I personally believe that the most important thing about any chair is whether or not it is comfortable. We spend so much of our time sitting, both as students and architects. A chair can be beautiful but if it’s not comfortable, I don’t want to spend time in it.
9700BR Classroom Chair School Desk by Virco. Source at end of post.
The majority of the classrooms that I spent time in until I graduated high school utilized the standard chair desk unit, such as this one by Virco. They are cramped, nonadjustable, rigid, and cracked quickly. The chair back dug into my shoulders and because of how they are constructed, my hair always got caught on the metal studs that connected the plastic to the metal frame. My legs were either too short or too long, depending on the size of the desk, and there were never the right number of left-and right-handed units in a classroom, resulting in some students having difficulty writing. These chairs were uncomfortable and made it difficult to concentrate. We spend up to 8 hours a day sitting in our school or work chairs, and they are incredibly impactful on our health, as uncomfortable chairs promote bad posture. I believe that comfort is the most important component of a chair because of how this can support or disrupt daily life.
Image source: https://www.worthingtondirect.com/school-desks/chair-desk-combos/9700br-chair-desk-by-virco.htm