This 3D printed chair was designed by nature

In a world where sustainability and innovation are no longer optional but necessary,  designer Patrick Jouin and Dassault Systèmes have teamed up to create something extraordinary: the Ta.Tamu chair. 

Patrick Jouin, a Paris-based designer and Interior Design Hall of Fame member, has been exploring 3D printing for over two decades. Inspired by bone-density algorithms and printed in polyamide, this foldable chair weighs just over 6 pounds and can be printed in one day.

Its name, derived from the Japanese word for “folding,” reflects both its form and philosophy. The chair is the result of a five-year collaboration between Jouin and Anne Asensio, VP of design and innovation at Dassault Systèmes. 

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Photp by C. Seuleusian

Emulating nature

Their partnership began in 1998, when Asensio was at Renault and asked Jouin a simple but powerful question: “How could we improve the car experience?” That spirit of curiosity and disruption carried into Ta.Tamu. 

“It’s like designing a forest,” Jouin says. “You can’t draw every leaf on every tree.” 

Using Dassault’s CATIA software, a tool that emulates nature through algorithms based on gravity, atomic density, and fractal systems, Jouin was able to design something previously unimaginable. 

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Photp by C. Seuleusian

A paradox

Ta.Tamu was shaped by the principles of topological optimization. The team used mathematical calculations to strip away unnecessary material, resulting in a chair that’s both lightweight and structurally sound. There’s no ornamentation, yet its intricate structure feels ultra-designed. It’s a paradox: minimal in material, maximal in innovation. 

Asensio adds: “If a form is not purely useful, it’s waste. It has no right to exist.” This chair isn’t just a product; it’s a prototype for a new way of thinking. With 3D printing, designers can create objects that were once impossible. And with tools like CATIA, they can do so with nature’s efficiency.  Ta.Tamu is a call to action for creatives everywhere: design with intention, innovate with science, and build with sustainability in mind.

Source: Interior Design

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