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How to reduce echo in the workplace
Some of the smart looking acoustic panelling on display at Clerkenwell Design Week this year
It’s not just your marble-cladded reception rooms with high ceilings that suffers from echo. Today’s modern office environments such as those trendy brick-exposed barns and refurbished warehouse spaces can be inducive for unwanted echo.
We are experts in improving the acoustics within office space and can retrofit a large choice of acoustic wall, ceiling or room dividing panels. Whatever your office challenges, we can help.
Minimalist office layouts don’t always harbour echoes. What is yours like?
It might be useful to understand why echo happens in the first place. The situation is normally easily remedied. An echo occurs when a sound wave reflects back towards its source after hitting a hard surface. Look around your office…it’s likely you’ll note some of the following:
• High ceilings with exposed services
• Hard flooring surfaces (wood, concrete or vinyl’s)
• Hard wall surfaces
• Lots of glass (windows or partitions)
• Windows without appropriate acoustic blinds
• Lots of desks (and staff) in an open plan area
Artwork brings a huge number of benefits to your office acoustics
The solution
Echoes, like unwanted noise pollution, can be absorbed by introducing soft surfaces and furniture to the workplace; things like acoustic wall panels, soft sofas, acoustic blinds or curtains and acoustic art. There are many popular noise-absorbing installations which have proved beneficial to our customers:
• Acoustic rafts (these hang horizontally from the ceiling to interrupt and absorb sound energy). This type of panel is the most efficient choice and gives the biggest improvement per square metre.
• Acoustic baffles are similar to rafts but hang vertically from the ceiling
Acoustic panels don’t have to be boring
• Acoustic wall panels which are absorptive surfaces that are fixed to the walls to provide very effective reduction of reverberation. As part of our service we calculate the overall coverage required for optimum acoustics of the space
• Investing in upholstered furniture – the deployment of soft seating across an open plan environment can help alleviate reverberation and give a comfortable break-out or informal meeting area
Our most popular options include deploying acoustic pods or meeting hubs across the floor which have a double benefit; they provide acoustically controlled meeting spaces and the external walls and surfaces can absorb sound energy to improve the acoustics around them. A double benefit for your money.
The recent blog ‘Don’t be baffled by workplace noise’ provides some more information and solutions to help you.
Why not get in touch with us about any office related projects you are exploring. Contact the office acoustics experts