Lamm E4000 lecture benches rising across a stepped hall

On the E4000 the front row does not have to be a bench at all

Lamm

Orlandini Design

E4000
E4000 An icon of Italian design
From £ 2,500

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Trade terms for professionals and design studios

In most lecture halls the front row of lecture-room desks does a different job from the twelve rows behind it. It holds the chair of the session, the external examiner, the guest who speaks for ten minutes and then sits down. The E4000 is built with that in mind: the manufacturer allows the front row to be combined with conference armchairs instead of benches, while rows two to twelve carry on unchanged.

Where the front row does stay a bench, it comes with its own part — a single vertical panel, tall enough to cover the lower bar, available for straight and curved layouts alike. The front bench is also the shallowest piece in the system: 39 cm (15 3/8 in) deep with the fixed top, with the top overhanging 16,5 cm (6 1/2 in) at a thickness of 5 cm (2 in).

Behind it the geometry is free. The run may hold a straight line or bend to a radius of 500 cm (16 ft 5 in), rise over stepped levels or follow a rake, with centres set from 51 cm (20 in) upwards and the module at 48 cm (18 7/8 in). None of it depends on a fixed drilling pattern.

The hall is covered by three bench types — the front one, the ranks between and the last — each available with seat and backrest in any of the three executions.

Technical information based on data declared by the manufacturer.

Collection: E4000
Manufacturer: Lamm — Lamm S.r.l., Italy
Design: Lucci e Orlandini
What it is: continuous integrated system of seats and tables for lecture rooms, configurable straight or curved, on wide steps or on sloping floors; components answer the functional needs of a teaching room and take technological and multimedia equipment
The three bench types: front row, with fixed or tip-up writing top · middle row, with fixed or tip-up top and tip-up seat · end row, with tip-up seat only
The three executions of seat, backrest and panel: plywood faced with HPL on both sides · beech or oak plywood with clear polyurethane coating, anti-glare, anti-slip and scratch resistant · upholstered, with inner plywood support and fabric or faux leather cover
Beams: extruded anodised aluminium, coated black or silver; upper and lower bar in rounded square section, with internal ribs and external grooves that locate and fix uprights, tops and feet with no preset drilling and at variable pitch
Uprights: pressed and coated sheet steel, with plates at the ends for connection to the beams
Feet: pressed sheet steel, prepared for floor fixing, with technopolymer foot cover in silver or black
Coating of steel structures: epoxy-polyester powder, scratch and corrosion resistant, semi-matt silver or semi-matt black RAL 9005
Front-row panels: single vertical panels, tall enough to cover the lower bar, for straight or curved layouts; the front row can also be combined with conference armchairs
Backrest: ergonomic, follows the anatomical curve of the spine
Seat: tip-up with automatic return; support plate and beam connection plate in pressed sheet, rotation devices; damped automatic return available on request
Padding: backrest with inner plywood support and polyurethane foam; seat in cold-foamed polyurethane; padding CertiPUR® certified
Tip-up writing top: anti-panic action, slow damped closing (Patent Pending), controlled, safe and quiet travel from use to rest position; particleboard faced with HPL on both sides, matching ABS edge 14 mm (9/16 in), 45 × 30 cm (17 3/4 × 11 3/4 in), deeper on request; fixed on a continuous extruded rod, including the curved version; technopolymer supports and sliding guides
Fixed writing top: particleboard faced with HPL on both sides, ABS edge with bevelled corners, thickness 30 mm (1 3/16 in), depth 30 cm (11 3/4 in), deeper on request; in the fixed-top version the bench has no upper horizontal bar; supported on coated metal brackets
HPL finishes: beech, oak, grey oak, eucalyptus, graphite, silver, black
Fabrics: Inca, King, Trevi CS, Silvertex, Extrema Au collections
Wood components: low formaldehyde emission
On steps: backrest height varies with step height; declared bands H up to 18 cm (7 1/8 in) and 18 to 50 cm (7 1/8 to 19 3/4 in)
Centre distance: adjustable, minimum 51 cm (20 in); 55 cm (21 5/8 in) on rows with armrests
Module width: 48 cm (18 7/8 in); first stretch of the row 24,5 cm (9 5/8 in), or 29,5 cm (11 5/8 in) with armrests
Heights: panel 80 cm (31 1/2 in) · writing top 75 cm (29 1/2 in) · seat 46 cm (18 in) · backrest 69 cm (27 1/8 in) on rows with armrests
Row depth: 90/95 cm (35 1/2 / 37 3/8 in) with fixed top · 80/90 to 85/90 cm (31 1/2 / 35 1/2 to 33 1/2 / 35 1/2 in) with tip-up top
Curve: minimum radius 500 cm (16 ft 5 in)
Accessories: armrests, tip-up top version only, with tubular and coated sheet frame and solid beech or oak or upholstered armrest · seat damper · storage basket in 2 mm (1/16 in) steel · inter-row bar for installation without floor fixing · seat numbering and row identification · wiring and data line provision (socket on request)
Environmental recognitions declared by the manufacturer: first study bench in Europe to receive the European EU Ecolabel ecological quality mark; B rating in the Éco-Impact analysis
Testing: tested to European standards (the manufacturer states no standard numbers)

