Bang & Olufsen has partnered with British material science brand Vollebak to launch a collaboration that aims to reimagine the future of design through aluminium, sound and storytelling.
The partnership debuts with two creations: the Vollebak Spaceshop – a 1000kg structure designed by Danish Space Architects SAGA – and the Beosound 2 Vollebak Edition, a sculptural speaker crafted through a unique anodisation process developed by Bang & Olufsen’s aluminium experts in Struer, Denmark.
Both pieces will be unveiled at Bjarke Ingels Group’s HQ in Copenhagen on 25 June, marking the start of a longer-term collaboration between the two brands centred on experimental design and material exploration.
“We’re excited to partner with Vollebak on this ambitious project, showcasing the innovation and experimentation that are at the heart of both brands. Together, we’ve transformed aluminium into a work of art – one that doesn’t just represent space and sound but also imagines the future we’re building towards,” says Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, Creative Director for Atelier, Bang & Olufsen.
“When we thought about our first shop we didn’t simply think about one city, or even one planet. We thought about a future in which stores would come to you, bringing the things you needed when you needed them, regardless of where you were hanging out on the beach in LA, or mining asteroids in space,” adds Nick Tidball, Co-founder of Vollebak.
The Spaceshop is built from precision-engineered aluminium, its exterior panels finished to match the Beosound 2 Vollebak Edition with a burnished, anodised aesthetic. Inside, it houses Bang & Olufsen’s iconic Beolab 5 and Beosound 2 speakers, delivering an immersive, space-inspired soundscape. Each Beosound 2 is one-of-a-kind, shaped by unexpected outcomes in the design process.
Alongside the Spaceshop, the two brands introduce the Vollebak Anodised Jacket, made from polyamide ripstop fused with a near-invisible layer of metal using galvanic treatment; an experimental process that mirrors the speaker’s material experimentation.
What began as an effort to replicate the effect of rocket-burn led to a breakthrough in anodisation. As Kresten explains, “Aluminium, in its raw form, has an open structure. Left untouched, it naturally oxidises to protect itself. But in a controlled environment, you can open the pores, introduce colour and seal it with a layer of aluminium oxide. The result is a refined metallic finish. Like many breakthrough innovations throughout history, an unexpected discovery unlocked the unique creative direction for the final design of the Beosound 2 Vollebak Edition.”
That discovery occurred when a test piece meant to be deep black emerged with textured swirls of grey and streaks of darker pigment – what the team later dubbed the ‘burnout’ effect. Intense experimentation followed to reproduce it under controlled conditions, yielding an unpredictable finish that gives each speaker its own unique identity.
The Beosound 2 Vollebak Edition is priced at £4,450 / €5,000 and is made-to-order. It is available to purchase at vollebak.com from 25 June and bang-olufsen.com at a later stage.
The Spaceshop installation will tour key cities globally.