Material as medium: Innovating with acoustics for the Los Angeles Design Festival

From the onset of the project, the primary challenges were spatial and time-centric constraints. In addition to addressing the technical challenges of building large, freestanding structures, the exhibition was moved to the suite across from the Autex Acoustics showroom just four weeks ahead of its debut, which meant translating existing designs to an entirely new space.

“From the beginning, designing this exhibition meant we needed to figure out how to hang our product in a completely open space,” Maladra said. “We had to rethink everything we usually do—from layout to product flow—and deliver on an incredibly tight timeline.”

In the end, the design team created multiple spaces—first for Row DTLA, and later for the suite in the ARTrium, following a location change just four weeks before the exhibition launch. While both spaces were unfinished industrial locations, the final exhibition utilized scaled versions of the original designs of the Row space, challenging the team to deliver one-of-a-kind installations.

“On most jobs, we’re just cutting standard products to size, but this was a full-blown customization,” said Adrian Carrillo, design consultant at Autex Acoustics. “It wasn’t just about function either—it had to look good and align with the exhibition theme.”

The final exhibition, which reimagined several standard Autex Acoustics products, was showcased during three events—an exhibition party attended by hundreds of members of the LA design community, a sustainable jewelry making event with House of Spider, and a panel on the future of sustainable workplace design—included not only custom built elements, but acoustic experiences curated straight out of the minds of the designers.

“While the changes to location were stressful, that change also gave us the opportunity to add a hallway installation—a kind of last-minute idea that turned into a real highlight,” Carillo said. “We were able to pivot and translate the existing designs to the new space. Anthony and I both made revisions, updated the 3D environment, and gave you something you could visually walk through and sign off on.”

In the end, the work of both the wider Autex Acoustics team and their external partners led to one of the most successful events in Autex Acoustics US history. “The pivot showed how flexible our whole team could be under pressure,” Maladra said. “Everyone stepped up. It was a huge team effort, and honestly, a great example of what Autex Acoustics can do when we collaborate across departments.”

Andrews, who spoke to several Autex Acoustics’ partners over the course of the exhibition weekend, agrees. “We ran into several challenges in the six months it took to complete this project, but they all felt worth it when we got to see the final exhibition in totality,” she said. “I’m deeply grateful for all the hard work the entire team put into making this exhibition and the events that were part of it.”