Wilkhahn
Encyclopedia
Wilkhahn based in Bad Münder, near Hannover, is a German
manufacturer of office furniture. The brand is well known for its range of ergonomic office chairs and tables. Founded in 1907 by Friedrich Hahne and Christen Wilkening. The name of the two founders was later used to create the name Wilk-hahn in 1954.
The sons of the founders, Fritz Hahne
and Adolf Wilkening took over the reins of the company after the WWII and continued to make wooden chairs and furniture until the mid 1950s. The introduction of new materials such as steel
, fibreglass
, and newer fabrics
for upholstery
, and the early development of plastic
enabled Wilkhahn to transform the business from a highly manual craft to a modern industrial production company with international operations. As a result, the modern chair evolved, with notable releases as the FS Line
, Picto
, Modus, A-line
and ON
.
Wilkhahn is also known for the architecture of its production sites, the pavilions in wood-hanging construction by Frei Otto
, already famous for his work on Munich’s Olympic Stadium
, and the production halls by architect Thomas Herzog
.
In the 1940s Fritz Hahne
and Adolf Wilkening took over their fathers' chair factory. Business ran well, but they looked for new design paths and took up contact with Walter Heyn, the director of Deutsche Werkstätten, and with designers such as Georg Leowald and Herbert Hirche whose work was influenced by the Bauhaus movement
and the Werkbund
.
In the 1950s, the company obtained designers such as Herbert Hirche, Georg Leowald, Roland Rainer, Jupp Ernst and Helmut Lohmeier.
Wilkhahn became a pioneer of German industrial design, experimented with new materials and evolved its own distinct design. This resulted in purist furniture, the form of which was developed in strict adherence to function.
In 1954 Wilkhahn was one of the first German companies which introduce a company pension scheme. This marked the foundation stone for the Wilkhahn corporate culture. Fritz Hahne
, who managed the company from 1946 to 1982, looked for new ways of enabling employees to share actively in the company's success. He established the maxim "No orders without explanations". The goal: a relationship based on partnership and responsibility.
At a staff meeting in December 1970 Fritz Hahne
announced a 50% profit-sharing scheme for employees to come into effect in January 1971. As dormant partners, staff today have significant shareholdings of the company's capital.
In 1980 Klaus Frank and Werner Sauer developed a new office swivel chair
following intensive ergonomic studies and series of tests. The FS-Line
marked the consistent implementation of the principle of dynamic sitting. More than 2 million of these chairs have been sold to date.
In this decade Wilkhahn also became more international. Sales offices and subsidiaries were established, foreign trading and license partners were retained to work for Wilkhahn. Today, business outside Germany
accounts about 50% of total sales.
In 1987 new production sites - pavilions in wood-hanging construction by Frei Otto
- were built.
The production halls in Eimbeckhausen have been completed in 1993. They were designed by Thomas Herzog
and have been regarded throughout the world as a model of aesthetic and environmentally compatible building construction.
In 1995 the Picto
swivel chair
was developed by Wilkhahn. The Federal Award for Design
was presented to Fritz Hahne
in 1999. This award by the German Design Council is intended to honour those who have rendered great service with regard to the role of design in Germany.
In 2005 the Aline
chair was presented to the public.
Wilkhahn celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007.
In 2009 was the market launch of the new ON
chair, which has a three-dimensional dynamic sitting arrangement.
Designers
The opportunity to form shapes from the new materials (such as steel
, fibreglass
, and newer fabrics
for upholstery
) inspired Wilkhahn designers:
1954–1957 Chairs designed by Georg Leowald for the home and office
1955–1959 The three-legged chair introduced, based on Walter Papst’s design. This chair was to be reinstated in 2009 and is made from solid timber.
1971 The introduction of the first two-piece swivel chairs designed by Wilhelm Ritz.
1980 The introduction of chair with many seating variants.
1991 The first office chair designed completely under ecological criteria designed by Burkhard Schmitz and Franz Biggel. Created from eight different recyclable, CFC free materials.
Standard and EMAS
(Eco-Management and Audit Scheme). It was the first time a complete Input-Output analysis had been tested in a furniture company under scientific control
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
manufacturer of office furniture. The brand is well known for its range of ergonomic office chairs and tables. Founded in 1907 by Friedrich Hahne and Christen Wilkening. The name of the two founders was later used to create the name Wilk-hahn in 1954.
The sons of the founders, Fritz Hahne
Fritz Hahne
Fritz Hahne was a German entrepreneur.-Life:In 1907 Friedrich Hahne and Christian Wilkening founded a chair-making factory named Wilkhahn in Eimbeckhausen near Hannover....
and Adolf Wilkening took over the reins of the company after the WWII and continued to make wooden chairs and furniture until the mid 1950s. The introduction of new materials such as steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, fibreglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, and newer fabrics
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
for upholstery
Upholstery
Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word upholstery comes from the Middle English word upholder, which referred to a tradesman who held up his goods. The term is equally applicable to domestic,...
