1951 born in Tel Aviv

son of painter mother and photographer father.

1971-73 Jerusalem Academy of Art.

1973: Moved to London.

1974-79: Architectural Association - School of Architecture, studies under Peter Cook and B. Tschumi.

1981: Established One Off Ltd. with Caroline Thorman in Covent Garden, London,
a design studio, workshops and showroom.
First success with a range of furniture and interior structures in tube and cast iron fittings. Well known pieces include the ‘Rover Chair’, the vacuum-packed ‘Transformer’ chair and the remote controlled ‘Aerial’ light. Later work explored the use of tempered steel, first in the ‘Well-Tempered Chair’ and later in the popular ‘Bookworm’.

1989: Founded Ron Arad Associates, Architecture and Design practice with
Caroline Thorman in Chalk Farm, London.

1993: One Off is incorporated into Ron Arad Associates.

1994: ‘Ron Arad Studio’ established in Como in 1994 to continue and expand on the production studio pieces as previously produced in the London workshops.
The facilities of the Ron Arad Studio hugely expanded the possibilities in
regard to materials, technique and engineering, allowing for such pieces as
‘Box in 4 Movements’ (with a torsion sprung ratchet mechanism) and ‘R.T.W.’,
(a free-rolling large wheel with inner shelving that always remains parallel to the floor) to be produced. Installations for ‘L’Esprit du Nomade’,
Fondation Cartier, Paris. The Domus Totem for the Trienale in Milan.

Ron Arad was Professor of Product Design at the Hochschule in Vienna from 1994-7.
Professor of Furniture Design at the Royal College of Art in London, 1997. He is currently Professor of Design Product at the RCA.

Ron Arad was guest Editor of 1994 International Design Yearbook and Designer of the Year,
1994 and his work has been widely featured in many design/architectural books and
magazines worldwide.

Ron Arad has run several design workshops for students, including those at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany, Vitra Farm in France and Ravenna in Italy.
He continues to lecture on his work regularly at universities and design schools worldwide.


FURNITURE & PRODUCT DESIGN

One Off Ltd. (1981-1994)
Ron Arad Studio, Italy (1994-1999)
Ron Arad Associates Ltd
Yearly collections of limited edition hand-made pieces, mainly experimental, these collections are often forerunners for eventual industrially produced versions for major manufacturers.
Alessi, Italy 2002 Stainless steel vase, its design is a derivative of the original BOOP ‘one off’ pieces in aluminium.
1999 Baby Boop’s – following the BOOP ‘one off’ pieces evolved a series of pressed stainless steel snack bowls in various shapes and sizes. Polished and black enamel versions.
1997 ‘The Sound Track’ - Design & development of an efficient, minimal and almost invisible storage system for CDs.
Allia, France
1996 An ovoid shaped cantilevered double-skinned toilet
Artemide, Italy
1996 Design & development of a lighting system exploiting reflection to create ‘virtual’ light Bigelli Marmi, Italy
1996 A table constructed from a single rectangular sheet of marble/aluminium lightweight composite. An entirely waste-free use of material Bonaldo
2002 ‘Ron-aldo Down’ - upholstered cantilevered lounge chair
2002 ‘Ron-aldo Up’ - upholstered cantilevered dining chair

