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How to Improve Office Acoustics

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Key Insights

The office environment plays a big part in employees productivity, mental health and loyalty. Since Workplace stress has been linked to health problems and an increase in turnover, companies are investing more and more in strategies to create a constructive work environment that makes employees happier and more confident.

Today’s offices are much more open and designed for collaboration than ever before, increasing employee productivity, reducing stress and improving energy efficiency.
These new types of open-floor plan setups bring with them a new set of challenges such as noise level control. More people in an open space means more echoes and more noise to contend with, especially in buildings with high ceilings and concrete surfaces that increase sound reverberation.

What is a comfortable acoustic environment?

How to Improve Office Acoustics.

Noise within a room consists of direct sound and reverberant sound (reflected from the walls, floor, windows and ceiling). The acoustic performance of a room is determined by the proportions of reflective (reverberant) and absorptive surfaces.

The acoustic comfort of a room varies according to the sound absorption, reflection and diffusion of its wall, ceiling and floor surfaces as well as other objects including hard and soft furnishings. The higher the absorption and diffusion levels the more reverberation is controlled.

A good balance of reflection and absorption in a space is the key to a comfortable acoustic environment.

 

What is the difference between sound absorption and sound insulation?

Sound absorption is a measure of how much sound is absorbed by a surface. The remaining sound is reflected back into the space. In the absence of sound-absorbing surfaces a room will become noisy and reverberant, because the sound keeps ‘bouncing around’.
Sound absorption is defined as a coefficient between 0 and 1, where the latter means that all sound is absorbed by the surface – thus none is returned to the room.

Sound Insulation is the measure of how effectively sound is limited when passing through a building element. Sound insulation is important for glazing, partitioning and ceiling systems where the passage of sound from one space to another needs to be controlled. Two definitions of sound insulation are used depending on the product and its installation.

The first of these definitions is sound reduction, which is a measure of how effectively sound is blocked by an element – a ‘single pass’. It is the indication of how much direct sound is stopped from getting through a building element. It is used to describe glazing and partitions.

In addition to the direct ‘straight through’ definition, sound insulation is also quantified in terms of a ‘flanking’ route – the so-called ‘double pass’. It basically defines how much sound is blocked by passing through the same element twice. This is a relevant metric for ceilings which span more than one room and have a common void.

How to improve your office acoustics

The constant activity of a busy workplace can be very distracting and noise is a common issue raised by employees, especially in open-concept offices. Dealing with the echo of keyboard clicks, telephone rings and cross-talk can be frustrating and stressful. When looking to renovate an office or for a new building, companies must consider using tools and techniques for controlling the acoustics of the workplace and manage the balance between the need to communicate, the need for privacy and the ability to concentrate. With the new technologies, there are plenty of solutions nowadays to prevent high noise levels in the office, without affecting the aesthetic. Here’s how to improve office acousitcs.

Infographic explaining ABC Acoustic design principle

The best time to tackle serious sound issues is in the design phase and workplace design plans should include recommendations for managing acoustics such as the following examples:

Organise the office layout and workgroups based on the team activities and acoustics needs:
All departments don’t work the same way and have different needs when it comes to communication and privacy.
For example, the marketing team benefits heavily from regular communication and collaboration, whereas the accounts team will need to have a more focused approach to their work.

Set-up work zones based on the nature of the team’s daily activities is a good approach to make sure your employees work in a comfortable acoustic environment.


Partitions and room dividers:
Noise can be blocked through the tactical placement of screens, barriers and walls between the source of the noise and the work areas. Desk dividers are also effective in blocking noise from desk to desk in open plan offices.


Consider dedicated quiet areas or acoustic hubs:
Whilst we’re aware of the benefits of the open-plan environment, offices also need to consider quiet working rooms for concentrated work and quiet zones for meetings and private discussions.

Make sure the quiet working rooms are easily accessible and centrally located.
Locate meeting rooms and common rooms (lunch breaks spaces and noisy machinery rooms) on opposite ends of the office and away from open work areas to avoid employees being distracted by pre and post-meeting chats out of the conference room.


Combine aesthetics and acoustic performance using plants:
In addition to their abilities to purify the air and improve mood, plants can be very effective in reducing noise levels in an open office setting.
Not only ideal for sound reduction, live walls and green walls can add dynamic visual impact to otherwise ordinary spaces.  For better sound absorption, select plants and trees with wider leaves.


