Since I bought the Jambox by Yves Béhar I have had a fascination with wireless speakers and how beautifully they can complement a music enthusiasts life. After years of using this device I started to think about how my own wireless speaker would look like if I ever would design one. After a time the ideas in my head turned into rough sketches and then the sketches turned into CAD models. At a certain point I decided to take this project head-on and that is what resulted in the PILAR Speaker.
Mission
The goal with PILAR was to create something that felt durable and eternal giving you the sense that this product, just like the mountains, would outlast us all.
Design
The housing of PILAR is made out of fine concrete which has both excellent acoustic properties and can be manufactured in different shapes easily. Concrete can be seen as man-made stone which helps in establishing the feeling of durability.
To save space the top of PILAR speaker has been made flat so that the area is still usable. A small groove goes around the perimeter to emphasise that this is area where you can put things without having them fall down.
To spread the sound throughout the room better the speaker is curved at the front so that each speaker has a slight angleling outwards. For symmetry the same curvature is also applied to the back of the speaker.
Furthermore the curvature reminds us of symbols that we have associated to sound-waves in our culture, which makes the functionality of the device even clearer on a sub-concious level.
The only control that the speaker has is one button for switching the device on and off. After PILAR has been turned on it can be paired with a bluetooth device where all other control functionality will lie.
The speaker has a bottom plate made out of light oak which makes assembly of the device possible. A second function of the plate is reducing scratching to surfaces. By having the plate go 2 millimeters lower than the concrete sides only the soft wood will ever touch the surface that the device is standing on.
Prototyping
All parts ordered and delivered.
Getting the electronics working.
Removing the concrete housing from the CNC made foam mould.
Joining it all together.
PILAR Speaker on my desk.