Offecct has commercially launched the sound absorbing room divider Soundsticks. In 2017, Italian/Hungarian industrial designer Andrea Ruggiero was invited to experiment in Offecct Lab in order to find a way of turning waste material into a high performing commercial product. After a year of trials, Soundsticks was first presented at Salone del Mobile in Milan 2018.
"This project evolved through many discussions and various attempts at exploring new ways of addressing acoustics in todays environments," Ruggiero said. "Soundsticks is an innovative room dividing concept that helps reduce ambient noise in public spaces or open plan workspaces."
After deep discussions and elaborate workshops with Andrea Ruggiero, a design and a method was developed that not only ensured a sustainable product, but also a product that could add something new and relevant to the acoustic segment. Soundsticks consists of textile scraps from upholstery production which have been moulded into the shape of a tube that is held together in the ends by recycled aluminum caps. These textile 'sticks' hang from rails in linear or radial shapes that can be combined depending on need and space.
Suspended in various heights, in clusters or in a row, Soundsticks modular hanging system offers endless of possibilities to create new spaces in rooms. You balance the sound in the environment by adjusting the number of Soundsticks and the round shape of the sticks gives privacy while also allowing light to trickle through. By randomly combining sticks of different colours in the same nuance, a subtle and captivating camouflage pattern emerges and Soundsticks reminds us of how beautiful recycling can be.
Photos: Courtesy of Offecct