Acoustic Panels for Offices

Acoustic panels for offices are acoustic panels designed to be installed on the walls or the ceiling of an office or boardroom. The acoustic panels will dampen the noise, eliminate the echo and will look like they were designed with the room in mind…

Why is my office or boardroom so loud?

An office or any room becomes very loud, when the sound of people’s voices echo and reflect off the walls, floors and ceiling. In the 1980’s most offices and conference rooms, had carpet on the floor, and acoustic tiles on the ceilings. The trend now is to have polished concrete on the floor and exposed concrete ceilings. This along with other hard surfaces, such as windows, glass partitions, white boards and glass framed pictures all lead to more reverberation in a office/room and can make it quite noisy and/or hard to hear.

Can a measurement be taken of the noise level in my office?

A decibel reader will measure the level of noise, but what most people describe as “noise”, is actually echo or reverberation. The decibel reading in a room with acoustic treatment may actually be the same as one without. The perceived excess noise, is the sound of voices reflecting of the hard surfaces in your office, for an extended period of time, not the actual decibel level of the voices.

The level reverberation can be tested with highly sophisticated computer programs and microphones, however this costs quite a bit of money. A simpler more cost effective way to test a room for echo or reverberation is like with most things…THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT!! For you Android and IOS users, you can simply download an app called “Clap IR” or “AppAcoustiC”. What the app does is essentially takes a “baseline” of sound in a office/room when it is quiet and then all you need to do is clap your hands once and the app will tell you how quickly (or slowly) the reverberation went away in the office/room. An acoustically friendly office/room will measure less than 0.5 seconds.

Why is it so difficult to hear or understand a person who is on speaker phone for a conference call in my office?

As I mentioned before boardrooms and offices can be very stark and empty. This can cause echo and reverb to the point that sound becomes so muddy that it is hard to understand what people are saying, in the same room. When there is a conference call, the problem is amplified. The problem may not be your phone. It may be the room you are making the call from. A room that has flat reflective surfaces, can create echo or room reverberation. Even subtle room reverberation or echo can make it difficult for the party on the other end of the call to understand you.

Some people may want to run out and get a new more expensive model or higher quality of speaker phone, so before you do that…STOP!! Call Hush City Soundproofing and have an expert come to your office to assess the situation. A higher quality speakerphone will only accentuate and highlight the acoustic problem in the room, and just be a waste of your money! Businesses usually spend anywhere from a hundred to five hundred dollars on a speakerphone for their boardroom or office, only to find out that the parties listening on the other side of the call, can barely understand them, due to poor acoustics in the room. A better teleconference phone will only make the echo more obvious, and will accentuate the echo in the room.

How many acoustic panels do I need to fix the acoustics in my office?

For a room that is 10 feet wide by 20 feet long, and 10 feet high you need to find the volume of the room. In this case, multiply width x length x height. That would translate into 10′ x 20’x 10′ which equals 2,000 cubic feet. Now multiply the volume, by 0.035. So you will need 70 square feet of acoustic panel coverage. A 2’x4′ acoustic panel has 8 square feet of coverage, a 4’x8′ acoustic panel has 32 square feet of acoustic coverage.

Given the 70 square feet is required, you will need either 9 of the 2’x4′ acoustic panels or 3 of the 4’x8′ acoustic panels. Our acoustic panels come in any size you need them to be up to 4’x8′, and are available in two different thickness; 1 or 2.5 inch 

Now if you have drop ceiling tiles in your office and can’t have acoustic panels attached or hung from the ceiling we have another option for drop T-bar ceilings, and that is acoustical ceiling tiles. They look just like regular ceiling tiles just better for room acoustic!

What if I can’t get the coverage required?

You may have TV’s, windows, whiteboards, etc. that take up valuable square footage in your office or board room, so if these are not able to be relocated or removed from the office and you don’t have enough room for 40-50% coverage. If you can get half the required coverage you may only notice half the reduction in noise or reverberation. If you have tile, wood or laminate floors, you can also try switching out the flooring for carpet to help with absorption as well; the thicker the carpet the better!!

What other factors are there besides acoustic coverage?

The sound absorption effectiveness of the acoustic treatment is important, otherwise known as the NRC value (Noise Reduction Co-Efficient). An acoustic treatment with an NRC rating of .85 to .90 is ideal for offices and restaurants. Treatments with a higher rating will be thicker panels. Typically 1-2″ acoustic panels have the appropriate rating for offices. Our Hush  2″ thick acoustic panel has an NRC of 1.15 and is one of the highest rated acoustic panels in Canada!

Should the acoustic panels be installed on the ceiling or wall?

Ideally acoustic panels for offices should be installed on two perpendicular surfaces, at least one wall and the ceiling. The reality is that we rarely get the opportunity to get that kind of coverage. Where the panels are installed, is usually dictated by what we have to work around. For example existing fixtures, pictures, lighting and furniture. Hush City manufactures and supplies a high quality selection acoustic panels, baffles and clouds, and you can view these products here. We carry all different shapes, sizes and finishes of acoustic panels. Wood finishes, fabric finishes, foam finishes and even highly cost efficient polyethylene acoustic panels are available for walls or ceilings.

How do I get a quote or an assessment for the manufacturing, shipping and installation of the acoustic panels for my office?

Send us pictures of the space and basic room dimensions to [email protected] . We can then provide an estimate the same day. If the estimate we provide is within your budget, we would then come on site within a week, to take measurements, provide a formal quote and an acoustic panel layout for your review. Or if you prefer you can call us to have us come and take the pictures and measurements for you, which ever you prefer.

What fabric options do you have, to cover the acoustic panels?

We have hundreds of fabric options. We will show you fabric samples during the onsite visit. Fabric choice does not change the price of the panels. All of the fabric we offer is acoustically transparent.

Can I have something printed on the acoustic panel, like a logo or a picture?

Yes you sure can!! Printing a picture or company logo onto the acoustic panel is relatively in-expensive and they are eye catching and visually attractive. Printing on the acoustic panels is done using high definition graphic files. If you are looking for stock photos try istockphoto.com and choose the XXXL version.

How will the acoustic panels for offices look? Will they look professional?

Our manufacturer is located right here in Canada and they spend a great deal of attention to detail during the construction of the acoustic panels. Because the acoustic panels are made with an extruded aluminum internal frame, the corners and lines are sharp, and the fabric is wrapped tight. So the short answer is YES they will look fantastic and very professional!

How long will it take to install the acoustic panels in our office?

Typically to install acoustic panels in a boardroom or office will take between 2 and 8 hours to install. We can also work around your business hours.

Here are some photos of acoustic panels we have installed in the past:

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