The Right Standards
A.C. Mandal
In 1982 the European Standardization for Office Furniture, CEN, suggested that all non-adjustable tables should be 28,5" high *. No explanation for the advantage of these very low heights were given, except that it was "to achieve good posture". No names were given of the persons responsible for these draft standards. The effect on posture of these low standards have never been investigated. All is based on aesthetic, moral, technical and economical considerations.
In my experiments with hydraulic furniture (1982), I found that almost all preferred to sit about 6-8" higher than the above-mentioned standards, provided that the seat and the desk were sloping towards each other. In the higher position they felt less discomfort or pain in the back and they were all sitting with a much straighter back.
Excerpt from:
The Seated Man: Homo Sedens, Dafnia Publications, 1985, p. 70
* CEN’s most recent standards include the suggestions given by Mandal in the eighties.