Stools form a secondary line of progression in the history of German furniture design, but one with regularly recurring reinterpretations. Whether as tubular steel construction (Marcel Breuer, 1926), Ulm Stool (Hans Gugelot, 1950), or Backenzahn made of heartwood (Philip Mainzer, 1996), this simplest of all chairs has sometimes inspired designers to come up with astonishing solutions. A high-tech version was contributed by Christoph Böninger. The Munich-based designer has long followed the latest innovations in material technology, and began in the late 1990s to experiment with aluminium sheeting, which he wanted to shape into a chair. The result was the Soester Hocker (Soest Stool), industrial furniture at its purest. At 43 centimetres high and 45 centimetres wide and deep, it is nearly a cube, but only nearly. In contrast to the famous Ulmer Hocker, whose naming concept it followed (Soest is the location of the Mabeg company, which also manufactures things like bus stops), its surface is characterized by flowing forms. Soft transitions and hard metal form sensual antipodes. Lateral indentations that look like the folds of a curtain serve to increase stability. Slipping is prevented by a circular hollow in the seat. The carefully orchestrated wavelike structure resembles the exterior of a modern automobile. Also impressive is the load-bearing capacity of this small stool: although it weighs in at a little over one kilogram, it is able to support three hundred pounds.