, and the early development of plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
enabled Wilkhahn to transform the business from a highly manual craft to a modern industrial production company with international operations. As a result, the modern chair evolved, with notable releases as the FS Line
Fs line chair
The FS Line chair is a product of Wilkhahn, designed by Klaus Franck and Werner Sauer in 1980. The chair is named after its two designers. This was the first single piece, highly flexible seat shell manufactured by Wilkhahn...
, Picto
Picto chair
The Picto chair is a product of Wilkhahn. This chair was designed by Burkhard Schmitz and Franz Biggel.This chair was created from eight different recyclable, CFC free materials...
, Modus, A-line
Aline Chair
The Aline chair is a product of Wilkhahn, introduced in 1994 and was designed by Andreas Störiko.The Aline chair was made from hazardous free substances.RecyclingThe chairs are disassembled, all components are sorted and, where possible, recycled....
and ON
ON Chair
The ON chair is a product of Wilkhahn introduced in 2009.The chair was designed during the period of 2005-2009 by C. Gehner, H. Buttner, M. Englisch, A. Siefferer and C. Shayeb under the leadership of Hans Wahlen and Erich Becker. It is engineered to mirror the functions and positions of the knee...
.
Wilkhahn is also known for the architecture of its production sites, the pavilions in wood-hanging construction by Frei Otto
Frei Otto
Frei Paul Otto is a German architect and structural engineer.- Life :Otto was born in Siegmar . He studied architecture in Berlin before being drafted into the Luftwaffe as a fighter pilot in the last years of World War II...
, already famous for his work on Munich’s Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Munich)
Olympiastadion is a stadium located in Munich, Germany. Situated at the heart of the Olympiapark München in northern Munich, the stadium was built as the main venue for the 1972 Summer Olympics....
, and the production halls by architect Thomas Herzog
Thomas Herzog
Thomas Herzog is a German architect from Munich known for his focus on climate and energy use through the use of technologically advanced architectural skins. He began with an interest in pneumatics and became Germany's youngest architecture professor at the age of 32...
.
History
In 1907, Friedrich Hahne and Christian Wilkening founded a chair-making factory in Eimbeckhausen near Hanover. They made solid beech chairs from wood from nearby forests. The manufacturing plant did not differ much from the other approximately 100 small and medium-sized chair manufacturers in the area.In the 1940s Fritz Hahne
Fritz Hahne
Fritz Hahne was a German entrepreneur.-Life:In 1907 Friedrich Hahne and Christian Wilkening founded a chair-making factory named Wilkhahn in Eimbeckhausen near Hannover....
and Adolf Wilkening took over their fathers' chair factory. Business ran well, but they looked for new design paths and took up contact with Walter Heyn, the director of Deutsche Werkstätten, and with designers such as Georg Leowald and Herbert Hirche whose work was influenced by the Bauhaus movement
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
and the Werkbund
Deutscher Werkbund
The Deutscher Werkbund was a German association of artists, architects, designers, and industrialists. The Werkbund was to become an important event in the development of modern architecture and industrial design, particularly in the later creation of the Bauhaus school of design...
.
In the 1950s, the company obtained designers such as Herbert Hirche, Georg Leowald, Roland Rainer, Jupp Ernst and Helmut Lohmeier.
Wilkhahn became a pioneer of German industrial design, experimented with new materials and evolved its own distinct design. This resulted in purist furniture, the form of which was developed in strict adherence to function.
In 1954 Wilkhahn was one of the first German companies which introduce a company pension scheme. This marked the foundation stone for the Wilkhahn corporate culture. Fritz Hahne
Fritz Hahne
Fritz Hahne was a German entrepreneur.-Life:In 1907 Friedrich Hahne and Christian Wilkening founded a chair-making factory named Wilkhahn in Eimbeckhausen near Hannover....
, who managed the company from 1946 to 1982, looked for new ways of enabling employees to share actively in the company's success. He established the maxim "No orders without explanations". The goal: a relationship based on partnership and responsibility.
At a staff meeting in December 1970 Fritz Hahne
Fritz Hahne
Fritz Hahne was a German entrepreneur.-Life:In 1907 Friedrich Hahne and Christian Wilkening founded a chair-making factory named Wilkhahn in Eimbeckhausen near Hannover....
announced a 50% profit-sharing scheme for employees to come into effect in January 1971. As dormant partners, staff today have significant shareholdings of the company's capital.
