ron arad: no bad colours workstation dynamic surface material technology

active true colour transforms design with an adaptive palette of original, colourful designs, patterns and architectural finishesimage © designboom

the ‘no bad colour’ workstation is ron arad’s first installment of the ‘active true colours’ dynamic surface material technology series, which seeks to deliver a nearly endless spectrum of natural colours, patterns and architectural finishes that can be applied to virtually any surface.

the idea is similar to a sort of color-shifting wallpaper, generated by a small pulse of electricity- sent through a thin film of fluid held between two panels.the technique requires almost no energy to operate. it is a simple black box accompanied by a desk and shelves, set against the wall device. office users are able to change the pattern and colour of the light effects from green to gold through the use of bluetooth technology – controlled by their desktop, laptop or smartphone.

image courtesy COSMIT

‘I was very excited to join this project as it offered a genuine new possibility to alter colours at will in both architectural spaces and small products,’ said arad. ‘the main news here is that we are talking about reflecting rather than transmitting colours, so we don’t require back-lit panels and the surfaces enjoy rather than suffer from external light. we immediately started work in a variety of scales and contexts. this is just the beginning.’ said arad and also states that good lighting should also encourage increased productivity in company employees.

‘no bad colour’, the revolutionary, patented technology has been unveiled with ron arad at the ‘salone internazionale del mobile’ (the milan furniture fair) in the ‘salone d’ufficio’ (office section), organized by COSMIT. it has been is part of jean nouvel’s ‘office for living’ installation.

the colours can be easily changed either instantly or by fading by applying pulses of electricity to the fluid film, which reorients the molecules of the fluid to create other colours. once the colour is generated, no further power is required to maintain the natural colour.image © designboom

‘active true colour’ is said to deliver a nearly endless spectrum of yet-to-be imagined original designs, that can be applied to interiors/exterior walls, floors, table/counter tops, furniture, etc.it delivers vivid and beautiful colours, reflecting the ambient light, just like natural colour. the technology is nothing like the harsh, intrusive and more energy intensive light-emitting design solutions offered through LED, LCD or Plasma. ‘active true colour’ is supposed to be the foundation of a game-changing surface material and ran poliakine, chairman, of versatile, ltd (the brand that has developed it) states that there is no better place to introduce it to the design and architecture community than in an office setting.

‘we’re no longer going to ask what colour an object is without adding the word now,’ said eyal cohen, CEO of versatile, ltd. ‘we’re not going to choose colour when we buy, we’ll choose colour as we go. ‘active true colour’ opens up a colourful new world of design possibilities that can evolve based on life’s ever-changing moments in time.versatile, ltd. will partner with a select group of the world’s top designers, architects and real estate developers. subsequently plans to offer an electronic catalogue of stock and original colourful designs and patterns to all architects and designers seeking to work and design with this new medium. versatile will deliver an array of architectural finishes: stone (marble, granite, etc.), wood, fabric, metals, glass, leather, sand, stucco; plus original surfaces that spring from the imaginations of designers.‘

ron arad changing workstation for versatilevideo courtesy opentbe

‘we call our office a studio, it’s rather a progressive kindergarten! we are very chaotic and we are not organized and we don’t want to be organized. we like the mess.‘ said ron arad to designboom.‘it’s absolutely clear now that the main equipment in or office is THE COMPUTER.when we look at the screen we see the world, we see what has been done before, what we haven’t done yet and probably what we are currently doing.‘

versatile-forever changing colour video courtesy opentbe