The pre-ergonomic stage in the design of specialized furniture for Saint Petersburg educational institutions at the turn of the 20th century

Abstract

The article focuses on specialized furniture for Saint Peterburg educational institutions made at the turn of the 20^th century. Specifically, it analyses socio-economic, hygienic, anthropometric, design-related, functional and aesthetic factors that influenced the furniture design. The study is an attempt to determine the boundary between primary standardization and ergonomic parameters, and to inform the reader on the diversity of classroom and library furniture of that time. The research is based on historical photographs and archival materials. Some drawings and illustrations are published for the first time. The sources under review describe the furniture mechanisms and conditions for purchasing furniture. They show the variety of writing desks; the names of the carpenters who carried out repairs and made furniture for the Imperial Institute of History and Philology and the Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers. They propose the concept of a furniture set (FS) to accommodate the key requirements of an educational environment. The article highlights the pre-ergonomic stage of designing specialized furniture. It was the first time that the furniture attempted to integrate the subject (a person) and an activity (learning). The late 1910^s saw the establishment of certain design principles and standards for the main dimensions.