Prototype
Same, same, but different: Mintong Lu and Sophie Luger combine two identically shaped acoustic objects using acunic’s three-dimensional weaving technique to create a harmonious whole.
In her practice, designer Mintong Lu combines themes related to marginalized communities with the fields of informal architecture and intercultural exchange. For the design “The Better Half”, Mintong Lu and Sophie Luger have joined two objects into a new, acoustically optimized whole based on a subtle interplay of similarity and difference. Both elements were crafted using acunic’s three-dimensional weaving technique and share the same shape, albeit in a mirrored configuration. Despite their identical appearance, the two opposing elements serve different functions: One serves as a seating element, the other as a light fixture.
Developed as part of the seminar “Applied Acoustics” at the Institute of Architecture, University of Applied Arts Vienna.
Mintong Lu, a designer originally from China, lives in Vienna and holds a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Applied Arts Vienna. In her work, which spans the fields of product design, architecture, and urban planning, Lu explores how design can respond to current social, political, and environmental challenges. In doing so, she addresses topics such as marginalized communities, informal architecture, and intercultural exchange.
Sophie Luger is a Vienna-based architect whose work explores the role of sound in shaping architectural experience. Working across architecture, acoustics, and material experimentation, she investigates how acoustic environments influence perception, spatial experience, and our imagination of the built environment. Her research focuses on the potential of building façades as active acoustic interfaces, expanding the architectural envelope beyond its visual and environmental performance. Prior to her own field of work, she gained professional experience in a number of internationally operating architecture firms. She studied at the UCL Bartlett School of Architecture in London and the University of Applied Arts Vienna, where she now teaches in Architectural Design Studio 3 and conducts the course Applied Acoustics.
