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Finding a solution for acoustic problems in your office
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  • Mark Dowse
  • Uncategorised
  • April 28, 2021

Finding a solution for acoustic problems in your office

Often, people only start thinking about acoustics once they experience an actual problem in the office—excessive background noise, too many distractions or lack of privacy. Therefore, acoustic solutions should be part of the design process of a space from the very beginning, requiring close collaboration across all teams involved to achieve the best result, from a design as well as acoustic perspective. When this isn’t the case, the good news is you still have a chance to improve the acoustics profoundly with the right solutions.

This step-by-step guide will help you solve acoustic problems in your existing office space.

Step 1: Detect the source of the acoustic problem or noise
Step 2: Define the type of acoustic problem
Step 3: Choose a solution for the type of room

Generally speaking, there is no one size fits all. That’s also why this guide is primarily meant to steer you in the right direction to choose the best solution(s).

Step 1: Detect the source of the acoustic problem or noise
— Acoustic issues related to building acoustics

As the name implies, building acoustics has to do with the building and the transmission of sounds from outdoor to indoor and between structural elements of a building, e.g. floors and walls.

This is the case when:

Sound is transferred from outdoor to indoor, e.g. cars, trams, airplanes passing by
Sound is transferred between floors, e.g. footsteps from the floors above
Sound is transferred between adjacent rooms, e.g. an adjacent meeting room


Improving building acoustics by means of insulation in an existing space can still be treated with several solutions. For instance, acoustic panels, free-standing sound-absorbing elements or even add curtains, rugs, plants and other porous, soft objects that will help absorb sound waves. As a general rule of thumb, the more porous materials you have, the fewer sound transfers will transpire.

— Room acoustics: noise and sounds within a room or given space

Opposite to building acoustics, room acoustics pertain to noise and sounds within a room or any given space. Rather than focusing on insulation to remedying transmission of sounds, the key to room acoustics is absorption to prevent sound waves from bouncing back-and-forth in a room.

We’ve listed a few examples below that are often reported as the cause of complaints.

Disturbances from chatty colleagues
Air conditioning and heating
Disturbed by conversations from the other end of the room, e.g. from communal spaces
Difficult to concentrate with too many distractions

Step 2: Define the type of acoustic problem you need to solve

The problems that often arise in relation to poor room acoustics are many, but to give you a better overview, we’ve grouped them into the following:

Reverb and echo/background noise/lack of privacy

— Reverb and echo
— Background noise

Reverberation is the persistence of a sound after the original sound has stopped. The brain will recognize the sound as one extended event so it takes too long for the original sound to drop dead.
Echo, on the other hand, transpires when a beat of sound can be heard twice or even more times. In this case, the brain will perceive the sound as separate events.

“In 99% of the cases, it’s reverberation, and not echo, that causes noise problems in workspaces.”

Background noise examples include chatty colleagues, ringing phones, mechanical devices, e.g. refrigerators, coffee machines, and printers.

Possible solutions

From room dividers to acoustic panels and sound absorbing lighting. In order to remove background noise completely, ideally, you have to build floor-to-ceiling partitions or remove yourself from the noise source.

— Lack of privacy

When we talk about lack of privacy, we refer to it in its broadest sense, including both acoustic and visual.

Possible solutions

Whether for visual or acoustic privacy, we suggest options such as phone booths or privacy booths. You may also consider free-standing elements, e.g. room dividers, or desk partitions to divide areas and mitigate sound transfer between specific zones.

Step 3: Choose a solution for the type of room
— Different activities require different solutions

You have narrowed down the problem you want to solve, but finding the most suitable solution to it also depends on the activity of the space whether it’s a cafeteria, meeting room, lobby, library, open office, auditorium, private office or a restaurant. The list can be continued.

In an open office space consider adding desk partitions to existing desks and furnish with privacy booths to create both acoustic and visual privacy. In libraries, delineate different zones with room dividers or create small imaginary islands with acoustic lighting.

