Satyendra Pakhalé Associates debut MeWa System at ORGATEC 2022

The best kind of contemporary furniture is one that can fit in variegated spaces, whether it is compact arenas or capacious interiors. Satyendra Pakhale’s MeWa System, which debuted at the 2022 edition of ORGATEC in Cologne, Germany does exactly that. “The MeWa System is a Modular Meeting Waiting System with a ‘Singular Twin-seat for Two’ that encourages people to sit together. It is designed to enhance ‘social cohesion’ for our hyper information society, obsessed with hand held mobile devices that we carry all the time, creating possibility for unexpected pleasant human encounter,” says Satyendra Pakhalé, the Netherlands-based designer and founder of his eponymous design studio.

Designed in collaboration with Italian furniture manufacturer Vaghi, the seating system is created to suit the current and foreseeable needs of individuals for waiting and meeting. The design of the MeWa System, finalised after a period of two years of collaborative experimentation, fulfils the evolving needs of public spaces while also staying true to the Italian brand’s commitment of creating innovative solutions for private and public spaces.

“Most of the current public seating systems especially at airports and prominent public venues are systems that are rooted in a 1950s mindset when the airline industry rapidly grew. Now, in the 21st century, behaviour in public spaces and flying is more casual, more informal and a lot less hierarchical. We need to look at the public space in a new way and create new possibilities that are contemporary to address the needs of our times and years to come. ‘MeWa’ modular meeting waiting system is created to address those needs in an open-ended manner,” the Dutch designer says.

Although the seating system has just one main component, it can be arranged in a variety of ways, which improves its usability and makes it fit for diverse spaces. The MeWa System is designed to help keep a safe distance between users which also adheres to its core purpose of ‘social cohesion’. “It is a synthesis of contemporary ways of engaging in public spaces during and after the current (pandemic) scenario,” Pakhalé asserts.

The MeWa System consists of a single circular tube with a universal junction that offers a number of configuration options. It comprises one core element, a singular twin-seat, which can be stacked horizontally against one another, to form circles, lines, singular sofas or twining seats. The backrest and tables, placed at one’s whim, further decide the character of the final seating arrangement. “Its modularity not only enhances its diverse usability but also creates a specific atmosphere in all sorts of public and private spaces,” the industrial designer says. The MeWa structural system is not only simple to set up, assemble, and disassemble, but is also low maintenance and easy to clean.

Satyendra Pakhalé’s ‘MeWa Modular System’ was on display during ORGATEC 2022 (25 October to 29 October 2022) in Cologne, Germany.