Can you reduce noise in the office?

Photo by Rafael Leão on Unsplash  

Absolutely. There are many things you can do to reduce the noisy, negative soundwaves in an office.

According to Autex Acoustics, there are three man types of work activity that take place in a traditional office space: focused work, collaboration and socialising.

Using these measurements, you can roughly plan what acoustics you need in your office design.

In an area of focused work, you need it to be quiet, with minimal distractions and a productive atmosphere. The opposite requirement is needed for designated collaboration or socialising spaces. These areas both need to make the employees comfortable, with the collaborative space aiming to facilitate employees to generate the best ideas and talk openly together about a project.

In both of these situations, a key requirement is to find the right balance of acoustics to ensure that the workspace isn’t silent, but also that the noise from conversations, people’s footsteps and the clacking of keys on a keyboard, is not echoing around the office.

Here are some products that are recommended for decreasing noise levels in the office:

• Acoustic wall hung panels
• Acoustic ceiling rafts
• Space dividing baffles
• Desk mounted acoustic screens

These are brilliant for adding a creative flair to your office, making your office unique and are great ways to showcase your branding. They need to be incorporated into your office design from the beginning, as they are a very useful method for creating different work zones.

Carpets

Not only do carpets come with comfort, relative costs and the design versatility, but they are the best flooring to install when it comes to noise reduction, especially when compared to hardwood floors.

Acoustic ceiling tiles

These too are useful acoustic products to install to reduce the noise. Installing tiles on the ceiling help to prevent sound waves from bouncing around the room by absorbing them. This helps to keep general noise at a steady volume, rather than it becomingly distractingly loud.

Our recently completed case study for Invisible Systems, showcases the creative and colourful use of various sound absorbing products. The leading IoT solution provider, new office space was part of an old mill with associated high ceilings. A large part of the design brief was to consider creative ways to reduce or eliminate noise distraction throughout the open plan area. The Officeinsight design team installed a variety of sound absorbing products, including acoustic panels and ceiling tiles, selecting these in the strong brand Invisible Systems colour palette ensured a cohesive look throughout the space.

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