Split has been the founding element for designer Svein Asbjørnsen’s product development through 40 years. It is based on the idea of the ideal support for sitting in different positions, and adjusted to the ergonomic needs of the body. The Split concept, with adjustable neck- and lumbar support fixed in a continuous groove in the back of the chair, was first presented at the Nordic Design Competition in Copenhagen in 1979, where Møre Designteam (Svein Asbjørnsen and Jan Lade) won the 1st price for this concept.
In cooperation with their producer Håg AS, the concept was patented world wide and launched as their office chair collection named SPLIT, in 1980.
Split was mentioned by the international press as a “groundbreaking solution” for the growing demand for functional and ergonomic office chairs.
Split
Further on, Asbjørnsen and Lade developed and mounted the Split® patent into a closed track in the backrest, and created a new office chair collection called Signét — also with movable neck– and backrest supports.
This Signét collection was launched by HÅG in the international furniture markets in 1991, and received the Norwegian “Award for Good Design” that same year. In 1993, Signét was awarded “The best of Neocon” in Canada. Today SapDesign’s Split® CONCEPT lives on, e.g. in Håg Inspiration and Håg Excellence (Flokk AS).
Signét®
