Achieving zero waste with 100% design

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 two years of trials, we are proud to present to the market, the sound absorbing room divider Soundsticks™.

Making a commercial product with left over materials, is easy to say but hard to do. But 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.

“This project evolved through many discussions and various attempts at exploring new ways of addressing acoustics in todays environments. Soundsticks™ is an innovative room dividing concept that helps reduce ambient noise in public spaces or open plan workspaces”, says Andrea Ruggiero.

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.

“We must all start to re-think and re-use the resources on earth. For us, that means that you can only own the design and function, never the materials, the materials we use are on loan from nature. Therefore I am so glad that we managed to bring Soundsticks™ from an idea into to a commercial product,” says Offecct's Design Manager Anders Englund.

Soundsticks™ was first presented at Salone del Mobile in Milan 2018 under Offecct Lab. Offecct Lab is a department within Offecct where new techniques, materials and forms are tried and tested in order to move the furniture industry forward. It is a part of Lifecircle, Offecct’s strategic work with sustainable design.

Bio Andrea Ruggiero

Trained as an industrial designer, Andrea Ruggiero approaches design as a generalist, bridging various disciplines: In addition to product design, he has been actively involved in the design and development of identity systems, furniture, packaging, and environments. His multidisciplinary practice focuses on delivering comprehensive design solutions to start-up ventures and internationally established brands and his work has been selected for numerous awards, including Interior Design’s Best of Year, the IDEA Award, the D&AD Award, and multiple Good Design awards — including one for Tempo, designed for Offecct in 2008. Andrea studied at Domus Academy in Milan and received his degree in Product Design from Parsons School of Design in New York, where he has since taught a wide range of Product Design courses. Half Italian, half Hungarian, Andrea was raised in Italy, China, and Austria.