Library acoustic pods

— Soft or hard surfaces

Depending on the way your space is built, e.g. soft or hard surfaces, you will need different solutions.

If your room already consists of a number of soft, porous materials such as carpets, rugs, plants—even people—these elements help absorb sound waves too. In other words, you’re already halfway and will need less sound-absorbing solutions.

If, on the other hand, no such soft materials exist and your space is dominated by hard surfaces, e.g. concrete, glass, and metal, you need to bring in more soft, absorbing materials to compensate for the hard surfaces. For instance, add flexible upholstered poufs or consider acoustic lighting and ceiling applications in case your walls are already occupied by shelving systems and art.

Sound deadening screens

— Distance to hard surfaces

Apart from determining the number of soft materials, another crucial aspect is to identify the shortest distance to the hard surface in your space. Why? Sound waves automatically bounce against the closest hard surface and knowing where this is will help you better determine where to apply acoustic solutions rather than placing them randomly.

Think of a regular meeting room with a medium-sized conference table in the middle. As people start talking, the sound waves from their conversations will typically first hit the walls or the ceiling depending on the height. In this case, to prevent the sound from bouncing back-and-forth between the walls, we’re looking to apply absorbing materials to the walls.

— Stuffed or spacious?

In a space already occupied by other furniture pieces, it can be difficult to find room for any acoustic solutions. However, often in between floor and ceiling there is not always a lot happening, and in spaces like these, it might be a great improvement to add, for instance, ceiling applications and acoustic lighting.

When you have a more spacious environment, perhaps not yet furnished, you have the chance to pick solutions based on the type of activity of the space. For instance, rethink the standard meeting setup and use soft lounge seating elements or put two privacy booths together to keep conversations private. In general for bigger and more spacious environments, remember that the sound will naturally better spread out as the distance to the hard surfaces is bigger than in a small room. Keep in mind, all of the solutions listed above are only suggestions, guiding you in the right direction. For specific measurements and the number of products needed, we advise you to get in touch with our acoustic help desk. In the meantime, revisit this guide to be prepared for the kind of questions you need to answer for an acoustic assessment.

NB – original article from Buzzispace website

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  • Mark Dowse
  • Office furniture information, Uncategorised
  • July 13, 2016

8 desk options for modern offices

Ascend_Rec_WWAWe are a family run, SME focused business based in Exeter, Devon with most of our work coming from recommendations and referrals. We have a wide portfolio of suppliers from the UK and from further afield. Here, with our manufacturing partner Lee and Plumpton we present our offering of a variety of desks in many different shapes, sizes and colour finishes.

We strive to offer you the broadest possible choice, from our classic contract office furniture range which is available in as little as 5 days for customers in Devon, through to the contemporary, modern and elegant designs of our ‘build to order’ office furniture collections.
Here is a brief summary of our desking and office furniture range.

CRESCENTdesign9

Also known as radial desking, the traditional crescent shape incorporates a return and is available in left or right-handed orientations. The major benefit of crescent desking is that it provides a lot of space and can easily be configured into clusters or positioned in room corners.

A desk high pedestal can be employed to create more working space.

WAVE

Wave desking is also available in left and right-handed orientations and bridges the gap between rectangular and crescent desks. The wave element provides additional working space without consuming as much actual floor space as a crescent desk.

Atmosphere_WaveDOUBLE-WAVE

Available on selected product lines, such as Atmosphere and Ascend, double wave desks provide the added benefit of additional space on both the left and right hand sides.

 

A-FRAME

colour psychology

Our A-frame desk range, named Ascend, is an elegant and contemporary desk that is ideal for modern workspaces. The pedestals for this desk are angled at the rear to complement the desk frame and an optional return desk is available.

 

 

 

 

BENCH SYSTEMS

AURA bench modern desk range from Lee and Plumpton.....

AURA bench modern desk range from Lee and Plumpton…..

