Keeping Bums on Seats

Manoeuvrability and comfort were two key considerations for Pembroke when choosing seating for its new auditorium, in the former Emmanuel United Reformed Church.

How do you find a chair that can keep a 6ft 8 rugby player, a 5ft 0 cox and an elderly Emeritus Fellow comfortable for at least an hour? Issues like seat length, the seat tilt angle, seat height, angle of the backrest, stiffness of the fold-out table and material all needed to be considered by the team trying out various test models.

The auditorium will also require seating which can easily be set out into different layouts - or removed - according to need, whether thats for a lecture, a concert, a theatrical performance or another activity.

Pembroke has chosen Race Furniture Ltd, based in Bourton-On-The-Water in Gloucestershire, to manufacture the chairs for its auditorium. Race has designed, manufactured and installed theatre, auditorium, lecture hall, concourse and public area seating for over 70 years, with recent clients including St John's Oxford, King's College London, Imperial College, YouTube, Nomura and Rangers FC.

Pembroke has worked with Race to adapt one of its models, the 'Prestbury,' to best fit its requirements. As part of the design, the seat and backrest will be covered in a hard-wearing fabric. In addition, magnetic row labels and numbers will mean that the chairs can be laid out and repositioned easily. This new model of chair will be known as the 'Pembroke'.

One thing that will be unique to each chair is the plaque on the back of it. Each plaque will name a donor or honour the memory of a loved one. Visit the Mill Lane Naming Opportunities webpage to learn more about naming an auditorium chair.