Dan Roncoroni

Designing audio for a pavilion clad heavily in stone, with loudspeakers hidden behind scrim, disguised grilles and foliage, was one of the challenges Dan Roncoroni faced on the Saudi Arabian pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka.

Brought into 59 Studio’s design team late in the programme, Roncoroni worked across audio, show control, meeting rooms and communications while simultaneously running Raven AV projects in Hong Kong and the UK. The finished pavilion remains one of the projects he is proudest of, particularly after receiving unsolicited praise from industry peers for its audio.

Raven itself has grown far beyond the freelance vehicle Roncoroni originally intended. The business now has seven people working across its projects, has doubled revenue year-on-year for two consecutive years and reported profits up more than 50% year to date at the time of his entry. Its work increasingly includes spatial audio projects across the GCC.

Roncoroni is particularly firm on design responsibility. He argues that consultants should own their designs rather than hand substantial scope to manufacturers, believing this produces better-informed, less risk-averse solutions and strengthens the role of independent consultancy.

Away from AV, he keeps a deliberate connection with physical craft through woodworking, manual machining and blacksmithing – hobbies he is proud to have resisted turning into another commercial venture.