Raul Barbieri was born in Milan in 1946. After having taken his degree in Architecture at Milan's Polytechnic, he started to work initially as a professional associate; in 1989 he founded his own practice in Milan which specialised in design, corporate identity and architectural planning. The design and realisation of a neighbourhood of semi-detached houses in Milan - in the Citt Studi area -, which in 1999 was presented in London on the occasion of the exhibition 'Golden Compass ADI Architectural Design', date back to this period. Barbieri has had a long-standing co-operation with ADI, the Association for Industrial Design in his capacity as co-ordinator of the department of designers. Many of his designs have been awarded prizes or selected in major international design competitions.