Cappellini
2002 ‘None Rota’ & ‘Nino Rota’ – rotation moulded ‘twin set’ of two-tone chairs
2002 ‘Nina Rota’ - circular omni-directional bed with steel mechanism and composite furniture.
Cassina
1999 ‘The Table that Eats Chairs’ – When not used the chairs are folded and placed like drawers under the surface of the table. The table can be made to any length therefore containing any number of chairs. The chairs stack in both the open and close positions.
Draenert, Germany
1994 A long, low stainless steel sofa, the seat and back touching only at 3 points
Driade, Italy
1993 ‘Empty Chair’ - plywood chair first developed for the Tel Aviv Opera.
‘Fly Ply’ table - with 2 sets of legs - the hidden mechanism allows for either height of legs to be pulled down.
‘T44’ - a mobile ply and aluminium folding trolley
Fed-Ex, Germany
1997 Winner of competition for new range of packaging. Fiam, Italy
2002 Marilor table – a coffee table made of curved float glass and tubular legs in aluminium. The two stackable layers can be separated and transformed into two tables.
1999 Konx Table – cast glass coffee table with integral mirrored glass bowls and satin stainless steel legs.
1995 Cler - system of glass shelves and display units. The corrugated glass sides provide the channels for slotting in the various shelves and optional parts The Gallery Mourmans, Belgium
2002 Paperwork – a collection, which includes a rocking chaise longue, a rocking chair, dining chairs, a long and lightweight table and a desk made of Nomex honeycomb, cured carbon fibre or alternative pre-preg fabrics.
2001 Delight in Dedark, Interactive Curtain - a space divided by a stranded translucent silicone curtain ‘containing’ reactive sound and image. The images are projected but appear to be a tangible substance integrated into the glowing silicone rods.
The movement of the people through the curtain affects the sounds and images. The projection that penetrates the gaps between the silicone rods envelopes the space at the back of the curtain, walls, floor and ceiling, creating a dreamy other world – one is immersed in the image.
The Gallery Mourmans, Belgium (cont’)
2001 I.P.C.Os (inverted pinhole camera obscura) - these objects are really reversed camera obscuras, multi-punctured inverted pinhole cameras. The room is dark – inside the sphere there is a burning filament of an incandescent lightbulb – each pinhole lets through a projection of one view of that filament – the walls of the room get ‘wallpapered’ with an omnidirectional glowing array of views of the filament. Although standard lightbulb filaments are beautiful in their own right, it was difficult to resist the temptation to tamper with the filaments to produce words and ‘sketches’. When the filament bulb is replaced with superbright mini pixel-boards, instead of static squiggles, we get scrolling sentences or images projected through each pinhole. Every new pinhole drilled in the object provides a further projection. The pixel board experiment was also carried out on a Big Easy chair where its base was punctured to project a ‘carpet’ of scrolling sentences on the floor around it.
2000 Not Made By Hand, Not Made In China – A collection of vases, lamps and bowls all of which created by Selective Laser Sintering. The objects were ‘grown’ in a tank by computer controlled laser beams and polyamide powder.
1999 New Orleans – Limited Edition glass fibre and polyester armchairs. Identical in shape and size to the stainless steel ‘Big Easy’ chair. Pigmented gel coat was applied in layers to a fibre-glass mould using various techniques and colours; therefore each member of this series is unique.
1999 ‘Movie Vases’ – the vases were created using Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process.
A 3D computer movie, which in this case illustrates a bouncing vase, is paused on selected frames. Polyamede powder is joined together by laser to form the real vase. Each vase corresponds to a specific frame in the movie.
1999 A pair of stereolithography vases formed using the SLS and SLA process. The first technique produces a wire frame as a result of a special powder medium. The second is of a solid, but translucent appearance, due to the use of resin. Both of the vases integrate text within their design.
1998/9 B.O.O.P, or ‘Blown Out Of Proportion’ – superplastic aluminium blown pieces, created from computer visualizations. The objects are polished to achieve a brilliant mirror polished finish and interior faces are coloured on select pieces. Glaskoch, Germany
1999 Champagne Glass – double skinned glass, which provides an outer chamber to collect any effervescence overflowing from the champagne.
1996 ‘Half a Dozen’ – Transparent polished acrylic cube with vaguely conical excavation on its
