Black Box – A PRO-level listening room made of surface-treated panels at Habitare 2026

Black Box was the most technically advanced installation in the PRO area at Habitare 2026: a listening room built from Kontto’s surface acoustic panels, where the behavior of sound was designed and controlled from the very beginning. The space offered visitors the opportunity to experience what acoustics sound like when material, form, and sound absorption work seamlessly together.

Principles of Acoustic Design

The Black Box was designed as a space where sound behaves predictably and naturally. The design principles were:

• uniform absorption in the speech and music zones
• controlled reverberation
• minimization of early reflections
• uniform sound pressure distribution within the space
• an uncolored, neutral listening experience

The goal was not a completely anechoic space, but rather an acoustically controlled environment where details, dynamics, and a sense of space stand out clearly.

Materials and Structures

The room was constructed entirely from Konto Oy’s 4-cm surface peat panels, which serve as both sound-absorbing and surface materials. The panels’ natural porosity and open-cell structure make them exceptionally effective in small and medium-sized listening rooms.

Acoustic properties of the surface peat panels

• Thickness: 40 mm
• Material: natural surface peat
• Structure: open-cell structure → effective absorption
• Installation: solid panel structure, seamless whole

The diffusion and absorption properties of the peat panels combine in a way that softens sound without over-damping.

Absorption classes

Typical absorption of 4 cm surface peat panels:

• 500 Hz: high absorption
• 1000–2000 Hz: very high absorption
• Speech range (250–4000 Hz): even attenuation
• 125 Hz: natural softening, no over-attenuation

This frequency response makes the panel ideal for listening rooms, studios, and demo rooms where sound accuracy and clarity are paramount.

Acoustic Behavior in a Room

The Black Box’s acoustic profile was designed to:

• to shorten reverberation time
• to reduce early reflections
• to even out sound pressure throughout the space
• to improve speech intelligibility (STI)
• to enhance the sense of space in music

The space was a balanced listening environment, not a dead room—the sound behaved naturally yet in a controlled manner.

Why Habitare chose the Black Box for its PRO space

Habitare elevated the Black Box to the PRO level because it:

• represents an acoustic solution designed for professionals
• demonstrates the acoustic performance of natural materials
• shows how an entire space can be built using surface peat panels
• offers visitors a tangible listening experience, not just a visual presentation

Black Box was one of the most technically ambitious installations in the PRO area.

Why this is an important highlight for Konto

Black Box reinforced Konto’s position as:

• as an acoustics expert
• as an implementer of comprehensive spatial solutions
• as a pioneer in the acoustics of natural materials
• as an expert in PRO-level design and implementation

The space demonstrated that the use of surface-treated panels extends beyond homes and public spaces to include demanding listening and demo environments as well.