Meet the design team

Creating a Ruckus in chair design

Ruckus, from KI, is designed to bring an element of controlled chaos into learning environments, so students can reap the benefits of movement in an environment that offers constant, stimulating change.

Back in 2014, KI’s research on the effectiveness of learning environments recognised the need for moreengaging, -dynamic and -flexible spaces – and for furniture that was as student-centred and innovative as the curriculum. This research, in conjunction with observational work, drove the company to design a range of furniture that gives students the freedom of movement. The design team believed that if students were enabled to sit how they wanted and encouraged to move naturally, this would improve concentration, retention and engagement, ultimately enhancing the learning experience. KI interviewed nearly 100 participants, including students, teachers, administrators and furniture dealers, to test their assumptions and to iterate the new chair design. By the end of this process the design team had confirmed that students wanted to sit in non-traditional ways in classroom chairs. The biggest engineering challenge was stability. As well as offering multiple sitting positions, the backrest on Ruckus can be used as a perch. Safety is critical for school furniture and KI spent months finessing the position of the casters and the angle of the frame to ensure it was safe for children to use. Launched in 2017, teachers reported that the new chairs allow them to “teach how they wanted to teach”: not in rows but with lots of movement, with Ruckus enabling rapid shifts between various learning styles with minimal downtime for reconfiguring the space. Students could sit facing forwards, backwards, sideways, using the armrests as a work-ledge or as a perch, reaping the cognitive benefits of movement and comfort. Since its launch the Ruckus collection has grown to include a stack and a four-leg version, stools and task chairs, as well as activity tables, lecterns and storage, and it continues to be a popular choice for schools looking to create dynamic learning spaces.

“Students could sit facing forwards, backwards, sideways, using the armrests as a work-ledge or as a perch, reaping the cognitive benefits of movement and comfort.”