TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 22, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Following the GREENGUARD(tm) Environmental Institute's recent establishment of a stringent indoor air quality standard for children and schools, Virco Mfg. Corporation's (AMEX:VIR) ZUMA(r) and ZUMAfrd(tm) product lines are now the first classroom furniture collections to be certified according to this standard.
"Indoor air quality is an appropriate area of concern for parents, students, educators and the various professionals responsible for managing classroom environments," said Doug Virtue, Virco's Executive Vice President. "By providing two certified lines of furniture that cover a wide range of educational applications, we're helping these professionals make wise choices for healthy schools."
Awarded a coveted Best of NeoCon(r) Editors' Choice Award for design excellence in 2004 at America's most esteemed contract furniture trade show, Virco's best-selling ZUMA line features 16 versatile models, including 4-leg chairs, adjustable task seating, a variety of desk and chair-desk units, and even a playful, relaxing rocker. Thanks to the insightful contributions of noted designers Peter Glass and Bob Mills, the ZUMA line's diverse product mix combines effective ergonomic support, aesthetically pleasing contours and an environmentally sustainable design with an affordable price point.
Introduced in June, 2005 and awarded a Best of NeoCon(r) Silver Award, ZUMAfrd products feature seats, backrests and worksurfaces made from Fortified Recycled Wood(tm), enabling models in this furniture series to contain 40-50% renewable materials (wood and agricultural fibers) and 65-75% post-consumer/post-industrial recycled-content material. This highly sustainable, 98% recyclable furniture line for intermediate schools, high schools, and college and university environments includes a 4-leg classroom chair, a reverse cantilever chair, and a 4-leg chair-desk unit.
Also designed by the acclaimed team of Peter Glass and Bob Mills, ZUMAfrd features important ergonomic details found in the original, wide-ranging ZUMA line, including comfortably sculpted backrests, supportive seats with gently sloping fronts, and spacious bowfront worksurfaces. Glass and Mills worked with Virco's engineering team to combine proprietary chemistry with innovative mold design and process control, enabling ZUMAfrd's ergonomically contoured components to transcend the basic linear shapes of traditional compression-molded classroom furniture.
Taken together, Virco's GREENGUARD-certified ZUMA and ZUMAfrd products achieve a unique balance that defines "the point of rest" for classroom furniture.
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