Urs Felber
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Urs Felber (born 10 July 1942), a pioneer of furniture design, was the CEO of Vitra USA. Felber was also the board director for several companies including Swissflex and was chairman and principal shareholder for the furniture company Dietiker AG.{{Cite web|title=Design Industry Mourns Passing of Dr. Urs Felber|url=https://www.contractdesign.com/news/main/design-industry-mourns-passing-of-dr-urs-felber/|access-date=2020-07-31|website=Contract Design}}
Felber was born Egerkingen, Switzerland. He studied engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) before going on to get design management degrees at Stanford University and the University of Fribourg. He then went on to become the president of Vitra USA and board director for several companies.
Felber died on 26 April 2010 at the age of 67. His daughter, Nathalie Felber, then became the CEO of the Swiss company Dietiker AG.{{Cite web|title=The Brander|url=https://www.thebrander.com/en/lifestyle/dietiker-ag|access-date=2020-07-31|website=www.thebrander.com}}
{{Infobox person
|image =
|image_size = 170px
|name = Urs Felber
|caption =
|birth_date = {{birth date|1942|7|10|df=y}}
|birth_place = Egerkingen, Switzerland
|death_date = {{death date and age|2010|4|26|1942|7|10|df=y}}
|death_place =
|other_names =
|known_for =
|occupation = Businessman and design pioneer
|spouse =
|children =
|nationality = Swiss
}}
Life and career
Felber was born on 10 July 1942 in Egerkingen, Switzerland, a small town in the canton of Solothurn.{{Cite web |url=http://www.contractdesign.com/contract/Design-Industry-Mour-1724.shtml |title=Archived copy |access-date=18 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708191720/http://www.contractdesign.com/contract/Design-Industry-Mour-1724.shtml |archive-date=8 July 2011 |url-status=dead}} His family ran a local carpentry workshop.
From 1962 to 1965, he studied mechanical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. In 1964, he replaced a fellow student in his field study at a small furniture manufacturer company, De Sede. In 1966, he became a system engineer at De Sede. He took a 50 percent stake in the company.{{cite web |url=http://www.moebelkultur.de/index.php/news/11810 |title=Nachrichten und Informationen aus der Möbelbranche |publisher=moebelkultur.de |accessdate=2013-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526053932/http://www.moebelkultur.de/index.php/news/11810 |archive-date=26 May 2010 |url-status=dead}} By 1978, De Sede was exporting to over 70 countries.
In 1979, he obtained a PhD in Design Management at Stanford University, California and the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, achieving magna cum laude. He authored Systematic Design Management in the Enterprise: Fundamentals and Concepts which heralded the birth of design management, design science and methodology.Urs Felber, "Systematisches Designmanagement in der Unternehmung: Grundlagen und Konzepte",
Marburg, 1984
In the 1980s, he became a business partner and CEO of Vitra USA, the world's leading contract furniture manufacturing firm.{{Cite web |url=http://www.contractdesign.com/contract/ls/article-archive.html?articletitle=COLUMNS-NONE_Focus_%20Ones%20to%20Watch_565.xml |title=Archived copy |access-date=18 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708191644/http://www.contractdesign.com/contract/ls/article-archive.html?articletitle=COLUMNS-NONE_Focus_%20Ones%20to%20Watch_565.xml |archive-date=8 July 2011 |url-status=dead}} Parallel to his US activities, he became a board director in several companies, including Wilkhahn International, Wilkhahn Switzerland, Swissflex and Team by Wellis.
In 2001, Urs Felber bought the Swiss furniture company Dietiker AG from the supermarket chain Migros and transformed it into a recognized brand by incorporating contemporary designs, with products winning the Red Dot Design Award and Neocon Innovation Award.{{cite web |url=http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20071104/dietiker-swizterland |title=Dietiker Switzerland |last1=Vlessing |first1=Robert |last2=Lasker |first2=David |date=2007-11-04 |website=metropolismag.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402184957/http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20071104/dietiker-swizterland |archivedate=2012-04-02}} Dietiker became a leader in Switzerland and Europe in the contract furniture market.
Awards and honors
In 1999, Urs Felber was made a Honorary Fellow of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. In 2002, he received Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Tel Aviv{{cite web|url=http://www2.tau.ac.il/news/engnews.asp?month=5&year=2003 |title=Tel Aviv University Webflash - May 2003 |publisher=.tau.ac.il |accessdate=2013-06-13}} On 20 May 2003, the Aviva and Urs Felber Jubilee Plaza was inaugurated at Tel Aviv University in recognition of his commitment to the university.{{Cite web |url=http://www.tau.ac.il/public-affairs/TAU_Insider_Fall06.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=18 July 2010 |archive-date=24 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624042043/http://www.tau.ac.il/public-affairs/TAU_Insider_Fall06.pdf |url-status=dead }}
Death
References
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External links
- [http://vimeo.com/13467605 Urs Felber's lecture on Good Design at Iidex Neocon, Canada, 2007]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110708191644/http://www.contractdesign.com/contract/ls/article-archive.html?articletitle=COLUMNS-NONE_Focus_%20Ones%20to%20Watch_565.xml Urs Felber, 'Ones to Watch', Contract Design magazine]
- {{Cite web |url=http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20080613/scene-on-the-showfloor |title=Metropolismag |access-date=18 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512090053/http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20080613/scene-on-the-showfloor |archive-date=12 May 2013 |url-status=bot: unknown}}
- {{Cite web |url=http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20071104/dietiker-swizterland |title=Metropolismag |access-date=18 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402184957/http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20071104/dietiker-swizterland |archive-date=2 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110708191720/http://www.contractdesign.com/contract/Design-Industry-Mour-1724.shtml Urs Felber, Contract Design magazine]
- [http://www.office-work.net/aktuelles/meldungen/announcement-detail/datum////schweizer-moebelpionier-verstorben/ Urs Felber, Office Work magazine]
- [http://www.hochparterre-schweiz.ch/p2140.html Urs Felber, Swiss design magazine Hochpaterre]{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
- [http://www.hochparterre-schweiz.ch/p785.html Urs Felber and Dietiker, Swiss design magazine Hochpaterre]{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
- [http://fachwerkhaus.historisches-fachwerk.com/fachwerk/index.cfm/ly/1/0/Marktplatz/a/showForum/61129$.cf Urs Felber, Fachwerk magazine]{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
- [http://www.tau.ac.il/public-affairs/TAU_Insider_Fall06.pdf Aviva and Urs Felber Piazza at Tel Aviv University]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100526053932/http://www.moebelkultur.de/index.php/news/11810 Urs Felber, Moebelkultur magazine]
- [http://www.interieur-suisse.ch/detail.php?cur=1&artid=332 Urs Felber and Dietiker, Interieur Suisse Magazine]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20101202042401/http://www.arcade-xxl.de/index.php?news=11810 Urs Felber, Acade magazine]
- [http://vimeo.com/1823464 Urs Felber interview at Neocon on Vimeo]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110714162901/http://www.neoconeast.com/tasks/sites/NeoconEast/assets/File/061908_002.pdf Urs Felber, Neoconeast]
- [http://www.lifestylesmagazine.com/website/archive/216.html Urs Felber, Lifestyle magazine]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120225084207/http://www.interiordesign.net/article/480142-Swiss_Furniture_Manufacturer_to_Open_25_U_S_Showrooms.php Dietiker and Urs Felber, Interior Design magazine]
- [http://www.larevuedudesign.com/2010/07/07/selection-design-suisse-3/ Hommage a Urs Felber, La Revue du Design]
- [http://www.insideoutcontracts.com/ Insideout Contracts – Contract Furniture specialists]
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