D-printed chair folds all the way up

From metal chairs modeled after the classics to “woven” concrete benches, 3D printing has produced plenty of unconventional seating options. Add to the list a new piece from French designer Patrick Jouin that folds up like a high-design picnic chair.

Jouin designed the TAMU using generative design software from Dassault Systèmes that’s able to optimize where the chair needed to lend support and where it could lose heft. The flatpack chair has an ornately woven seat and back whose pattern was generated by emulating structures found in nature.

“Previously designers were inspired by ‘organic’ as a style, but what is completely new is that designers are now inspired by the organic process itself, and how to emulate it,” Jouin told Designboom.

Photo: Patrick Jouin

The chair’s base is made from four panels that fold into themselves and then twist into a completely flattened state like a “piece of fabric.” It’s pretty spectacular to watch:

The weblike pattern was printed in polyamide and weighs 5.2 pounds—just light enough to pack up and bring to the park. Check out more Milan Design Week unveils here.