JEAN-MARIE MASSAUD

After graduating from the Paris design institute ENSCI-Les Ateliers in 1990, Jean-Marie Massaud worked on a wide range of works, from architecture to objects, from one-off projects to serial ones, from macro environments to micro-contexts. Major brands such as Axor, Cassina, Christofle, Poliform and Toyota have demanded his ability to combine comfort and elegance, generosity and exceptionality. In addition to these elegant designs, his pursuit of lightness is a synthesis of three broader aspects: individual and collective fulfilment, economic and industrial efficiency and ecological concerns. "I'm trying to find an honest, generous way with the idea that somewhere in between the hard economic data are the users. People."

For the city of Guadalajara, Mexico, he designed a unique stadium as a never-before-seen building in the shape of clouds and a volcano, integrated into a large-scale urban development program that reconnects leisure and culture, nature and urbanization, sports enthusiasts and local residents. The same goal has recently been set for his concept car developed in collaboration with Toyota. MEWE is a synthesis of economic and ecological concepts that integrates issues specific to each of the stakeholders: users, industry and the environment. "When I work on a project, there is always a desire behind it to renew the theme I am working on," says Massaud. His furniture pieces include the minimalist BOND office chair collection he created for Offecct, which embodies all his requirements and vision.