ACUTE recently collaborated with Flöff, an Icelandic startup working with recycled textiles, to characterise the acoustic properties of the materials behind their colourful sound panels.
Ever-growing textile waste is a mounting global problem, and creative reuse is not only eco-friendly but also an economic and material solution. Flöff saves textiles from landfill and gives them a new purpose: colourful acoustic panels that absorb sound while diverting waste from disposal.
Flöff’s recycled-textile samples with the Brüel & Kjær Type 4206-T impedance tube.
Using the lab’s new Brüel & Kjær Type 4206-T impedance tube, we measured the sound-absorption characteristics of the reused materials Flöff is currently manufacturing. This industry-standard equipment provided accurate data on the panels’ performance, giving Flöff’s team the insight they needed to refine the design and offer better acoustic quality to future customers.
Measuring the panels’ acoustic performance in the lab.
The collaboration is a small example of what ACUTE’s facilities are for — our acoustic, audio, and fabrication infrastructure is open to companies, visiting researchers, and artists who need precise measurement for their own work.