The waiting game: Alberto Lievore and Aurélien Hary are slowing down

When Mehran Karimi Nasseri was hospitalised in Paris in July 2006, he’d been living in the departure lounge of Charles de Gaulle Airport’s Terminal 1 for 18 years. So bizarre and epic is his story that it’s been the inspiration for two feature films, one directed by Oscar-winning Steven Spielberg, as well as an opera. An Iranian refugee, who, when attempting entry to the UK without the correct paperwork, was sent back to France, but was left in limbo as, sans-papiers, he was not permitted to re-enter the country. Think about this the next time your flight is delayed. It’s all relative.

Mindful moments in transit

If you’re familiar with the Italian manufacturer Arper, you’ll know that they’re rarely happy with maintaining the status quo. (Their Catifa Carta chair – a genuine innovation in sustainable seating, thanks to its paper-layer construction that actually retains CO2 during its lifetime – is a prime example of this.) Which is why the company has turned its sights to the universal experience of waiting. How can design be leveraged to turn those interstitial moments in, often soulless, in-between spaces into a positive and more mindful experience?

The solution, the Pausit seating collection, has been developed by long-time Arper design stablemate Alberto Lievore, together with Aurélien Hary, and eschews tech in favour of timeless design principles. ‘We saw the need to experience spaces in a better way, transforming waiting into a pause, something to be welcomed, or even desired – a time for oneself,’ the Argentinian-born, Barcelona-based design grandee explains.

Pause with purpose and comfort

At its heart, Pausit (get it?) is about a fundamental shift in the flow of one’s energy. Instead of experiencing an enforced wait in a transit area as a kind of expenditure, a drain on our energy, the idea is that, through archly considered ergonomics, superior levels of comfort, as well as a high level of material and chromatic consideration, we undergo a kind of energy-boosting regeneration. Passing time becomes me-time – and we-time. ‘We wanted,’ as Hary puts it, ‘to bring a sense of gentleness and comfort to transitional spaces, places that invite rest, dialogue and connection.’

How did the duo achieve this? By creating a modular design system. For specification in high-usage, more public contexts, like airport lounges, to less frenetic settings, such as hotel lobbies, Pausit manages to pull off a marriage of product robustness and visual lightness. Character and additional functionality is delivered via a variety of accessories and connectivity options.

Form, function and responsibility

At its core is a shell that’s available in a more upright version and in a lounge version (akin to a chaise longue), which can be composed in a variety of ways. Exposed, with a seat pad, or fully upholstered, there are a dozen standard configurations to Pausit, plus the option of designing custom solutions. A wide range of finishes completes the offering.

No surprise that Pausit also comes with a fully burnished set of sustainability credentials, including complete disassemblability for replacement or repair of individual components, as well as separation and recycling at the end of life, along with FSC certification.

I want to give the last word to Lievore himself, if I may, as he hits the nail on the head when it comes to what design really is – or should always be. ‘For us, design is not a matter of style, but a method, a way of working. It begins by observing what is happening, then understanding the situations that emerge from it. Only once these scenarios are clear we begin shaping the product that will support those situations. For us, the desired environments are those that feel more human, rather than purely technical.’

Good things happen when you wait a while.

© Architonic

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