Planar (Apex Series) | Auditorium / Arts Center / Lecture Hall
The Planar auditorium chair combines functional design with subtle elegance, offering simple but pleasing lines. Its thin common frame allows for greater seat size and increased comfort, while a slim chair profile permits architects to increase seating capacity without sacrificing comfort or proper egress space. Available with upholstered inner seats and backs paired with outer veneer, laminate, or powder-coated panels, Planar suits performing arts centers, lecture halls, and modern venues seeking clean, architectural styling. Backed by a lifetime warranty.
Key Features & Ergonomics: Deep black upholstered inner seat and back cushions with light-wood veneer outer back and side panels; thin common frame profile for greater seat size and increased comfort; gravity seat tip-up mechanism; hardwood armrests; durable powder-coat steel components; wide variety of back shapes available; lifetime warranty.
Advantages:
- Gravity Tip-Up Seat: Planar's gravity counterweight mechanism ensures consistent, automatic return to the upright position — unlike spring or cylinder mechanisms, which can develop inconsistent tip-up action as steel springs weaken, affecting room aesthetics and potentially violating egress code compliance. The mechanism operates silently, without the squeaks or loud impact sounds typical of spring-based seats, and will never fail over time.
- Space-Efficient Design: The thin common frame profile increases seat size and comfort while allowing architects to fit more seating into a given footprint — without compromising comfort or egress requirements.
- Office-Chair-Grade Seat Construction: Patterned after ergonomic office chairs, Planar's flexible polyurethane foam is glued directly to the seat structure rather than built on serpentine springs, which fatigue, sag, and eventually require replacement. This delivers lasting comfort and completely silent compression during use.
- Custom Upholstery Options: Planar's all-wood construction (versus metal seat pans with serpentine springs) allows for detailed custom upholstery detailing. The fully-upholstered seat uses a zippered slip-on fabric cover for fast, easy on-site replacement.
- Flexible Steel Frame Construction: Welded assemblies of heavy-gauge and solid steel components allow for simple, cost-efficient design modifications to conform to unique building conditions — unlike high-volume cast alternatives, which can't easily accommodate small production-run changes.
- Lower Total Cost of Ownership: While a lower-cost alternative may seem attractive upfront, Planar's durability and TSI's warranty/service levels mean the investment is recovered through significantly reduced maintenance and replacement costs over the product's lifetime.
Available Models:
- Planar A1 — Inner upholstered seat and back cushions with outer wood veneer panels (finished plywood edges) for acoustical quality and refined appearance. Optional customized backrest detailing.
- Planar C1 — Fully upholstered seat and back.
Customization Options:
- California Technical Bulletin 133 Fire Code Compliance (where required by local codes)
- Back Shapes — A variety of standard back shapes available to complement any interior design style
- Aisle Lights — Low-voltage (24V) lighting concealed in arm cap underside or end panel, with frame-routed wiring for a clean installation
- End Panels — Stained to match armrests; simple leg design allows for easily customized end panel profiles
- Seat & Row Identification / Donor Tags — Recessed wood-mounted plates for a flush, tamper-resistant finish
- Tablet Arm — Folds between seat and armrest; available left or right-handed
- Removable Chairs — Steel sled-base units (1, 2, or 3 chairs) conforming to row radii; available with standard bolt-down base or freestanding extended base
- Solid Wood Edges — Conceal plywood layering on outer wood seat/back panel edges (not available on Traditional, R2, and Taper shapes)
- Transfer Arms — ADA-compliant access; hinged lift-up armrest (no end panel) or removable end panels (with end panel)
- Riser Mount Frames — Alternative to floor mounting, giving architects an easier-to-clean installation option
- Oversize Widths — 23" and 24" c.c. available for enhanced comfort and layout flexibility
- Bookracks — Project-specific book storage solutions
Specifications:
- Frame spacing: 19", 20", 21", 22" c.c. (19" not available with tablet arm)
- Armrests: Hardwood, multiple species/finishes available
- Finish: Durable powder-coat standard on all steel components; veneer, laminate, and powder-coated finishes available on outer seat and back panels
- Mounting: Flush-mounted floor attachment hardware standard
Warranty: 3-year standard warranty against manufacturing defects.
Installation Overview: Installed per approved floor plan using precise center-to-center width spacing (±1/8" tolerance). Leg frames are bolted to the floor (with carpet-punch holes where applicable), followed by inner back attachment via wing brackets, outer back panel attachment via flush-mount brackets and pinch clamps, seat attachment via hinge-mounted brackets, and armrest attachment via mounting plate screws. Full installation instructions and floor mounting details (including Exploded Assembly drawing) available on request.