Open Plan Office Acoustic Design

How can a fair level of speech privacy still be achieved between colleagues when there are no walls?  How can we prevent a build up noise from giving everyone a headache?

Reducing the Spread of Sound from Speech

Controlling Reverberation

Reducing the reverberation time is critical, linking to the level of sound energy ‘bouncing’ around the room.  By adding sound absorbing finishes and furniture, we can minimize speech sound travelling over distance by suppressing sound reflections from the room.  Reducing reverberation can soften the sound too, creating a less harsh / bright sounding environments which can be preferred for concentration, and increasing speech intelligibility in our immediate vicinity (but increasing speech privacy from others sitting further away.

Suppressing 1st order Reflections

Linked to the reverberation time, suppressing reflections is achieved by using sound absorbing material.  The critical difference is the location of the material.  Whilst it is good for reverberation to spread treatment around the room, some cleverly placed treatment can be used to enhance the noise screening effect of desk dividers and furniture by minimizing sound reflections of surfaces over and around them.

Screens and Containing Sound

Screens which block the line of sight between a ‘source’ and a ‘receptor’ aid in minimizing ‘direct’ sound.  Screens are best placed close to the source or receptor and can be used around group working areas to contain sound effectively.  Even partial height desk dividers are effective by reducing sound reflections off the desk and diffusing sound such that it can reach the acoustic absorption around the room more efficiently.

Layout