Activity

Open-plan office layouts are frequently adopted to create flexible buildings that are quickly adaptable to companies’ changing needs. An open-plan solution has the advantages of facilitating interpersonal communication and knowledge transfer as well as allowing different groups of workers to create their own workspaces in the office. However, a disadvantage is that different work groups can disturb each other. The challenge lies in creating a sound environment that favours communication between the members of a work group while preventing their conversations from disturbing colleagues further away.

Room Acoustics

Work in open plan offices requires good speech clarity over shorter distances  whilst also limiting the sound from spreading over longer distances to avoid disturbing other work groups. Short sound propagation in the room is thus vital for open plan offices. Acoustic ceilings with high absorption class (class A) and high Articulation Class (AC>180) value are recommended, in order to minimise sound propagation, support speech clarity and lower the sound levels in the room. Screens between workplaces reduce disturbances and limit sound propagation. Their efficiency is further enhanced if a high absorbing ceiling is installed.
In open plan offices, people sometimes need a quiet space where they can work undisturbed, or to go to in order to not disturb others. As a general recommendation there should be at least one silent room available per 10 workers in an open space. Silent rooms can be created with system walls fitted flush against the acoustic ceiling. Please note that the acoustic ceilings in these rooms must be both sound-absorbing and provide acoustic insulation in order to achieve adequate soundproofing. Our recommendation is that the ceiling provides a sound insulation value of at least 40 dB.