Ocura - Armana
2025 - 2026
1 Seat
1 Seat Bariatric
2 Seat
Re-enforced Arm
Front Grip Position
Side Grip Position
Project
Title: Visitor Chair with Sacral Gap
This project focused on designing a specialised healthcare visitor chair, available in one-seater, bariatric, and two-seater formats. It incorporates a sacral gap to relieve pressure and support easy cleaning for infection control.
Key considerations included:
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Ergonomics
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Accessibility
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Stability
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Support for users with low mobility
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Hygiene
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Serviceability / replaceable parts
Story
When a project includes numerous functional features, it can be challenging to prevent them from dominating the visual design.
The creative challenge was to develop a form that subtly concealed these practical requirements while still being suggestive of them. Individuals with limited mobility perceive furniture differently from able-bodied users, so the chair needed to convey strength, stability, and reassurance. At the same time, it had to feel comfortable, welcoming, and domestic in appearance avoiding any resemblance to medical apparatus.
The visual direction evolved around mid-century classics supportive grip position on the arm and visually reassuring base structure.
Development
Marketing data and early concept generation informed the development process, which began with establishing an ergonomic seating position. An adaptable seating jig was designed to identify a posture that accommodated the widest possible user percentile range while also addressing subjective comfort.
A key development challenge was refining the armrest shape and grip position to effectively support users when sitting and rising. The arm structure was reinforced using formed 4 mm steel plate to withstand a load of 92 kg, in line with BS EN 16139 Level 2 (severe use) requirements. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was conducted to validate the design before committing to prototyping and testing.
Design For Circularity
Products used in the healthcare industry require careful consideration throughout their entire lifecycle, from the materials they’re made from to the infostructure that supports their maintenance.
Every element of the design and engineering process is balanced to withstand demanding, high-use environments. Durable materials, robust construction, and thoughtfully engineered components all play a vital role in ensuring long-term reliability, ease of servicing, and minimal downtime.
Since upholstery is often the first component to show wear, this seating range is designed for convenient on-site reupholstering. This approach eliminates the need for full replacements or temporary loan equipment, helping to reduce both costs and environmental impact while extending the product’s usable life
With thanks to all the team at Ocura Healthcare Furniture
Armana was developed with skilled professionals from all aspects of the business and their supply chain.
