Noise in the office is not the problem. The problem is not having a place free of it. Acoustics enable concentration: when the right space is missing, work that demands sustained attention still gets done, but it costs twice as much.
The noise that wears you down is not the loudest
Acoustic damage in an office almost always comes from unpredictable sources: a spontaneous conversation next to someone who is focusing, a call that starts without warning a few metres away. The body registers every interruption as an alert signal, and this build-up – even at low volumes – erodes the ability to stay in the flow. Designing acoustics means designing predictability: giving each activity its own sound place, so that whoever works there already knows, on entering, what the register of that space is.
The design levers: materials, zoning, work settings
Acoustic comfort is built on three levels. The first is sound-absorbing materials – ceiling panels, clad walls, soft flooring – that lower the ambient reverberation. The second is separation by activity: high-voice areas (brainstorming, team calls, informal areas) must be far from or physically separated from focus areas, with partitions that ensure adequate insulation. The third level is dedicated work settings: phone booths for individual calls, quiet zones for deep focus, quiet boxes for those who need to step out of the open-space flow without moving to another room.
- Ceiling sound-absorbing panels
- Clad walls
- Soft flooring
- Distance between voice and focus areas
- Partitions with measured insulation
- Floor zoning
- Phone booths for calls
- Quiet zones for focus
- Quiet box to step out of the open space
Acoustic needs come from the survey
Not every team has the same acoustic profile. A sales group works with continuous calls; a development team needs long blocks of focus; an HR area handles confidential conversations. With interviews and the survey we reconstruct each function's typical day, bringing out both stated and latent needs. It is that data that shows how many quiet zones are needed, where they should be placed, and which acoustic work settings should be planned – before the layout is defined.
And on the shop floor?
Noise is one of the heaviest factors for people who work in production. Treating the acoustics of a production space – sound-absorbing materials, partitions, screened break areas – improves comfort and communication. It is one of the themes of Attracting and retaining people who work in production.