Acoustic elements swallow noises
Sparse furniture combined with smooth wall, ceiling and floor materials is often perceived as architecturally appealing, but it is usually disastrous for room acoustics. Sound is reflected off the hard materials, resulting in unpleasant reverberation. As a result, users of such rooms often can no longer understand their own words. Concentrated work or a conversation without background sound are almost impossible.
This was exactly the experience that the employees of an industrial company had to make. In 2005, a new five-story building was erected as part of the company's expansion. Its façade and interior walls are largely made of glass and exposed concrete, as is the concrete core-activated ceiling used to heat and cool the offices. From the beginning, employees complained about the poor acoustic conditions, whereupon the company's facility management left almost no stone unturned to get the problem under control.
Solution approaches
They first tried simple changes. Additional plants, high-pile carpets and half-height room-dividing cabinets were put in place. But this had little effect. The company then sought help from a professional. One suggested gluing foam elements to the ceiling, but this was not practical because of the concrete core activation, nor did it meet the company's aesthetic requirements. Another promised that a checkerboard foil suspended from the ceiling would improve room acoustics. The company concerned followed this suggestion, but the expert was wrong and the sound problem remained. The situation became unbearable in 2011 when the top floor was converted for management.
Conversion worsens situation
To protect the conversations of the company's board of directors from unwanted listeners, the existing glass partitions were replaced with thicker ones. Now, no one outside the offices could hear a conversation, but neither could anyone inside. The thicker glass also increased the reverberation. In the converted offices, one had the feeling of standing in a tunnel and constantly hearing one's own echo. It was clear that a solution had to be found. This time, contact was made with a company that specializes in noise control and offers complete solutions for offices or industrial halls. This includes, for example, acoustic measurements on site, advice on the materials to be used, delivery of the soundproofing elements and their careful installation.
Individual advice
Based on the sound measurements carried out on site and the floor plans provided, the sound insulation specialists worked out a concept that significantly reduced the reverberation in the office rooms. Special acoustic elements were used. These consist of a white absorber material enclosed by a surrounding white or aluminum-colored frame. Thanks to their unobtrusive appearance, such acoustic elements are particularly suitable for cases where good sound absorption combined with an attractive appearance is important. Almost 30 elements were installed in the eleven office rooms. All are individually adapted to the respective conditions and skilfully integrated between the ceiling-mounted lamps and smoke detectors. Since the acoustic elements are fixed at a distance of about 20 cm from the ceiling, they hardly affect its heating and cooling characteristics. The low weight of the acoustic elements also has the advantage that they do not affect the building's statics.
Multiple shapes
In order to be able to respond individually to every room situation, there is a wide range of sound insulation solutions. These include, for example, acoustic sails that are suspended from the ceiling, fabric-covered cubes that look like an art object, or partition systems that can be attached to the desk and also serve as privacy screens. What they all have in common is that they absorb sound excellently and reduce the reverberation time considerably. At the same time, they are extremely resistant to aging and blend harmoniously into the architecture of the room.
Sonatech GmbH: http://www.sonatech.de
