Custom LAMM’s desks and seating for the prestigious University of Chicago’s Paris campus
The ST12 series product has been tailored to meet the requirements of this prestigious institution, which, for its new premises in La Ville Lumière, aimed to create stimulating, informal and dynamic spaces designed to foster interaction among professors, students and partners from around the world.
A lively yet understated aesthetic, featuring colourful fabrics and the warmth of wood, characterises the classrooms of the John W. Boyer Centre, the new University of Chicago’s Paris campus, thanks to the custom study benches created from the ST12 – Orlandini Design series product.
Just a few metres from the National Library of France, in the 13th arrondissement, the new hub for the University of Chicago’s international activities has been established, where lecturers, students, intellectuals, alumni and partners from all over the world come together to conduct research with a focus on interdisciplinarity. It represents a point of reference for the University’s collaborations with other academic and research institutions across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Consequently, a dedicated hub for education, research and international exchange, in addition to the other University’s overseas campuses in London, Delhi, Beijing and Hong Kong.
The project designed by Studio Gang – based in Chicago with offices in New York, San Francisco and Paris – aims to create environments that stimulate creativity and a spirit of collaboration: the spaces are organised around a central atrium that functions as a transparent hall – the so called “vertical campus” – which brings natural light deep into the building and connects the spaces both physically and visually. The areas dedicated to study, work and socialising are strategically arranged around this central hub for encouraging interaction between people and across different departments. Informal and lively spaces, rich in greenery – including a roof garden designed to promote biodiversity – aim to be stimulating and to foster well-being.
Within this framework, the set-up of the large classroom has been designed, featuring study benches with custom-made seats. The single structure system consists of fixed writing surfaces in oak laminate (Abet Laminati) and mobile seats supported by pivoting press-moulded painted aluminium arms, on which ergonomic monocoque shells in cold-foamed polyurethane are fixed. The swivel chairs rotate 360 degrees and are equipped with a calibrated automatic return mechanism, ensuring that workstations remain tidy and escape routes stay clear and accessible at all times.
The backrests and seats are padded and upholstered in three different colours from Kvadrat – Steelcut Trio 3, a fabric EU Ecolabel and UL Greenguard Gold certified, demonstrating the product’s reduced environmental impact throughout its entire lifecycle and its compliance with the most stringent standards on chemical air emissions. Arranged in straight rows on steps, the desks support an advanced multimedia system for teaching activities, incorporating power sockets and USB Type-C ports for connecting devices. The chairs, which appear as colourful pixels scattered at random, emerge from the wooden backdrop of the walls, helping to enliven the large classroom thanks to the harmony of the chosen colour shades.
Project name: University of Chicago – John W. Boyer Centre
Location: Paris, France
Architectural project: Studio Gang
Local dealer: France Bureau
Year: 2024
LAMM supply: custom ST12 study benches
Photographs: Fabrice Fouillet