Deutsche Bahn, the German railways, and Phononic Vibes, an Italian startup, jointly announce an innovation in the field of noise protection: transparent soundproof walls with high sound-absorbing properties. The MetaWindow, developed by Phononic Vibes together with DB, combines the sound-absorbing properties of conventional walls with the visual advantages of transparent walls. The key is the use of metatechnology, metamaterials, which increase acoustic efficiency over traditional noise protection systems due to the special geometry of the system.
DB and Phononic Vibes collaborated and developed the product together from concept to certification. The MetaWindow was first unveiled as part of the Greentech Festival in Berlin in May 2024, and the first implementations in infrastructure projects are planned for 2024 in the S4 rail section in Hamburg.
Berthold Huber, DB infrastructure director says in a note, “To achieve our environmental impact reduction goals, we need to increase traffic on the rails and expand the network more and more. But only if rail traffic becomes quieter can we gain the necessary public approval and acceptance. This is precisely where the innovative MetaWindow comes in: with the transparent noise barrier, municipalities no longer have to decide between appearance and functionality.”
Phononic Vibes’ MetaWindow is the ideal solution for places where the law requires highly absorbent noise barriers and equal urban sensitivity. Because of the great impact of noise barriers on the urban landscape, railway lines in urban areas are the most affected, as are tourist areas, near residential developments and in protected natural landscapes. This benefits both residents and travelers by obtaining an unobstructed view while traveling by train. MetaWindow, by integrating without impact with its surroundings, reduces the number of objections and legal actions during the construction of noise barriers: this in turn has a direct impact on shorter implementation periods.
The innovative metatechnology absorbs specific frequency ranges due to its special geometry and, combined with the sound-absorbing material, provides a high level of sound reduction. The MetaWindow is the first wall on the transparent market to be classified as highly sound-absorbing in terms of sound absorption, achieving sound insulation from 34 to 37 decibels while maintaining the percentage of transparent surfaces up to 72 percent. The currently available transparent noise barriers are significantly less effective in reducing noise and are therefore not suitable for widespread use along rails in accordance with legal requirements.
From an economic and price point of view, the economic advantage of the MetaWindow is clear considering the overall cost of constructing a noise barrier and in view of the cost-saving potential of faster project approval procedures due to and higher acceptance rates.
Noise protection is of great importance to DB and is firmly anchored in the Group’s Strong Rail strategy. As one of the four strategic areas, the green transformation focuses on, among other things, the noise protection aspect and aims to lighten the load on all affected residents by 2050 and more than half by 2030. Two approaches come into play to achieve this goal: on the one hand, through specific noise protection measures and, on the other hand, through noise emission reduction measures directly on noise-causing vehicles. About 3,250 kilometers of the existing network are to be rebalanced by 2030 and about 6,500 kilometers by 2050. In addition, noise protection measures are planned as part of the many new construction and expansion projects planned by Deutsche Bahn. This includes the aspect of expansion, improvement or replacement of noise barriers.
Phononic Vibes is based in Milan with a laboratory for advanced acoustic diagnostics, and in the province of Reggio Emilia for manufacturing, has a rich portfolio of 12 patents.
The startup was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from the Politecnico di Milano, thanks to the founders’ research experience on metamaterials at PoliMi and MIT Boston, advanced materials whose acoustic and vibration control performance is defined by the shape and topology of the unit cell and therefore independent of the raw material itself.
Based on this innovative technology and proprietary patents, Phononic Vibes develops and markets noise and vibration protection solutions enabling cost reduction and performance increase compared to traditional solutions commonly used in the market for acoustic and vibration treatment.
It currently employs over 30 professionals including engineers, designers, project managers and workshop staff, while corporate governance is led by 7 board members with international professional experience as industrial and financial executives. Partners include venture capital funds, both Italian and international: CDP Venture Capital SGR, Eureka! Venture SGR, 360 Capital Partners.
Richard Lutz, chairman of the board of Deutsche Bahn says, “More visibility, less noise: together with the Italian startup Phononic Vibes, we have developed transparent sound walls with the highest sound-insulating properties. With the new metatechnology, municipalities no longer have to choose between functionality and aesthetics, which increases public acceptance. DB Bahnbau Gruppe GmbH’s MetaWindow will be used for the first time this year along the new S4 in Hamburg. Innovation is born through exchange. It takes courage to try things and openness to new ideas. That is why we support companies like Phononic Vibes through DB Mindbox. Only together can we shape change and help modernize our country and future-proof it.”
Luca D’Alessandro, managing director of Phononic Vibes adds, “The partnership with DB began in 2020 and has developed over four years around the certification of the MetaWindow product, the first transparent and highly absorbent panel certified by rail. The certification journey has been complex, challenging and full of lessons that have contributed to the growth of our company in collaboration with the DB BahnBau Gruppe team. With the great result achieved together, Phononic is focusing in quality production in Italy for the German market as well as replicating the result in other international markets.”
Stefano Peroncini, CEO of Eureka! Ventures says, “Phononic Vibes represents a scaleup of the portfolio of Eureka! Fund: in just a few years it has managed to transform know-how and years of founder research between Milan Polytechnic and MIT in Boston into true product innovation, gaining visibility and credibility, not only technological but also commercial, with large international players such as the German railway group Deutsche Bahn.”
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