Equa 2 Stool

Equa means equal, as in equal, high-performance seating for everyone. And that means ergonomic comfort and support regardless of a person's status, work activities, or physical size. It means a sophisticated design that's simple to use and responds naturally to any sitter. And it means a complete line, including side chairs and stools as well as work chairs. All people being equal, Equa 2 is a chair everyone deserves.

A Work Chair Solution
High-performance, adjustable, long-term seating with a one-piece flexible shell in three sizes; for computer work, general office work, and formal or informal meetings.

Flexible Shell
Built-in responsiveness. The seat and back of the Equa 2 shell flex separately so it automatically responds to the user's movements.
Simple operation. A few easy adjustments fine-tune the fit.
Keeping cool. An opening in the shell allows air to circulate.

Ergonomic Comfort
Increased back support. The adjustable lumbar kit is available on all three chair sizes.
Easy on the arms. Wide, soft armrests are sloped in the front and are height adjustable.
Waterfall front edge. Reduces pressure under the thighs so circulation isn't restricted.

Healthful Tilt
Easy motion. The knee-tilt mechanism lets the body move naturally between postures, from upright to reclined.
No pressure. When the user leans back, feet stay flat on the floor and the front edge of the seat doesn't rise.

Distinctive Aesthetics
Refined shape. Equa 2's contours and rounded edges make a trim profile that blends with all kinds of environments.
Touch of elegance. The warm finish on the aluminum base and frame doesn't show scuffs and scrapes.

Design Story
In developing the original Equa chair, introduced in 1984, designers Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick analyzed a variety of chairs to determine design trends in seating. "We found that office seating was becoming more specialized in terms of how people sit in chairs and the types of tasks they perform," Don says. "We wanted the opposite; we believe that a chair has to allow a person to move around, perform a variety of tasks, and sit in a variety of positions throughout the day."
The designers also recognized an increasing fascination with mechanical and adjustable chairs. "We think a chair has to respond and interact with the person sitting in it, and do that automatically, without requiring the person to manipulate a host of buttons and knobs," Don adds.
Several of the designers' more personal ideas and values are also inherent in the original Equa design, and they are preserved in the Equa 2 chair. Both designers believe that everyone, regardless of their size, shape, or status within an organization, deserves a good, ergonomically supportive chair. They prefer simple designs both in structure and operation. Bill and Don believe that the structure of a chair should be logical, and the materials appropriate. Finally, both enjoy what they call "designing by analogies"--looking at familiar designs or things they appreciate, like skis, toys, juke boxes, bicycles, and a wide variety of other things, determining those qualities that make them special, and incorporating those qualities in their designs.
Key to the chair's "equitable" design is its one-piece shell. It began its evolution in 1979, when the first iteration showed that using an H-shaped cut-out, the seat and back could act independently. Several shells were laid up by hand to develop a comfortable shell form. Then the right materials and manufacturing process had to be found. A fiberglass-reinforced polyester resin shaped into a one-piece seat and back using thermoplastic molding produced a strong, flexible, cost-effective, and visually pleasing shell.
An evolution of the original, the Equa 2 chair is designed to accommodate the current nature of work and the work force. Using anthropometric data, three identically proportioned chair sizes were developed to fit the broader ranges of sizes and shapes that characterize today's more diverse working population. It also has the features necessary to meet codes and standards for task-intensive computer work.