HISTORY
Matis – Bespoke acoustics since 1978
Matis came into being in the 1970s, thanks to the intuition of founder Claudio Barabaschi. The name is a combination of the first letters of Materiali Isolanti – insulating materials – the firm’s sector of operation.
Matis stands out as a pioneer in the field of noise pollution, which at that time was deemed unimportant, as its relevance to both industry and civil life was not recognised.
It is in the 80s that Matis completes one of its most original and significant commissions: the former Abanella room at La Scala theatre in Milan is converted into a rehearsal and recording room for the orchestra, resulting in a space with variable reverb which is still used today for the same purposes. This project is considered experimental and innovative; so much so that the results of acoustic measurements in the rehearsal room are presented at the 18th national conference of the A.I.A. (Italian Acoustic Association) by those responsible, engineer Angelo Farina and surveyor Claudio Barabaschi.
During the same period, another major experimental project is executed: Matis is charged with silencing the flight simulator for the SMIPAR school of skydiving in Pisa, which is located in a residential area where noise pollution must be kept within certain limits. MATIS experts design and construct a silencer silo capable of reducing emissions of 45 dBA to 250 Hz, so that the air flow needed for practise activities in the simulator does not disturb the surrounding homes.
The 1980s are full of news, such as the patents for specific heath and safety systems and materials for the bottling sector: the Omnia soundproofing tunnel and the Realtime sound absorption panels are installed by clients such as Heineken, Peroni, S. Pellegrino, S. Bernardo, Acqua Panna, Martini, Cinzano, Campari, Carapelli, Palmera, Sidel, Coca Cola, F.lli Ferrari and Surgiva.
In the 90s, MATIS invests in innovative technology with new features: a semi-reverberation chamber compliant with ISO 3743 for testing the sound emissions of small household appliances, an ISO 3741 reverberation chamber for studying sound absorption in materials and a tunnel for detecting the insertion loss of new products.
At the same time, new projects are underway: recording studios at Eurodisney Paris; a patent for the “MOBI” mobile anti-noise barriers used by the former Milan fair complex to separate the building site acoustically from the adjacent Portello residential area.
In the 2000s, MATIS finds new opportunities in the automotive sector, constructing cabins for vehicle water testing at the end of the production process.
These are a new challenge for the company, which succeeds in ensuring watertightness and resistance to a highly corrosive atmosphere yet retaining great aesthetics. FIAT/FCA immediately introduces the product as standard equipment for many of its premises around the world.
The following years show constant growth both in client numbers and in quality standards; beginning with Matis corporate management, certified UNI EN ISO 9001-2008 by Cermet with registration number 2347-A.
From 2010 to the present day, MATIS acquires two major new clients, confirming the professionalism and expertise of the team: Ansaldo Energia, for which it produces cabins, silencers and barriers for thermal power stations; Nuovo Pignone (General Electric Group), for which it produces cabins and anti-noise barriers for thermal power stations.
In recent years, Matis has obtained further important certifications: it is classified SOA in class 4 of the OS 43 category (“Anti-noise systems for transport infrastructure”) on the RINA classification; and in 2015, the firm’s metal carpentry was certified EN 1090-1 by RINA, with registration number 0474-CPR-1282.