Companies need to enable their employees to do their best work, but a noisy workspace hinders that. Management can either control the noise level of a busy office or call center, or be at the mercy of an overstimulating and irritating environment. Worse yet, if there is noise pollution, it can negatively impact both sales and the customer experience. Sound walls, treatments and panels to the rescue!
How do Acoustic Treatments Work?
Let’s look at how noise travels to see how to manage sound — and what treatments, panels and sound walls can do to help. Sound will travel through the deck (the base) of a building and bounce off of solid surfaces. The solution to that ping pong-ing of sound waves in a typical office is to add sound absorbing treatments and panels.
New Construction: If you’re building a new facility and are in pre-construction you can build your walls all the way up to the grid. This provides the highest level of sound absorption. If that isn’t an option you should put as much insulation as possible above the drop ceiling.
Existing Buildings: If you are moving into an existing facility, don’t worry, there are still great solutions. By adding sound panels to the existing walls, you will achieve excellent results. Sound absorbing panels are made of different types of fibers that dampen sound. They absorb much of the sound waves instead of reflecting them back the way harder surfaces do. In addition, some of them look fantastic! Beautiful sound panels are available that enhance your work environment while providing excellent sound absorption.
Sound Design Options
Having expert advice will ensure the best result for your needs. There are options for placement, materials, and installation.
Placement Options
- Hang acoustic panels from the ceiling.
- Attach panels to walls.
- Place panels on top of desks.
- Attach treatments to the walls of cubicles.
- You can also have movable walls that have sound absorbing panels inside of them.
These options are adhered with cleats, carpet tape or nails. You can choose whichever option is best for your application.
Sound Blocking versus Sound Absorption
It is important to note that acoustic panels and other materials don’t block the sound, they help absorb the sound. This is also why sound panel ratings are important. Soft surfaces help keep the sound from echoing around as much. Everything from carpets to soft furnishings and wall art can assist with sound absorption, but when you add beautiful and functional treatments that marry science with aesthetics, you have the best solution.
Extreme Sound Issues
When your location has an extreme issue with sound, it is not always a simple fix. Sound travels wherever it can and is very sneaky. You can pack a wall of insulation from end to end, but if the wall only goes to the ceiling grid, sound will travel over the wall and bounce around. The best option is to have the walls go all the way to the deck. That is certainly an expensive fix post-construction, so if that isn’t an option for your location, there are still ways to improve your acoustics. Talk to our experts to learn more about those options.
Sound Treatments for your Office
You’ve read how important a quiet working environment is to your business and learned some basics of how to control a noisy environment. Now you may want to see how this could benefit your office or call center. Please reach out to us right away at (602) 840-6678 or drop in between 9am and 5pm to see our sound treatments in action.
Let ACI create a custom solution based on your specific needs and budget.