In 1980 Klaus Frank and Werner Sauer developed a new office swivel chair
Swivel chair
A swivel or revolving chair is a chair with a single central leg that allows the seat to spin around.- Types :Swivel chairs can have wheels on the base allowing the user to move the chair around their work area without getting up. This type is common in modern offices and are often also referred to...
following intensive ergonomic studies and series of tests. The FS-Line
Fs line chair
The FS Line chair is a product of Wilkhahn, designed by Klaus Franck and Werner Sauer in 1980. The chair is named after its two designers. This was the first single piece, highly flexible seat shell manufactured by Wilkhahn...
marked the consistent implementation of the principle of dynamic sitting. More than 2 million of these chairs have been sold to date.
In this decade Wilkhahn also became more international. Sales offices and subsidiaries were established, foreign trading and license partners were retained to work for Wilkhahn. Today, business outside Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
accounts about 50% of total sales.
In 1987 new production sites - pavilions in wood-hanging construction by Frei Otto
Frei Otto
Frei Paul Otto is a German architect and structural engineer.- Life :Otto was born in Siegmar . He studied architecture in Berlin before being drafted into the Luftwaffe as a fighter pilot in the last years of World War II...
- were built.
The production halls in Eimbeckhausen have been completed in 1993. They were designed by Thomas Herzog
Thomas Herzog
Thomas Herzog is a German architect from Munich known for his focus on climate and energy use through the use of technologically advanced architectural skins. He began with an interest in pneumatics and became Germany's youngest architecture professor at the age of 32...
and have been regarded throughout the world as a model of aesthetic and environmentally compatible building construction.
In 1995 the Picto
Picto chair
The Picto chair is a product of Wilkhahn. This chair was designed by Burkhard Schmitz and Franz Biggel.This chair was created from eight different recyclable, CFC free materials...
swivel chair
Swivel chair
A swivel or revolving chair is a chair with a single central leg that allows the seat to spin around.- Types :Swivel chairs can have wheels on the base allowing the user to move the chair around their work area without getting up. This type is common in modern offices and are often also referred to...
was developed by Wilkhahn. The Federal Award for Design
German Design Award
The Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany is the nation's official design award and is presented by the German Ministry for Economics and Technology. The award was given for the first time under the name 'Federal Award for Good Design' in 1969 and thereafter every two years. Moreover,...
was presented to Fritz Hahne
Fritz Hahne
Fritz Hahne was a German entrepreneur.-Life:In 1907 Friedrich Hahne and Christian Wilkening founded a chair-making factory named Wilkhahn in Eimbeckhausen near Hannover....
in 1999. This award by the German Design Council is intended to honour those who have rendered great service with regard to the role of design in Germany.
In 2005 the Aline
Aline Chair
The Aline chair is a product of Wilkhahn, introduced in 1994 and was designed by Andreas Störiko.The Aline chair was made from hazardous free substances.RecyclingThe chairs are disassembled, all components are sorted and, where possible, recycled....
chair was presented to the public.
Wilkhahn celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007.
In 2009 was the market launch of the new ON
ON Chair
The ON chair is a product of Wilkhahn introduced in 2009.The chair was designed during the period of 2005-2009 by C. Gehner, H. Buttner, M. Englisch, A. Siefferer and C. Shayeb under the leadership of Hans Wahlen and Erich Becker. It is engineered to mirror the functions and positions of the knee...
chair, which has a three-dimensional dynamic sitting arrangement.
Designers
The opportunity to form shapes from the new materials (such as steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, fibreglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, and newer fabrics
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
for upholstery
Upholstery
Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word upholstery comes from the Middle English word upholder, which referred to a tradesman who held up his goods. The term is equally applicable to domestic,...
) inspired Wilkhahn designers:
1954–1957 Chairs designed by Georg Leowald for the home and office
1955–1959 The three-legged chair introduced, based on Walter Papst’s design. This chair was to be reinstated in 2009 and is made from solid timber.
1971 The introduction of the first two-piece swivel chairs designed by Wilhelm Ritz.
1980 The introduction of chair with many seating variants.
1991 The first office chair designed completely under ecological criteria designed by Burkhard Schmitz and Franz Biggel. Created from eight different recyclable, CFC free materials.
Sustainability
Concern about environmental issues started back in the 1970s with the appointment of an environmental manager to develop the company’s future ecological strategies. Wilkhahn was one of the first German companies to achieve the environmental accreditation now known as the ISO 14001ISO 14000
The ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment The ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to help organizations (a) minimize how their operations (processes etc.) negatively affect the...
Standard and EMAS
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme
The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme is a voluntary environmental management instrument, which was developed in 1993 by the European Commission. It enables organisations to assess, manage and continuously improve their environmental performance. The scheme is globally applicable and open to all...
(Eco-Management and Audit Scheme). It was the first time a complete Input-Output analysis had been tested in a furniture company under scientific control
Scientific control
Scientific control allows for comparisons of concepts. It is a part of the scientific method. Scientific control is often used in discussion of natural experiments. For instance, during drug testing, scientists will try to control two groups to keep them as identical and normal as possible, then...
.