Umbel presents

Stagger (the film)

Umbel's Zackery Belanger discusses the origins of Stagger (2025), an experimental installation that expands the role of furniture in architecture.

Do vintage stackable Haworth chairs from the mid-1990's absorb sound?

Does any "hard" material absorb sound?

Why do the same materials tested in different labs have difference absorption coefficients?

For that matter, what is "blue"?

Directed by Nicholas DeMaison
Written by Zackery Belanger and Nicholas DeMaison
Filmed and edited by Crucible Media
Original music by Nicholas DeMaison
Acoustic Simulations by Umbel
Animations by Perotin
Stagger Team Joshua Smith, Eleanor Unsworth, Jessica Sato
Stagger photography by PD Rearick
Laboratory photography by Jessica Sato
Filmed at Umbel; Detroit, MI, USA
Support provided by Riverbank Acoustical
Laboratories Novelty Testing Program
©2026 Umbel

ThinkLab presents

The Possibility of Acoustics

Zackery Belanger demystifies how acoustics work in the built environment with a discussion on how acoustics work in a space, how to measure them, and why there’s a limit to how precise we can get.

Reflections on

The Routledge Companion to the Sound of Space

A comprehensive collection of essays and accompanying sonic material written by practitioners and researchers across a wide range of disciplinary fields, addressing both the current state and future trajectories of works where sonic and spatial practices intersect.

DesignBoom features

Dartmouth Sound Lab

The team transformed a former administration building into a flexible performance venue dedicated to spatial sound, designed to support Dartmouth’s new Master of Fine Arts in Sonic Practice.

Life with Strings Attached presents

Acoustics & Architecture

Zackery Belanger argues for consideration of non-acoustic surfaces and objects within an intuitive, creative approach to acoustic design.

Catalyst Conversations presents

The Evolution of Acoustical Testing & Product Innovation

I've been going to Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories for about twenty years, and it's remarkable to see how much acoustic products have changed in that time. What I remember as the most traditional drab wall and ceiling panels transformed into a veritable explosion of colorful, sculpted PET felt, along with the occasional experimental design like the glass panels of Long Range. It was a real treat to speak with the lab's director, Eric Wolfram, about this history and the future that is coming. Listen to the full podcast here.

Design Museum of Chicago presents

Acoustic Ornament

Acoustic Ornament connects the objects and surfaces that surround us with the sound of our built environment.

Metalcon presents

The Acoustics of Metal Buildings

Metal construction creates unique acoustic challenges, especially for large spaces with tall ceilings. This session will describe the history of acoustics and metal buildings – how they each developed and how they combine in the present day.

Architect Magazine

R+D Award: Long Range Glass

With Long Range, a team—led by University of Michigan associate professors of architecture Catie Newell and Wes McGee and Zackery Belanger, director of the Detroit-based Umbel—looks at shaping glass for broader acoustic qualities.