Offecct LAB and Andrea Ruggiero presents Soundsticks in Milan.

Offecct explores the boundaries of sustainability

Offecct LAB and Andrea Ruggiero presents Soundsticks in Milan.

Offecct’s and Andrea Ruggiero's project Soundsticks explores how far you can go with creative upcycling, following Offecct's Lifecircle philosophy. The sound-absorbing room dividers are developed in Offecct Lab and made of leftover materials from the company's production.

Soundsticks represent everything that Offecct's Lifecircle philosophy stands for: using as little of the earth's resources as possible and taking care of the products the company has made through circular recycling.

– We can own our design and function, but the material can only be borrowed from nature. Therefore, we must all start to re-think and re-use the resources provided by our planet. With Soundsticks we explore the ultimate boundaries for upcycling and zero waste, says Offecct's design manager Anders Englund.

Soundsticks are a modular ceiling-mounted solution that can be hung at any height to complement seating areas or tables of variable heights and can be combined in many different ways to create "rooms within rooms" thereby offering maximum planning flexibility for architects or interior designers. Best of all, Soundsticks are a Zero Waste product made of upcycled material left over from Offecct's furniture production.

Attraction in the imperfection

Soundsticks is made by using left over materials from Offecct’s production: paperboard tubes from upholstery fabric rolls and reclaimed textile scraps from the manufacturing of other products. This means that the colours harmonize with the rest of the range, but also that the colour tones of the Soundsticks can vary randomly.

– We want to explore how to make the production as efficient and sustainable as possible, and also if the market accepts a variation in colour knowing that the product is produced in a sustainable way. Personally, I think there´s a strong attraction in the imperfection, says Anders Englund.

A new way of working with acoustic and recycling

The collaboration with New York-based designer Andrea Ruggiero has taken place in Offecct Lab, a dynamic forum where Offecct invites different partners to experiment and test new solutions, materials and ideas. Sometimes the products become part of the standard range, and sometimes they remain important stages of knowledge and development.

– The way we´ve worked in Offecct Lab suits me perfectly. I always want to design products that are aesthetically appealing, innovative and add something to the user's everyday life. Soundsticks evolved through many discussions and various attempts at exploring new ways of addressing acoustics in today´s environments. Soundsticks is an innovative room dividing concept that helps reduce ambient noise in public spaces or open plan workspaces.

Bio Andrea RuggieroTrained 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.

Experience Soundsticks by Andrea Ruggiero and Offecct Lab at Salone Del Mobile 2018, Offecct Pavilion 20, stand E19-F18.