“It’s chaotic outside, but as soon as you get up to the 14^th floor, you can feel a total shift in energy”. We met with Business Developer Nick Bornheimer and talked about the design of Allsteel’s showroom: a proof of concept for Swedish company Zilenzio, who are experts in improving the sound environment and now invests in the US market.

 Could you start by giving us some background to this ?

– So, we were combining a couple of Allsteel’s different brands into one space, and we had to fit more into a smaller area than we were used to. That meant more people in a smaller space and noise cutting through the space in ways we weren’t familiar with. Zilenzio helped us map where we needed acoustic elements and held our hands throughout the process.

This was during the pandemic, right? 

– Exactly, it was during the heart of the pandemic, so they were not here in person. But they were with us every step of the way from a consultation standpoint, being on calls with our designers, helping people to walk through the space and explaining where certain things should go and why.

Not being there in person must have made the work harder, what was the result like? 

– Sure, it’s better to be at the site in person, but they got it pretty close, I must say. There were a few things that we wanted to add and a few things that we wanted to switch out, but it was mostly just from an aesthetic standpoint, because it worked from a functional standpoint. And that is because of their excellent algorithm, which makes it possible to calculate the results based on multiple factors in the room.

How do you prove the value of these products? 

– The best way is to invite people to our showroom. Unlike many other products, you must be in the environment to fully understand the amount of difference Zilenzio’s products make. In our showroom, you feel an immediate impact right when you get off the elevator. We’re just north of Union Square, a very busy area of New York City, it’s chaotic outside, but as soon as you get up to the 14th floor, you can feel a total shift in energy.

–  It’s funny because there is one space where there was a bit of a disagreement with our lighting designers who really wanted this specific chandelier in one area, and Marie at Zilenzio even said, “It’s beautiful, but we won’t have the right sound absorption quality in here if we are to leave it”. But we left it, and you can tell there is a difference in that area. We are a functioning showroom, so showing and telling this story is a good way of making people understand Zilenzio’s products.

Do you have a forecast for Zilenzio in the US this year? 

– They provide a type of offering that the city didn’t really understand the value of, so it’s been a cool new thing we can offer to our clients. We have been partnering with Zilenzio for about three years now. With this showroom, we can really prove how effective their products are. They are a part of our offering in almost every project we work on now, so I think 2023 will be a great year for Zilenzio.

If you want to know more about Allsteel and their offering with Zilenzio, just send an e-mail to Nick Bornheimer, bornheimern@allsteeloffice.com.
Or contact Marie Lindqvist Pahlstad, the founder of Zilenzio – marie.lindqvist@zilenzio.se.

 Products used in this case: Delta ceiling, ARC, Dezibel wall, Mezzo, Dezibel ceiling, Focus Floor, Tone Cabinet and Skog Floor screen. Here are some examples.
You can find the whole Zilenzio collection here.