Bench systems have been growing in popularity for a number of years.

Our AuraBench range is now firmly established as one of our most popular product lines, reflecting a broader market trend that is being driven by changes in working practices, corporate culture and collaborative technology.

Bench systems bring people together and that is why it is ideal for collaborative workspaces. The bench format breaks down visual and spatial barriers and encourages spontaneous communication between people and groups.

AuraBENCH has integrated cable management as standard.

EXECUTIVE

Atmosphere_CrescentConferece_nightOur Atmosphere series is a popular choice for executive applications and the range includes a crescent conference option with an integrated meeting point. There are a number of leg detail and modesty panel options to choose from too.

 

RECEPTION

Our standard reception desk with integrated pigeonholes and full depth flushed modesty panel is a popular choice but our customers also use desks from the Atmosphere, AuraBench and Domino Beam collections as reception desks.

Many of the reception desks we supply are actually bespoke items that are manufactured to order by our tailored solutions department.

VARIABLE HEIGHT SOLUTIONSstanding-desk

Height adjustable and sit stand desks are growing in popularity due to increased awareness of the health implications associated with prolonged periods of inactivity.

The purported health benefits include lower long term mortality rates, improved circulation and a reduced incidence of the problems typically associated with poor posture, such as back ache and neck pain.

Variable height desking could also help to mitigate some of the serious health risks that are associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

Our Sit-Stand desk has an electric motor that adjusts the position of the worktop from seated to standing while our original height adjustable desk has a manual crank system. Both desks are available in wave or rectangular formats.

RECTANGULARSatellite_Rectangular_Screens

Standard rectangular desks are space efficient and their geometric shape means they are very easy to space plan. You can try combining straight desks with other shapes to create more visual interest or as a creative solution to space limitations.

DELTA

Delta desking is often overlooked in favour of more traditional options. The format does, however, offer some distinct benefits in relation to many other desks.

design1The 120° workstations in our Atmosphere collection can be configured to accommodate large groups of people and they work well when combined with other desk shapes. One of the lesser known benefits of delta desking is that the central positioning of the display on the work surface blocks sound as it travels towards the opposing desk.

BESPOKE SOLUTIONS

We aim to provide the broadest possible choice but sometimes a tailored solution is required. One of our greatest strengths is our ability to manufacture bespoke furniture to your specifications and we can also make alterations to our exisiting product range.

To find out more about our ranges of office furniture and office fitout or refurbishment & renovation services for Devon, call our customer services team based in Exeter on 01392 834980 or email contact@mdinteriorsdevon.com.

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  • Mark Dowse
  • Uncategorised
  • April 6, 2016

Project complete and some feedback, BPA Quality…

Just over a year ago we did a large refurbishment for BPA Quality creating a new HQ at Pynes Hill in Exeter. We recently did some additional works for them and there was their feedback below:

 

MDBI-BPA_010“It’s my first day back in the office after 10 days off and was going to email you with my feedback. Not only was the quality of the work excellent, the approach of the guys you sent to do it was fantastic. They got on with the job with the minimum amount of mess and interruption, and left the room clean and tidy at the end. Please pass on my sincere thanks for a good job very well done.”

Kind regards
Judith Yates
HR Director EMEA
BPA Quality
Pynes Hill
Exeter
https://bpaquality.co.uk

 

 

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  • Refurb or relocate?

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We supply office furniture and office refurbishment & renovation across the South West of England. Our aim is to always give great service and value for money based on our extensive knowledge of office furniture & refurbishment projects.

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We supply office furniture and office refurbishment & renovation across the South West of England. Our aim is to always give great service and value for money based on our extensive knowledge of office furniture & refurbishment projects.

MD Business Interiors

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Marsh Barton
Exeter
EX2 8PU

contact@mdinteriorsdevon.com
07862 258214

MD Business Interiors

103 Grace Road West
Marsh Barton
Exeter
EX2 8PU

07862 258214

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