Akustak®

Oliver Mendelsohn, Managing Director at Akustak® talks to UKGBC about what It's like to be an innovator in the built environment

What is your elevator pitch?

Akustak® is a British-made, patented modular wall system designed to minimise structural waste within the built environment. Formally selected for growth and scale support by the UK Government’s Innovate UK EDGE, the technology serves as a high-performance alternative to traditional, resource-intensive interior partitioning. The system is specified on numerous high-profile sound production and podcast studio builds, with an institutional client portfolio that includes the London School of Economics and the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama.

Optimised for resource efficiency and off-site manufacturing, Akustak® minimises material waste during production and assembly. The prefabricated structural units provide excellent component portability alongside being engineered for structural disassembly and reuse, embodying core Design for Deconstruction (DfD) principles. Prefabricated formatting accelerates construction timescales, with on-site installation rates achieving up to 15 sq/m per hour, per installer.

Technical Performance & Regulatory Compliance

To ensure rigorous compliance for architectural specifiers and environmental auditors, Akustak® systems undergo comprehensive UKAS-accredited laboratory testing. The configurations achieve full compliance with Building Regulations Part E (Resistance to Sound) and Part B (Fire Safety), subject to site conditions and project design parameters:
• Airborne Sound Resistance: Laboratory tested in accordance with BS EN ISO 10140-2: 2010 & 717-1: 2013.
• Fire Resistance: Laboratory tested in accordance with BS EN 1364-1: 2015.

Systems Configurations & Performance Specifications

Note: All laboratory test data relates specifically to core units configured with Akustak® SoundBloc fascias.
• AkuStudio (Twin Independent Frame): Typically installed to form new spaces and separations where critical sound insulation parameters are required, including recording studios and test chambers. Laboratory tested to Rw 62 dB airborne sound insulation.
• Aku125 (Independent, Twin-Faced Frame): Typically installed to form new spaces and separations where rigorous sound insulation parameters are required, including interview rooms, meeting rooms, and private offices. Laboratory tested to Rw 49 dB airborne sound insulation and 79 minutes fire resistance.
• Aku133 (Independent, Single-Faced Frame): Typically installed directly in front of existing structural walls where enhanced sound insulation parameters
are required, such as party walls between dwelling-houses and flats. Laboratory tested to Rw 43 dB airborne sound insulation.

Material Fascia Specifications

The system offers four distinct, pre=engineered fascia options designed to meet varying aesthetic and functional requirements:
– Akustak® Standard: Constructed form wood fibreboard. Fully demountable and reusable
– Akustak® Chroma: Constructed form organically dyed wood fibreboard. Available in 11 colours. Fully demountable and reusable.
– Akustak® Forest: Constructed from premium birch plywood as standard (also available in Oak, Teak, and Walnut veneers). Fully demountable and reusable.
– Akustak® SoundBloc: Manufactured from dense gypsum board. Engineered ready for traditional plastering or painting. Core module components remain fully demountable and reusable; gypsum fascias require manual joint separation upon deconstruction.

Innovation Insights & Case Studies

How did you get to where you are today?

Addressing material waste was the foundational driver behind the technology. Innovate UK data indicates that 13% of all materials delivered to construction sites end up in landfill without being used. Developing a prefabricated, dimensionally coordinated approach directly targets this systemic resource inefficiency.

Operating under the broader Mute Group® framework enabled the successful presentation, commercialisation, and financing of Akustak® from its initial launch phase without requiring substantial outside funding.
Key developmental milestones include:
• Initial Residential Deployment: A major structural installation within a recently refurbished dwelling-house in London’s Notting Hill, meeting strict client demands for minimal structural disruption.
• Compliance Certification: Completing rigorous laboratory testing at AIRO’s UKAS-accredited test centre to verify Building Regulations Part E compliance, alongside securing the formal patent in 2020.
• Industrial Scaling: Securing a flagship commercial contract for ENGIE (now EQUANS) at the ExCel District Energy Centre power station in East London’s Royal Docks, demonstrating the system’s performance capacities within logistically challenging, heavy industrial environments.

What does innovation mean to you?

Innovation denotes altering established methodologies to achieve permanent, positive ecological change – specifically improving the sustainability of the built environment while minimising environmental footprints. The core objective is driving material and temporal efficiency through advanced building methodologies that are designed to mitigate legacy, waste-heavy construction practices.

How hungry is the built environment for innovation?

Market observation reveals distinct tiers of adoption across the construction industry. Sustainable innovation is highly forthcoming at the architectural and specification level. However, adoption faces greater friction at the grassroots installer level. Trade contractors frequently exhibit a resistance to altering conventional methods, occasionally stemming from a suspicion of new technologies or the availability of consistent maintenance work on period properties that does not mandate alternative workflows.

Overcoming this requires expanding site-certified installation teams and fostering a greater, data-driven awareness of the business case for sustainability at the grassroots level, moving the conversation away from political agendas and toward pragmatic, efficient construction mechanics.

What needs to change to help encourage more innovation?

Fostering innovation requires large corporate structures to actively incentivise new ideas rather than viewing innovative approaches as disruptive. Establishing collaborative corporate frameworks – such as operational workshops where personnel can openly share day-to-day site challenges and cross-reference potential solutions – provides a vital pathway for scalable improvement.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced as a start-up?

Garnering comprehensive, verified environmental data presents a notable financial and administrative challenge for early-stage companies. Compiling detailed metrics, such as formal Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), requires substantial capital investment. Quantifying absolute sustainability impacts while simultaneously balancing material sourcing logistics, supply chain practicalities, and strict project budgets remains a primary operational focus.

What’s your advice for new innovators and start-ups in the built environment?

Launching a novel structural technology from context zero is exceptionally challenging. Success is significantly accelerated when an innovator launches a product within a marketplace where they already possess deep operational experience, industry relationships, and commercial traction.

What’s next for your company?

The immediate corporate focus centres on making the system’s verified environmental performance entirely watertight. While the Akustak® system mathematically surpasses traditional building methodologies regarding waste reduction and structural circularity, ongoing development is dedicated to optimising material selection to continuously elevate the ecological profile of the product components.

Strategic licensing opportunities are currently open for manufacturing and deployment partners.