'We see ergonomics as a wellness tool': Todd Bracher for Humanscale

Here's a fun fact for you. The use of the term 'ergonomics' extends as far back as the mid-19th century and stems from the Greek for 'work' and 'natural law'. Although it's been around for a while, the science's methodologies and scope of ambition have evolved over the years. 

'Historically, ergonomics was more about human factors,' explains Todd Bracher, New York-based industrial designer and creative director at office-furniture experts Humanscale. 'Can you reach? Does it fit? And the interface with the human experience. But we now realise its impact on long-term health. We see ergonomics as a wellness tool.'

Under the banner of 'ergonomics everywhere' – which neatly captures the reality of our peripatetic work lives today, where we move between home office and traditional office, and, at the latter, often find ourselves occupying a range of seating throughout the day – Bracher collaborates with the Humanscale team to develop products that adjust to the user's body weight and body type instantly. Thanks to their patented 'Gravity Mechanism', no manual adjustment via knobs, levers or such like is required.

'When you design a chair that's truly driven by function, you arrive at a natural, visually light result,' argues Bracher. 'From an architectural point of view, there's no excess to the chairs. There's no noise.'

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