A knockout collection: Sound absorbing furniture that reduces ambient noise

“Good architecture must be interdisciplinary,” asserts Marie Aigner, an architect who straddles the fields of architecture, interior decoration, furniture design and product development. This is an assertion that manifests in Aigner’s work across disciplines. Whether she is designing an interior space or building products, she focuses on imbuing her creations with a purpose, whilst also ensuring that these entities are aesthetically compelling. This intent, to design with a purpose, thus excising it from arbitrariness, shines through in a unique collection of acoustic furniture built by her. The Knockout Collection, which comprises several sound-absorbing sculptures and functional furniture pieces are created by a mix of various material scraps such as discarded plumage of macaws, recycled PET, and more. In doing so, Aigner manages to impart the Knockout Collection with several interesting attributes—they function as bespoke objects fit for various different settings, fulfil the role of sound dampers, and honour the principles of reusing, recycling and upcycling of plastic and similar waste materials.

Aigner was brought up in the Swiss countryside and is now based in Munich, Germany. An architect and designer, Aigner launched her eponymous studio in the year 2000, after brief bouts as an architectural professional in the offices of Skidmore, Owings and Merill, and Richard Meier. She operates with an engrained ecological awareness and the intent of providing simple and elegant solutions for any issue. “Design should be subject to a product, because it is, in contrast to art, not without purpose. Good design combines functionality and form and thus relieves it of arbitrariness,” the German designer shares.

While Aigner initially worked on architectural and interior design projects, she began to learn more about acoustics when contracted by a producer of sound absorbing materials nearly six years ago. In this process, she also realised that it was essential to take a responsible approach with respect to materials, within the discipline of product design. Hence, she began working with recycled PET to build lamps, tables, chairs, sculptures and more. This material also serves as a highly effective sound absorber. Her Knockout Collection, hence, became ‘a story of a guiltless use of plastic.’ Aigner continues to experiment with different kinds of waste materials produced as an offshoot of manufacturing processes. By combining these waste scraps with sound-absorbing materials (namely, PET recyclates), Aigner builds new pieces.

The German designer’s products are, hence, a unique mix of sound absorbers and waste scraps. Since these materials are usually limitedly available, Aigner builds the furniture pieces in small batches. These products are built without any waste production. “By scaling and alienating products and by changing the use of materials, Marie created her own formal language—a kind of new radical design, that changes with every material she gets in her hand,” reads an excerpt from the press release. These products, apart from being sustainably produced and OEKO-TEX® certified (a label that certifies sustainable procurement of raw materials, efficient usage of resources and materials, effective consumer protection and product stewardship, the responsible handling of chemicals as well as socially responsible working conditions and the transparent management of supply chains), also help in administering spaces healthier by reducing stress-inducing indoor ambient noise. These products are both renewable and compostable.

The product designer’s creations include bespoke editions and unique collectables encompassing architectural elements, furniture and sculptures, all of which can be placed in various different indoor locales to visually accentuate a space while helping reduce any ambient noise. “I want to make acoustics visible, tangible and accessible,” claims Aigner. The collection includes chair designs, namely ‘Dumbo,’ ‘Big Dumbo’ and ‘Peter,’ lamps in the form of ‘Rocketman’ and ‘Rocketgirl,’ table designs that span ‘John,’ ‘Elton’ and ‘Kandinsky,’ cabinet and shelf designs that include ‘St George,’ ‘Candystore’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ daybeds that are entitled ‘Last Supper’ and ‘Very Last Supper,’ a room partition called ‘Rainbow,’ and totems and hanging decorations called ‘Cactus,’ and ‘Avatar + Cloud.’

Apart from building an array of furniture, Aigner has also created a series of art collectables using similar production techniques. These pieces, while primarily decorative, sometimes fulfil the role of lamps, such as, in the case of ‘Bad Hair Day’ and ‘Steve Flintstone The Lamp.’ In other cases, they serve as unique pieces that can adorn living rooms and bedrooms. Apart from experimenting in the realm of product design, Aigner also builds installations and decorates indoor spaces with acoustic additions. Her spatial installations enable Aigner to implement sound absorption on a larger scale. Some of her large-scale projects include interventions undertaken at Galleria Rossana Orlandi, in the MetaHaus building in Berlin and in the FreudenHaus Optik store in Munich. Made out of recycled PET and melamine resin, these custom-made installations, defined by primary shapes and the colour white, hang from the ceilings like chandeliers.