6 sides to take eggs of various sizes. Designed for their Leonardo label. Hidden
2000 R.T.W (Re-inventing The Wheel) – the all aluminium production version of the original studio R.T.W, a 1 metre diameter wheel containing shelving. The wheel can be rolled at will, the inner shelves always remaining parallel to the floor
2000 ‘No Waste Table’ – a lightweight table of composite materials that wastes nothing in its construction due to the fact that it is all cut from a single sheet with the off-cuts of the top, forming the legs. Ingo Maurer GmbH
2001 Ballpark – project developed for Ingo Maurer GmbH. A formation of small rubber balls, each with an inlaid mirror, spells a word on a grid of conical nipples. From its place in the formation, each ball can be individually directed so its mirror reflects a dot of light to anywhere on the wall. Therefore the arrangement of the balls on the grid can spell one word whilst, at the same time, the reflection on the wall can spell another word or shape. Inflate, London
1998 Memo – plastic ‘bean-bag’ which moulds itself to the sitters form through the extraction of air by a vacuum. Kartell, Italy
2000 Thin Chair – Design and development of a new lightweight and remarkably thin folding chair. When folded 100 chairs are contained in an 80cm high stack.
1999 F.P.E Stool – developed from the original F.P.E, a taller, lower backed chair. Made from aluminium and polypropylene.
1998 Infinity – modular snap together wine storage that can ‘grow’ as required.
1997 H&H – A simple corrugated H-shaped shelving system which allows H-units to be placed and stacked to fit any space. The interlocking forms require no permanent fixings.
1996/7 F.P.E (Fantastic Plastic Elastic) - a lightweight low-cost stacking dining chair in clear plastic with a double-barrel aluminium extruded structure
1994 Bookworm - a plastic industrial low-cost version of the Bookworm, in various lengths and colours. Currently Kartell’s best selling product. Lippert Wilkins, Germany
1991 Design of various desk-top accessories Martell, France
1996 A new flask bottle for a new colourless brandy aimed at a younger market. The bottle contains a floating laser-cut stainless steel label and a frosted lens topped drinking cup lid. Moroso, Italy
2002 New rotation moulded indoor/outdoor dining and coffee tables – an addition to Ron Arad’s Victoria & Albert collection for Moroso.
2001 Little Albert – a rotation moulded plastic version of the small Victoria & Albert chair.
2000 Victoria and Albert – a range of chairs and sofas sharing a flexible and springy internal structure that can be ordered in a wide range of sizes.
1994 Sof-Sof - a low seating system with inter-connecting slot-on elements to provide endless possibilities for seating arrangements
1990 Spring Collection - a range of 10 upholstered volume chairs/sofas, many a direct translation to a manufactured product from their handmade metal originals
1993 Misfits - modular seating utilising ICI’s environmentally friendly water-blown foam, Waterlily
NAC (New Acoustic Concept), Italy
1999 ‘Rotolo’ – circular wood-turned wireless stereo speaker, which gives ultimate mobility
Noto, Italy
1994 Anonymous - a range of stools, chairs and tables for café use
1992 Hotel Zeus - a mobile TV & video stand
Poltronova, Italy
1989 A strip plywood table that extends from 1.5 metres to 3 metres
Serralunga
2002 Topot, a series of pots/planters. The Topot breaks the volume of the container by the contracting bellow action of the zigzag section. A valve in the double skin of the pot controls the amount of air trapped in the bellow and thus freezes the height and inclination of the Topot at any given position. Another way to use the Topot would be to cut off the inner skin and let the earth that fills the pot act as a fixative for the volume and posture. This piece won New York’s prestigious ICFF Press Award in May 2002.
Valli & Valli, Italy
1999 Door handle – cast in steel the handle was conceived as a pressed and folded lozenge Shape. Part of a range of door furniture. This product reached 1st place in the ‘2002 Product Innovator Award’ awarded from Kitchen & Bath Business in the USA.
Vitra International, Switzerland
2000 Variations on the injection-moulded plastic chair, including; a rocking version, ‘Tom Rock’,
a four star base swivel version and a 5 star swivel version with wheels.
1998 A carbon-fibre expanding and contracting lightweight office daybed
1997 An injection-moulding plastic low-cost stacking chair, an industrially produced version of the Ron Arad Studio vacuum-formed aluminium chair
1995 Schizzo Chair - a single bent ply chair that can be pulled apart to form 2 separate chairs
1986 Well-Tempered Chair - a tempered steel bouncy ‘skin-only’ chair