Use sound-absorbing materials and furnitures:

Hard surfaces are reflecting the sound and often cause acoustic problems and disturbance in a room. The use of soft furniture will help reduce hard surfaces of floor and walls, soften the noise and reduce the reverberation time in the room. Carpets, couches, lounge chairs, wall partitions, and filing cabinets can all have a positive impact on the acoustics of open office space.

Noise reducing acoustic foam is often used for these types of furniture, which enables workers to congregate with minimal disruption to those around them.


Play ambient noise (white noise) in the office:
Unwanted noise is distracting and can create unproductive environments in the workspace. White noise played in the background at a consistent low level can mask the unwanted noise, covering speech and other acoustic distractions.

Acoustically treat hard surfaces to absorb sound and block noise:
Hard surfaces such as walls and ceilings do not absorb sound waves, this means any sound in a room with many hard surfaces ‘bounces’ and creates an echo effect.

The acoustic characteristics of open-plan spaces are often different from smaller rooms because the ceiling is usually a more significant surface. It is essential that a sound-absorbing system is used to control reverberation and occupational noise.

suspended ceiling is often a suitable solution, although acoustic rafts and baffle ceilings can also be used if the soffit needs to be exposed.

SAS International range of ceilings, rafts, baffles and wall panels provide the highest levels of sound absorption and sound insulation available from systems of these types.

  • Benefits of SAS suspended metal pan ceilings:
    SAS range of ceilings provide up to Class A sound absorption and ‘double pass’ sound insulation of 50dB.SAS suspended metal ceiling systems and metal ceiling tiles are designed and built to the highest standards and offer a highly effective solution for a range of applications including commercial offices. Suspended metal ceilings are available in a range of different types using different metals and systems to create an interior ceiling that fits any design brief. The suspended metal ceilings have a range of tile options including clip-in, lay-in and hook-on perforated panels. The panels can be supplied in a range of different sizes, with the two most common sizes in Australia being 600 x 1200 and 600 x 600 mm.   We can also provide bespoke acoustic metal ceilings to meet specific project requirements. Progressive Materials can supply the full range of suspended metal ceilings from SAS International:

    SAS 150
    SAS 200
    SAS 310
    SAS 330

  • Benefits of SAS raft and baffle ceilings:
    The SAS International range of baffles and rafts can offer excellent acoustic performance due to their double-sided area and presence of edges.Easy to install, versatile and effective for noise reduction, baffle ceilings have become a preferred solution for large spaces with high ceilings. They are cost-effective and can be included in every project, new building or renovation with a minimum of remodelling of the space required. They can be installed throughout the entire room or area or just to highlight a specific spot, creating a modern and customised effect. Aesthetically pleasing and easy to maintain, they are ideal for high traffic zones, requiring open areas for smoke extraction like large offices and commercial areas.The rafts manufactured by SAS International and specified by Progressive Materials are available in a range of curved, flat or angled profiles as standard. Bespoke designs can be achieved to realise highly aspirational interiors. The flexibility of SAS600 rafts and modules makes them ideal for both new build and retrofit acoustic solutions. Progressive Materials can supply the full range of suspended metal ceilings from SAS International:

    SAS 600
    SAS 500
    SAS 510
    SAS 700
    SAS 740
    SAS 750

What to consider when choosing acoustic solutions for your office?

Office space design has evolved over the last few years, especially after the pandemic and architects and interior designers must consider these changes when working on office fit-out projects. Open plan office, flexible working, new technology, and team working have led to the requirement for a wide variety of work zones with different needs of acoustic performance.

There is no one size fits all approach and acoustic treatments will be different depending on the area. The acoustic treatments will vary on:

  • Room use: Meeting, training and learning area, social and relaxing space, quiet working space or room,  workstation for both residential and nomadic employees, noisy machinery room (printing, copying, stationery room or server room), restaurant and lunch break area, atria and reception.
  • Room shape: Glass walled, cathedral ceiling, domed, ceiling heights
  • Surfaces: Concrete, carpet, acoustic ceiling tiles, plasterboard, exposed soffit
  • Background noise: HVAC, office equipment, transmitted from other areas

Progressive Materials works closely with the design team at SAS International to provide unique metal ceilings that meet acoustic requirements as well as providing an outstanding finish. Contact us for your next office fit-out project so we can show you how to improve office acoustics.

FAQ – How to improve office acoustics

What is the acoustic performance of metal?

It is a common misconception that perforated metal is a poor sound absorbing material, outperformed by alternatives such as mineral fibre. Through careful specification of the size and number of perforations, metal tiles with mineral wool infills offer sound absorption equal to or greater than other commonly specified materials. How to Improve Office Acoustics: Install SAS international metal ceilings.

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