Continental, the premium tire manufacturer, has commissioned WOA Studio, a creative studio founded by Davide Carioni and Giuliana Pajola, to create an immersive sound installation titled "The Sound of Premium" for the Fuorisalone design festival in Milan. Presented at BASE Milano, the installation transforms urban noise pollution into a three-part sonic journey—chaos, harmony, and quiet—using seventeen audio-luminous elements that abstract the city soundscape. The experience is designed to show how noise can be mitigated rather than eliminated, with sound data derived from real urban recordings, particularly tire rolling noise.
This installation matters because it reframes noise pollution—a major environmental challenge—not as an unavoidable nuisance but as a design problem that can be addressed through technology and creative thinking. Continental uses the project to showcase its own innovations like ContiSilent and Silent Pattern, which reduce tire-road noise, a growing source of urban sound as electric vehicles become more common. By linking art, design, and industrial research, the work highlights how interdisciplinary approaches can improve urban quality of life, making it relevant to discussions on sustainability, mobility, and public space.