ARCHITECTURE

Cultural Festival Exhibition, Doha, Qatar, 2002-2003
700sqm exhibition enclosure for the display of Islamic Art. The exhibition is to be held annually.
Wonderwall, Manchester Stadium, Sportcity, 2002
Our design proposal for a public art at Manchester Stadium is a solid monolithic stainless steel wall (10m x 3.5m x 1.3m) made of 600 dynamic computer controlled piston pixels. The solid aspect of the sculpture is only apparent as, in fact, it responds with a soft and fluid motion to various impulses and forces such as wind, activities within the stadium and people passing by or touching it.
Maserati Headquarters showroom, Modena, Italy 2002-
700sqm flagship showroom for Maserati in Modena, which includes a press conference area for the launching of Ferrari and Maserati new cars.
Sheikh Saud Al-Thani Villa, The Millennium House, Doha, Qatar, 2002-
Design of Sheikh Saud Al-Thani’s new living room and family dining room. The project is primarily a programmable floor that can be instructed to either move in certain pattern or to be frozen in any given landscape. The lighting system constellation is made of spheres that can be located anywhere in space and at any chosen size and colour. The dining room is an amphitheatre ‘pit’, the transparent seats move freely around and the server can walk into the middle of the horse-show table. This installation was first shown at the Biennale of Venice, September 2002.
GrandHotelSalone, Milan 2001-2
Design of a hotel room located in Mexico City. The project was exhibited at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2002.
Selfridges Christmas Windows, London 2001
The Selfridges Christmas window display on Oxford Street combines a mix of products cleverly lit to create giant scrolling messages. The installations in the side windows have over 700 brightly coloured fibre optic lights cascading through each window.
Tim, Italy 2001
Concept design for Tim Shops in Italy.
Selfridges Technology Floor, London 2000-1
2000sqm new technology floor featuring over 80 brands. The New Technology Hall opened at Selfridges lower ground floor on 15 November 2001.
The Big Blue, Canary Wharf, London 2000
Canada Square Park is the uppermost level of a new car parking and shopping centre at the heart of the second phase of development in Canary Wharf. This large circular sculpture, fabricated using advanced boat building techniques rests on a ring of structural glazing at the centre of the park and acts as a visual link between the ground level park and the shopping centre below.
Windwand, Canary Wharf, London 1999
Windwand is a slender 50m tall tapering carbon and glass fibre mast that oscillates and deflects in the wind, tracing an ever-changing path in the air. It was conceived as a dynamic response to the mass and solidity of most of the architecture in the area. The last 5m of the mast is translucent and contains an array of 2000 LEDs which illuminate in relation to the acceleration of the tip.
Glasgow, 1999
Glasgow Winning: The Design of Sport. The first exhibition in the Glasgow 1999, UK City of Architecture and Design.
The Piper Project, London 1998
A loft conversion in West London. As a response to the apartments restricted headroom a hollowed out mezzanine ‘hull’ evolved to create a second level. This upper structure provides a partially hidden bedroom area while simultaneously maintaining the sense of volume within the loft.
Alan Journo Shop, Milan 1998-9
To extend the tiny existing retail space into the basement the entire shop was transformed into a grand spiralling staircase. A continuous oscillating stainless steel strip formed the balustrade.
Diego Della Valle Staircase, Italy 1998-9
A mirror polished stainless steel staircase split into an upper canopy and a lower stair ramp. The reflective surfaces and unusual balustrade configuration creates complex and superimposed views of the surrounding building and landscape.
Private House, London, 1997
Project for a 900 sqm house on an acre of land in a private, suburban street. A large family home is created by the overlap of two sheltering enclosures with an undulating terrace which extends the garden into the living rooms.
Science Museum, London 1997
Shortlisted competitor on ‘Making the Modern World’ gallery.
Domus Totem, Milan 1997
A Totem commissioned by Domus magazine, for the centre of Milan. This totem is a “realistic” sculpture of a stack of 100 chairs in vacuum formed aluminium. The top chair carries a 3D live pixel board for transmitting messages. The chairs are discreetly welded to each other to form one structural unit. Some loose chairs are around the totem. Private Residence, Israel 1997
Autonomous spatial elements and furniture for a newly built villa on a Mediterranean cliff. The main interior gesture is a pair of movable coves, smooth on the inside and ribbed with bookshelves on the outside. Outside on the terrace is a slatted sun-visor with mirrored surfaces facing down, reflecting the sea horizon. The dining table is a 7m long lightweight structure consisting of an inner core and an outer ring that can be hung on the wall when a big table is not required.
14-15 Conduit Street, London 1997
