Chairtilaa

Chairtilaa is a planning concept used in interior design and architectural planning to describe the total space allocated to a seating unit within a built environment. It includes the physical footprint of the chair, the space required for occupant movement around it, and associated circulation areas. The term combines chair with tila, a word meaning space in several Nordic languages, and is used to discuss seating density, comfort, and accessibility in a unified way.

Applications and scope: It is used by architects, facilities managers, and interior designers to size dining areas, classrooms, theatres, offices, and public lounges. By estimating chairtilaa, designers can compare seating configurations, anticipate crowd flow, and ensure safe egress.

Measurement and variability: chairtilaa is context dependent. The seating footprint of a typical dining chair ranges from roughly 0.25 to 0.4 square meters, plus legroom and gap requirements. In addition, plan requires a clearance of about 60 cm in front of each seat for legroom and at least 30 cm between adjacent chairs. Aisle widths and accessible spaces are adjusted to meet building codes and accessibility standards. Fixed seating reduces flexibility, while modular or movable seating increases it but may alter the effective chairtilaa over time.

Limitations and relation to standards: chairtilaa is not a universal standard; it is a design guide that must be reconciled with local fire, occupancy, and accessibility rules. It is most useful as a planning metric during early design phases.

Related concepts include seating density, space planning, and accessible design.