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Two things are asked of a writing table in a full university classroom, and they contradict each other. It has to clear the row instantly when three hundred people stand up at once, and it has to stop making noise every time one person leaves early. The E5000 answers both with the same detail: a retractable table with anti-panic movement and a slowed, damped closing system, declared Patent Pending.
What that means in the room is that the table travels from use to rest position under control rather than dropping, and that a row emptying at the end of a class does it quietly. The seat follows the same principle: a tip-up mechanism with damped automatic return, so the row resets itself once people are out of it.
The table itself is HPL double-laminate, 14 mm thick, 45 by 30 cm with a deeper option on request, mounted on the same continuous beam that carries the whole system — including on curved runs. La Mercanti specifies E5000 for US lecture halls and auditoriums.
Technical information based on data declared by the manufacturer.
Collection: E5000
Manufacturer: Lamm — Lamm S.p.A., Italy
Design: Orlandini Design
What it is: a continuous, integrated system of seats and tables that can be composed in a straight line, on a curve, on tiers or on sloping floors; an evolution of the E4000 system, from which it inherits its main features
The three versions: fixed writing table · tip-up writing table · tip-up table with arms (arms are available on this version only)
The three bench types: front row, with tip-up or fixed writing table; intermediate row, with tip-up or fixed table and tip-up seat; end row, with tip-up seat only
Structure: load-bearing beams in anodised extruded aluminium, black or silver; upper and lower bars with a rounded square section, internal ribs and external grooves that allow uprights, tables and feet to be positioned without pre-set drilling; uprights in pressed and painted sheet steel; feet in pressed sheet steel prepared for floor fixing, with technopolymer covers in silver or black; the feet at the start and end of each row always align with the uprights; epoxy-polyester scratch and corrosion-resistant coating in semi-matt silver or semi-matt black RAL 9005. In the fixed-table version the bench has no upper horizontal bar and the table is carried on painted metal brackets
Dimensions and geometry: adjustable seat pitch, minimum 20.1 in; the drawings for the version with arms show a 22.4 in pitch; minimum curve radius 196.9 in; dimensioned drawings for tiers up to 3.9 in, up to 9.4 in and from 9.4 to 19.7 in. On tiered installations the backrest height varies with the height of the tier
Tip-up writing table: retractable, with anti-panic movement and a slowed, damped closing system (Patent Pending) that takes the table from use to rest position in a controlled and silent way; top in HPL double-laminate chipboard in beech, oak, grey oak, eucalyptus, graphite, silver or black, matching ABS edge, 0.55 in thick, 17.7 × 11.8 in (deeper on request); technopolymer supports and slide guides; fixed to the continuous extruded beam, including on curved runs
Fixed writing table: HPL double-laminate chipboard in the same finishes, ABS edge with rounded corners, 1.2 in thick, 11.8 in deep (deeper on request)
Front-row panels: single vertical panels running to the floor, for straight or curved layouts: plywood with HPL double-laminate finish in beech, oak, grey oak, eucalyptus, graphite or silver, or plywood in beech or oak treated with a clear polyurethane coating that is anti-glare, anti-slip and scratch-resistant
Seats and backs: plywood with HPL finish, beech or oak with clear polyurethane coating, or upholstered with the increased padding supplied as standard: back with internal plywood support and non-deforming, flame-retardant polyurethane foam; seat in cold-foamed polyurethane; CertiPUR® certified padding. Tip-up seat mechanism with damped automatic return
Accessories: arms with painted tubular and sheet-steel frame and armrest in solid beech or oak, or upholstered (tip-up table version only); storage basket in 0.08 in steel flat bar; inter-row bar for installations without floor fixing; seat numbering; row identification element; provision for electrification and data cabling, with socket on request
Materials and testing: wooden components with low formaldehyde emission; tested to European standards; technical documentation Rev. 2 dated 06/2024
Not declared by the manufacturer: load ratings, warranty terms, lead times and references to specific standards
La Mercanti USA Llc — your partner for Italian design and contract supply.
Los Angeles, CA, USA · +1 855 335 8079 · info@lamercanti.us
Supply, quotes, specifications and project support across the United States and North America.
Documents and Catalogs
E5000
University and Classroom Furniture
FAQ
What does anti-panic mean on a writing table?
That the table clears the seat when a row has to empty quickly, rather than trapping the person behind it. On the E5000 that movement is combined with a slowed, damped closing system, declared Patent Pending, so getting out fast and closing quietly are not opposite requirements.
Does the seat behave the same way?
Yes. The tip-up seat has a damped automatic return, so once a row empties it goes back to its closed position without anyone walking the aisle to reset it.
How big is the writing surface?
45 by 30 cm at 14 mm thick, in HPL double-laminate with a matching ABS edge; a deeper version is available on request. The fixed table is a different piece: 30 mm thick and 30 cm deep.
Does the tip-up table work on curved rows?
It does. It is fixed to the continuous extruded beam, which does not require a pre-set module, and that holds true for curved compositions as well.
Can the same room mix fixed and tip-up tables?
They are two versions of the bench and differ structurally — the fixed-table version has no upper horizontal bar. Mixing them is a decision to take at layout stage, not after the order.
Specifying seating for a hall that empties in ninety seconds
Five steps for rooms where egress is part of the brief.
Start from how the room empties, not how it fills
Egress decides the table type before comfort does. Anti-panic movement belongs in the specification, not in a footnote.
Ask what happens when nobody resets the row
Damped automatic return on the seat is what keeps a hall looking maintained between classes.
Write the table dimensions into the schedule
45 by 30 cm at 14 mm for the tip-up, 30 cm deep at 30 mm for the fixed one. Deeper versions are available on request and have to be asked for.
Confirm the version before the finish
Fixed, tip-up, or tip-up with arms. The first has no upper bar; the third changes the pitch to the 57 cm shown in the drawings.
Plan power with the pitch
Provision for electrification and data cabling is built in, but the socket is supplied on request.