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When it is the right choice

  • Hall where the first rank seats speakers or examiners and is specified differently from the rest.
  • Stepped or raked floor already in place, with the system fitted to it.
  • Project that needs wiring and a data line brought to the desk.

When another solution suits better

  • Where the tiers still have to be built: the E4000 carries no platform, whereas Lamm's Blade System includes one.

Documents and Catalogues

Public Catalogue Education Catalogue Conference Catalogue

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FAQ

Can the front row of an E4000 room be something other than a bench?

Yes. The manufacturer allows the front row to be combined with conference armchairs in place of the front bench, with the remaining rows built as standard. It is a layout choice taken at design stage, since it affects how the first rank lines up with the rest.

How deep is the front bench?

With the fixed top it measures 39 cm (15 3/8 in) deep, the top overhanging 16,5 cm (6 1/2 in) at a thickness of 5 cm (2 in); the panel reaches 80 cm (31 1/2 in) and the writing top 75 cm (29 1/2 in). With the tip-up top the same row goes from 45 cm (17 3/4 in) open to 21 cm (8 1/4 in) closed.

What is fitted under the seat for bags?

A storage basket is listed among the accessories, framed in 2 mm (1/16 in) steel and coated in the same semi-matt silver or semi-matt black RAL 9005 as the rest of the steelwork. It is specified seat by seat or for the whole row.

How tight a curve will the system take?

The declared minimum radius is 500 cm (16 ft 5 in). The curve is handled by the continuous extruded rod the tip-up top sits on, which is why no preset module spacing is imposed on curved runs.

Is wiring possible at the desk?

The system is prepared for electrification and a data line, with the socket supplied on request. The provision is specified with the room, because it has to be coordinated with the floor or step build-up before installation.

Fitting a front-row panel on the E4000

The front-row panel is the part that closes the view onto the structure. These steps set out how it goes in.

Measure what has to be hidden

The panel exists to cover the lower bar of the E4000 beam, so its height follows that bar rather than a catalogue figure. Take the dimension on the installed structure, at the point where the row actually starts.

Choose straight or curved

Panels are single and vertical, and the manufacturer supplies them for straight and curved layouts. Decide which the front rank is before ordering: the two are not interchangeable once the beam is set out.

Find the fixing points

The external grooves on the beam take the fixings with no preset drilling, so the panel is positioned where the uprights allow rather than at a fixed pitch. Mark those points with the uprights already in place.

Mind the writing top above

On a fixed-top front bench the top overhangs 16,5 cm (6 1/2 in) at 5 cm (2 in) thick. Check the panel clears that overhang before tightening, or the two parts will meet where they should not.

Close the line at the ends

The first stretch of the row is 24,5 cm (9 5/8 in), or 29,5 cm (11 5/8 in) where armrests are fitted. The panel has to finish flush within that stretch so the rank reads as one line from the floor of the hall.