Committee Chair
Made by Cassina
Designed by Pierre Jeanneret
Designed by Pierre Jeanneret for the administrative buildings of Chandigarh, the planned city Le Corbusier conceived for post-independence India, the Committee Chair carries the full weight of modernism's most ambitious civic undertaking. Its signature V-shaped legs and solid teak frame were not aesthetic gestures alone. They answered a precise brief: durability, local production, and a democratic dignity appropriate to the institutions these chairs would serve.
Jeanneret, cousin and longtime collaborator of Le Corbusier, lived and worked in Chandigarh for over a decade, overseeing the project on the ground and designing the furniture that would inhabit its government offices, courts, and assembly halls. That proximity shaped everything. The forms are spare and direct, resolved through use rather than theory.
- Solid teak frame with V-shaped leg construction
- Originally produced for Chandigarh's government and institutional offices
- Reissued by Cassina with fidelity to Jeanneret's original specifications
- A foundational work within the Chandigarh Design corpus
Cassina's reissue restores the Committee Chair to authoritative production, preserving the proportions and materiality that made the originals objects of enduring architectural significance.
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Committee Chair
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the history behind the Chandigarh furniture designs?
Pierre Jeanneret designed a range of furniture for the civic buildings of Chandigarh, India, between the early 1950s and mid-1960s. Intended for government offices, courts, and universities, the pieces were produced locally using teak and cane, and were shaped by the practical demands of institutional use rather than by purely formal considerations.
How does the Cassina reissue differ from original Chandigarh pieces?
Cassina produces the Committee Chair in accordance with Jeanneret's original specifications, maintaining the V-shaped leg structure, solid wood frame, and overall proportions of the 1950s originals. Authentic period pieces from Chandigarh, which have circulated through auction and the secondary market, vary considerably in condition and provenance; the Cassina edition offers a documented, consistent production with material integrity.
What materials are used in the Committee Chair?
The Committee Chair is constructed from solid teak, the material Jeanneret specified for the original Chandigarh production. Teak was chosen for its durability, availability in the region, and resistance to the Indian climate.
Who was Pierre Jeanneret and what was his role at Chandigarh?
Pierre Jeanneret was a Swiss architect and the cousin and longtime professional partner of Le Corbusier. While Le Corbusier served as the primary planning architect for Chandigarh, Jeanneret lived in the city for over a decade as chief architect on the ground, overseeing construction and designing much of the furniture that furnished its civic institutions.
Is the Committee Chair suitable for use as a dining chair?
The Committee Chair's proportions and construction make it well suited to dining or desk contexts, and it has been widely used by architects and designers in both residential and institutional settings. Its civic origins give it a particular presence in spaces where considered, unpretentious form is valued.