Scheme for a 50 sm reception area in a newly refurbished office building. The design incorporates a long flipper board with changing coloured panels, sandwiched between two mirrored facades, creating the illusion of an infinite and ever changing space.
Haverstock Hill, London 1997
Conversion of the top floors of a Victorian house to an open-plan and partially open air space.
Private Residence, London 1997
Located in a private, suburban street, this large family home is created by the overlap of two sheltering enclosures with an undulating terrace which extends the garden into the living rooms.
Mercedes Benz AG, Birmingham 1996
A proposal for the Mercedes Benz travelling internet stand at the Birmingham Motor Show 1996.
A unified total environment with elevated circulation grids around car ‘arenas’, mezzanine levels with backdrops of conical ‘buildings’ providing specialised enclosure.
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark 1996
Concept and layout for British room in the Design and Identity Exhibition.
Focusing on advertising using video projection on metal mesh. Innovative technical solutions represented by original products.
Adidas/Kronenbourg Sports Cafés, France 1996
The development of a concept for bar/restaurants equipped with state of the art, interactive A/V technology, for sports viewing from individual tables as well as large format for group events.
The first Sport Café opened in Toulon, France in February, ‘97. A further seven cafés will be completed in major French cities by May ‘98.
Adidas Stadium, Paris 1995-96
The winning scheme in invited competition. The Adidas ‘flagship’ complex in the heart of Paris will be a 1300 sm total environment around the theme of sport, incorporating retail, interactive spaces, a cinema/auditorium, restaurants and cafés. Five levels of staggered floors on both sides of a breathtaking 20 m high central void are linked vertically by two lift-shafts and diagonally by a ‘cats-cradle’ formation of ramps. The centrepiece of the interactive ‘universe’ within the stadium is the auditorium which houses such activities as ‘the ride’, sports cinema, 3-D cinema, events etc.
Art Gallery Competition, Walsall 1995
Two autonomous, inward-looking buildings along site boundaries, enveloping a courtyard between them, the courtyard roofed with a lens-shaped structure housing temporary exhibitions.
Galerie Achenbach, Dusseldorf 1995
Art Gallery with 8 x 4m long walls pivoting around structural columns. Double hinges enable an infinite number of gallery layouts.
Belgo Centraal, Covent Garden, London 1995
400 seat Belgian restaurant and Head Office. A conversion of a three storeys of 19th century warehouse on a prime site in central London. A bridge spans across an open kitchen in a 3 storey void, leading to a scissor lift that transports patrons to various dining halls below. Completed April, 1995.
Office ‘Y’ Building, Seoul, Korea 1995
A scheme for an international H.Q. in Seoul, Korea - in conjunction with David Chipperfield Architects. The New Tel Aviv Opera, Israel, Foyer Architecture 1989-1994
1200 sm four-storey, free form concrete structure within the Opera complex incorporating 200 seat restaurant, 5 bars, box office, book shop, amphitheatre and mezzanine. The project also comprises a 600 sm concrete volume forming the envelope of the 1500 seat auditorium.
Belgo Restaurant & Bar, London 1994 200 sm bar and restaurant extension. An open courtyard covered by a 70 sm glazed roof framed between a series of giant timber fins. A sinuous multi-level bar, a new 58 seat eating area, extensive food preparation facilities and a public beer store form part of the scheme.
Michelle Mabelle Milan 1994
Refurbishment of prestigious Via della Spiga fashion shop. Completed February, l994.
Publishing Studio, Schopfheim, Germany 1993
460 sm hill-side building in the Black Forest. Twin timber conical roofs of composite construction form 11-metre cantilevers from two supporting cores, dividing the building into a double-height studio and private living zone. A concrete retaining wall contains the library and services.
Salon du Meuble de Paris Competition 1993
Exhibition design for the 4000 sm focus area to the Paris furniture fair.
Ron Arad Associates Studios, London 1991
Conversion of a derelict two-storey warehouse/courtyard building to gallery, architecture studio and workshops. A PVC roof membrane and expanded steel shell structure covers the 350 sm spaces below. Completed June,1991.
Chateau D’Oiron, France 1991
Entrance pavilion for the 16th century Chateau D’Oiron, centre for contemporary European art and sculpture in the Loire valley.
Philips Electronic Exhibition, Berlin 1990
Exhibition design incorporating Philips technology.
The Bureau Wapping - Two level warehouse conversion into design studios.
Camomilla, Rome - Fashion shop in a historic building in Piazza di Spagna.
Equation, Bristol - Department store for London fashion designers.
Milano Monamour, Milan - Fashion shop in Via della Spiga.
One Off Showrooms, Covent Garden- 1983,1986
Own studio and furniture showrooms in Neal Street and Shelton Street.
Bazaar, London 1984- Jean-Paul Gaultier fashion shop for women.

