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Well, no demands have been received as of now. But primary school children will start demanding once they find out that the desks and chairs in the schools are a risk to health. Not only that, these kids (basically you, me and everyone else who has gone to school) might develop serious disorders and illnesses in their adulthood due to the furniture. Serious stuff. This news somehow makes skipping school sound like a good idea. Anyway, I digress.
A comprehensive research study into the issues of school furniture for primary schools was conducted by an Irish designer Simon Dennehy for his two year research MA in Industrial Design with the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland.
The result of this research is Perch. I did a quick search and found that Perch has several meanings including a name for a spiny-finned freshwater fish found in North America and Europe. Very useful the Internet is... and I have digressed again.
The Perch project came up with chairs and desks that are ergonomically designed for primary school children. In the designer's own words, Perch 'hopes to alleviate poor posture in school children thus increasing productivity, health and well being'.
I think all it takes to market this furniture is to slap a sticker on it saying that it helps to get good exam results. Voila, masses of concerned parents rushing to buy their kids the desk and chair in hopes of scoring full As. No wait, all As is not enough. Must also have more As than the other kids.
Perch. Safety height adjustment: Pivot seat arm.
Below is an extract from the Perch website:
The school curriculum requires sitting at a desk for prolonged periods of time daily. As students graduate, it is normal to expect them to find work where sitting all day is required. The implications of poor posture are not limited to illness and discomfort, but can seriously impede the learning process. Lower back and neck pain are the most recognisable afflictions but many other illnesses are linked with poor posture. Poor digestion, nausea, deep vein thrombosis, headache, poor circulation, obesity, and lack of concentration are but a few side-effects. Epidemiological studies indicate that excessive sitting times can be linked to rates of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and CVD.
Schools are the breeding grounds for long term and serious injuries that emerge in middle aged adults as the result of poor posture. Sitting is not natural to humans, and doing so incorrectly can cause irreparable damage. By creating a solution for primary school students where better task furniture can be attained and a new standard of acceptability reached, this thesis can begin to address this global problem.
Check out the innovations that go into the chair and desk. Higher sitting, sloped worksurface, storage.
Well, it is good to see attention given in this area. Hope to see such improvements being implemented in our own Malaysian schools soon.
Now if you excuse me, I need to take a walk.
Source: Tuvie.com
Perch. Flexible seat encourages movement
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