What usually goes wrong
- Nearby phone calls are distracting.
- The room gets louder as people raise their voices.
- There is no quiet place to think.
The main noise sources are conversations, phone calls and equipment. Sound bounces off hard walls, floors and ceilings, so it lingers and builds up. Absorbing panels soak up those reflections.
Where the panels go
- Baffles or clouds over the desks, where most of the sound reaches the ceiling.
- Dividers between team zones.
- Panels on columns and the end walls of the floor.
Mistakes to avoid
- Only treating walls in a large room where the ceiling is the biggest surface.
- Leaving exposed concrete ceilings bare.
- Blocking sprinklers or lights with baffles.
Fire rating and codes
Offices fall under Business occupancy. Suspended products must be Class A and must not block sprinkler heads.
Blocking sound between rooms
Panels make a room sound better, but they don’t stop sound passing through a wall. For that you need a wall assembly rated around STC 45, for walls around private offices and meeting rooms that open off the floor. Read about STC ratings and soundproofing.
Recommended
Panels that suit open offices
Learning center
14 guides for open offices
Acoustic panels for open offices: the complete guideWhat makes open offices noisy, which panels fix it, and how to plan treatment from start to finish.How many acoustic panels does a open-plan office need?A worked Sabine calculation for a typical open office, with panel counts for small, typical and large rooms.Where to put acoustic panels in a open-plan officeWhere panels do the most good in open offices, in priority order.Wall acoustics for open officesHow walls behave acoustically in open offices and how to treat them with panels.Ceiling acoustics for open officesClouds, baffles and ceiling tiles for open offices, and how much of the ceiling to cover.Choosing panel thickness for a open-plan office1, 2 or 4 inches: which thickness suits open offices and why.Reverberation time targets for open officesThe reverberation time to aim for in open offices, and why it matters.What acoustic treatment costs for a open-plan officeBudget estimates for treating a typical open office, and where the money goes.Fabrics, colors and shapes for open officesFabric types, colors and shapes that work in open offices.Fire ratings and code requirements for panels in open officesFire ratings, occupancy rules and mounting requirements for panels in open offices.Installing acoustic panels in a open-plan officeTools, hardware and step-by-step installation for panels in open offices.Common acoustic mistakes in open officesThe errors we see most often in open offices, and how to avoid them.Soundproofing and STC ratings for open officesWhen open offices need soundproofing, which STC rating to aim for, and how to get there.Open-plan office acoustics checklist and FAQA one-page checklist and answers to common questions about open office acoustics.