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Sound insulation and room acoustics 4.0 - with wood

More and more people are suffering from noise – whether at work, during education, or at home. The demands on sound insulation, coupled with a balanced and natural room acoustic, are increasing, requiring the continuous development and innovation of concepts and solutions. Ideally, this should be done in harmony with nature and in a truly sustainable and environmentally friendly way.

A soundproof booth that meets our usual high standards, yet is made entirely of wood ... is that even possible? Our internationally renowned research partners took on the challenge and collaborated with us. After a year, the initially unthinkable became reality: ROSI was born – the world's first organic sleep and concentration booth.

Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics

With 32,000 employees, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is Europe's largest and most prestigious organization for applied research and development. One of its many institutions is the Institute for Building Physics (IBP) in Stuttgart.

STUDIOBOXes have been tested at the IBP for decades – especially regarding sound level reduction (photo in the reverberation chamber). In 2024, a joint research project was launched for the first time. The goal was to develop a truly sustainable, ecological booth that – excluding seals, fittings, and glass – is made entirely of wood and achieves the same high sound insulation values as the proven booths across the relevant frequency spectrum.

New territory for science

Highly efficient sound insulation using only biological materials was uncharted territory for science. Nevertheless, the feat was accomplished – and at the end of a year of research (primarily on hybrid materials) involving the departments of building physics, room acoustics & life cycle assessment, and the expertise of the STUDIOBOX team, the prototype of the world's first ecological soundproof booth was created.

ROSI was born – an elegant sleep and concentration booth with an optimized CO2 footprint and sound insulation far exceeding the highest class of the EU standard ISO 23351-1:2020. ROSI is the first of its kind on the global market – and it is available (like the classic STUDIOBOX) in almost all sizes. Since the booth is manufactured in the Hutter Acustix carpentry workshop, additional features and furnishings of all kinds are also possible.

Walters-Storyk Design Group

John Storyk, co-founder of the company (WSDG for short), once planned his first studio for guitar legend Jimi Hendrix. It became a masterpiece: the famous Electric Lady Studios in New York. Today, the architectural design office is a world leader in room acoustics - from studio fit-outs to concert halls.

STUDIOBOX has been working with WSDG for decades - for example, in optimizing and simulating the interior acoustics of our models PREMIUM and ROSI. In addition, WSDG has realised spectacular recording studio projects with Hutter Acustix, of which STUDIOBOX is a member. One of them was voted the most beautiful recording studio in the world in 2024.

Field research & computer simulation

WSDG also played a key role in the 2024 and 2025 research project to develop the biological & sustainable ROSI sleeping box. First, genuine field research was conducted under real conditions (in a flat) - with dodecahedron loudspeakers, sandbags, new (hybrid) material, a standard hammer mill that makes a lot of noise and much more.

And afterwards, many days of thinking and simulation on the PC were required on the basis of the empirically collected results. The outcome? A completely new, barrier-free floor structure and new interior acoustics - both at the usual high STUDIOBOX level without the slightest loss of quality.

Graz University of Technology

Since 2022, STUDIOBOX has been part of Hutter Acustix - a joinery specialising in all kinds of room acoustics solutions in Eastern Styria.

The 3rd generation Austrian family business (since 1949) has been researching room acoustics for decades - both in its in-house research department and in co-operation with Graz University of Technology.

New developments in room acoustics

The results of this work include: the unique system of selective sound control; the high-performance absorber SOUND2 (a mobile system often used in educational institutions and made possible by the ‘fibre resonance effect’ discovered by Hutter); the D-Blocker (an absorber used primarily in industry); a measuring booth for hearing aid acousticians and much more.

The project with Fraunhofer & WSDG carried out with and for the STUDIOBOX sound insulation cabinets represents a new milestone in the long history of research at Hutter Acustix.