AWARDS
Finalist for the 2002 World Technology Award for Design
Oribe Art & Design Award, Japan, 2001
Gio Ponti International Design Award, Denver, 2001
Barcelona Primavera International Award for Design, 2001
Co-winner of Perrier Jouët Selfridges Design Prize, London, 2001
Design Plus Award, Frankfurt/Main; Internationaler Designpreis Baden-Württemberg, Design Center Stuttgart, 1999
Designer of the Year, Salon du Meuble, Paris, 1994

DISTINCTIONS
Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) in recognition of his ‘sustained excellence in aesthetic and efficient design for industry’, 2002
Fellow of the World Technology Network, 2002

MONOGRAPHIES
Ron Arad by Deyan Sudjic, graphics Angus Hyland, Pentagram, Laurence King Publishers, 1999
Ron Arad by Raymond Guidot, Olivier Boissiere,
Dis Voir, 1998
Design Classics Bookworm by Volker Albus, publisher Form Verlag,1997
Ron Arad Associates: One Off Three by Artemis Architectural Publications, 1993
Introductions by Ettore Sottsass, Cedric Price
Restless Furniture by Deyan Sudjic 1989, Publisher: Fourth Estate. Reprinted 1990.
Ron Arad by Alexander von Vegesack, Vitra, 1990


SELECTED ‘ONE MAN SHOWS’

‘Two Floors’, Galeria Marconi, 2002
‘Delight in Dedark’, Galeria Marconi, 2001
‘Not Made By Hand Not Made in China’, Galeria Marconi, 2000
‘Before and After Now’, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2000
Ron Arad new acquisitions, Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, 1997
Ron Arad at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia, 1997
R.T.W. Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, 1998
Ron Arad and Ingo Maurer, Spazio Krizia, 1997
Glasgow Festival of Architecture & Design, 1996
Ron Arad and Ingo Maurer, Spazio Krizia, 1996
Ron Arad – Gazi, Athens, 1995
The work of Ron Arad, Museum of Applied Arts, Helsinki, 1995
Ron Arad and Ingo Maurer, Triennale, Milan, 1995
‘Sticks and Stones’, Vitra Design Museum, Touring Exhibition 1990-1995
‘L’Esprit du Nomade’, Cartier Fondation, Paris,1994
‘Breeding in Captivity’ Edward Totah Gallery 1993
‘Design in the 20th Century’, Grand Palais,1993
‘One Off and Short Runs’, Centre for Contemporary Arts, (Warsaw, Krakow, Prague) 1993
‘A Break with Tradition’, Rohska Museum, Gothenburg, Sweden 1991
Ron Arad Recent Works, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 1990
‘Nouvelles Tendences’, Centre Georges Pompidou 1987
‘Documenta 8’, Kassel, 1987
‘Intellectual Interiors’, Seibo, Tokyo with P. Starck, R. Kawakubo, S. Kuramata 1986

WORK IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein
Musée National d’Art Moderne/Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Fond National d’Art Contemporain, Paris
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Montreal
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Tel Aviv Museum, Tel Aviv
Rohska Museum, Gothenburg
Powerhouse, Sydney
Trienale, Milan
Design Museum, London
Design Museum, Osaka