Swell by Jones & Partners for The Collective Agency

Swell is a lightweight, horizontally seamless acoustic wall cladding solution with a unique height of 2.7m made from eco-material EchoPanel®. Offering both acoustic and environmental properties, Swell is reminiscent of a wave. The innovation lies in its most unique asset – its scale. Bespoke machinery dedicated to achieving Swell’s 2700mm high x 900mm heat-moulded panels; the largest compression-press tool in Europe, was engineered by The Collective Agency. The tooling required to accommodate the curved height of the moulded panel left 1mm to spare to allow the blade to cut the panel to size, so precision was critical. Swell illustrates the importance of trust between designer and manufacturer which creates the confidence to take risks and believe in intuition.