Art Speaker “Joo Chiat”

We realised other than making a debut appearance at Crane Joo Chiat a while back, we never really spoke about the “Archi” (short for Architect) series of our Art Speakers. The Art Speaker “Archi” Series is a variation of our Classic series. Both are essentially the same speakers and the front panels are interchangeable between both series.

The Art Speaker “Joo Chiat” is inspired by 1950s ventilation blocks which is a common architectural feature during that time period. Simple in concept, it was a cross between a privacy of a wall and the need to keep a living spaces cooling. This was back in the day where air-conditioning is unheard of, relying mainly on passive cooling. The quaint Joo Chiat precinct had a lot of such ventilation blocks, many of them dating back as far as the 1940s. This was how we came about naming this speaker “Joo Chiat”.

The “Ventilation Blocks” are made of 4 layers of thin plywood that are laser-cut to precision, each with a different cutout. The layers of plywood are then bonded together, sanded down before applying layers of paint – primer, undercoat and finally the stone-finish coat. The final coat is what gives “Joo Chiat” that distinctive concrete wall look.