Noisy offices can be transformed into productive workplaces through the range of acoustic systems for walls, floors and ceilings, plus sound absorber panels and specialist sound insulating products from Hush Acoustics.
The UK manufacturer works with architects, contractors, developers, acoustic consultants and property owners to help them reduce issues associated with excessive noise harming the quality and comfort within offices. This issue has become an increasingly important priority for businesses and organisations seeking to optimise the working environment as occupancy levels return to those more aligned with pre-pandemic use.
A key issue in many offices, especially larger open plan offices, is a high level of background or ambient noise. This usually results from reverberation and echoes due to soundwaves bouncing off hard surfaces, such as plastered walls, wooden floors and large areas of glazing, which often dominate in spaces designed to accommodate multiple users to maximise durability.
Hush Acoustics provides a solution for these issues through its range of sound absorber panels which are proven to be effective at absorbing soundwaves so that they cannot reflect back into the room. These are manufactured using a specially formulated foam inner core wrapped in a durable outer fabric that can be colour-matched to an office’s décor scheme and even printed on to feature art or company branding.
Hush Absorber 50 is one of the most popular products in this range, offering Class A absorption for high performance and designed to be wall or ceiling mounted. Other products in this range provide solutions that hang from the ceiling in the form of acoustic rafts or baffles – ideal for offices where the wall or soffit surface area is limited. The Hush technical team can advise on which of these offers the best solution for each project.
Reverberation can also be addressed by using products concealed within the ceiling area in certain types of construction. For example, in buildings featuring a metal deck roof, it may be possible to fill the voids within the trapezoidal shape of the profiled metal deck using a product such as Hush Acoustic Infills. And in suspended ceilings, sound absorber slabs could be incorporated to provide additional absorption.
Other issues in offices
Sound absorption, however, is just one of the issues that may need addressing in noisy offices. In many cases, noise not only results from people and activities within the office, but also from sound transmission through separating walls, floors and ceilings from adjoining rooms or buildings and even the external environment. In these circumstances, one of the fully tested Hush acoustic systems can provide the solution.
Acoustic systems are designed and developed to offer an ‘off the shelf’ solution that can be applied to the required type of construction, such as metal studs, masonry or timber. These can also be tailored to more accurately meet the requirements of the building, and a variety of options is available to meet the project’s sound reduction targets and budget.
Focusing on the acoustic insulation provided by the walls, floor and ceiling should also be a priority in offices where confidential and private meetings or discussions need to take place.
This is a crucial consideration for maximising privacy in offices used for purposes such as healthcare and education, but also in commercial workspaces where HR and senior management teams will often need to maintain confidentiality in discussions with employees, customers and suppliers.
More specific noise issues can also be addressed with products from the Hush Acoustics range, such as break-in sound. In some office buildings, sound can find a way into a space despite the walls, floor or ceiling being relatively well acoustically insulated.
Examples of this issue include impact sound resulting from rain falling onto a flat roof and airborne sound transmitting through the voids of suspended ceilings. In both these cases, a high density barrier mat such as Hush Barrier Mat 10 kg/m2 is one of the solutions available.
To find out more about the acoustic products and systems available to reduce nuisance noise in offices and how best to deploy them, contact Hush Acoustics on 0114 352 0695 or visit www.hushacoustics.co.uk.
