Did you know that an office can be too quiet or too noisy? The acoustics in an office space can become quite a big issue, especially with open workspaces. If sound travels from one room to another, then in the same workspace a person taking a phone call can disturb someone else on the other end of the room.
While open spaces are excellent for collaborative work, when different departments share a workspace, sound can create a negative impact on productivity. When others in the workspace need to concentrate without disturbance and, in some cases, thought processes should not be disrupted, managing workplace acoustics can become an issue that needs to be dealt with, in some cases urgently.
Noise management in a working environment is influenced by several factors;
- placement of furniture
- section dividers
- air conditioning
- provision of white or pink noise
- other background noises
- the structure of a building.
Walls, floors and ceilings
When there is a problem with the way sound travels and affects the people within a working space, there are ways to address this with basic structural changes. These changes can be made to the walls, floors and ceiling of virtually any workspace.
Older buildings especially present with problems such as echo and reverberation and depending on the source of the noise much can be done to manage this. The primary purpose of implementing a sound strategy is to enhance the comfort of the people in the workplace. Changes can be made with a view to absorbing interior noise and blocking exterior noise.
Holistic approaches
When considering how to address the problems that noise presents, remember that it is wise to look at how the approach to walls, floors and ceilings as a group will resolve the issue overall. Walls can be treated with cladding, and false ceilings can be installed that can be lowered or raised depending on how the sound affects the occupants.
Flooring
Flooring may need deeper thought because although raised floors are an excellent route to managing acoustics in an office space, there will be other considerations too, such as what kind of floor covering will be needed. A firm of corporate lawyers may wish to invest in higher end carpeting, while a data input company that uses a lot of temps may have to consider high traffic and heavy use flooring that is more utilitarian in nature.
Whatever approach you take, remember to speak to professionals in all areas of acoustic management, so that you get several rounded opinions on the matter. Expensive mistakes only add to the cost when refitting has to take place.
If you want to improve the acoustics of your office, then speak to the raised flooring experts at Fieldmans Access Flooring. The team has a host of experts as well as an extensive range of raised flooring options designed to help with improving your workspace acoustics whatever your industry or needs. If you want to talk to an expert for friendly acoustic advice, then get in touch today on 020 8462 7100.
