Good room acoustics play an essential role in helping people concentrate, communicate and feel comfortable in an office. Too much reverberation and conversational noise make communication harder and quickly create restlessness, especially in open work areas. This guide explains how room acoustics work, which measures make sense in an office and how to choose the right solution for your space.
What does room acoustics mean?
Room acoustics describe how sound spreads, reflects and dissipates within an enclosed space. They determine whether voices are clearly intelligible and whether a room feels calm or echoey.
Key factors include:
- Size and shape of the room
- Ceiling height and room volume
- Number and distribution of workstations
- Type and use of the room
- Materials on the floor, walls and ceiling
- Amount and placement of sound-absorbing surfaces
Hard, smooth surfaces such as concrete, glass, metal and plastered walls reflect a large portion of the sound that hits them. As a result, sound energy stays in the room longer and reverberation builds up. Porous or soft materials absorb part of this energy and reduce the reflections.
How do you recognise poor room acoustics?
Poor room acoustics are not only about high volume. Often the real problem is persistent reverberation: conversations, phone calls and work noises overlap and remain clearly audible throughout the room.
Typical signs include:
- Conversations are hard to understand despite a normal volume
- Voices carry unusually far across the room
- Several conversations overlap
- Phone calls and keyboard noise are perceived as disruptive
- People increasingly speak louder to be understood
- The room feels restless even with only a few people present
A constantly restless background of noise can make it harder to concentrate, strain communication and increase the likelihood of errors. Acoustics should therefore be considered early, especially in open-plan offices, meeting rooms, reception areas and shared zones.
Absorption, insulation and diffusion: what is the difference?
Three terms are often confused in room acoustics. Yet they describe different mechanisms.
| Principle | Effect | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Sound absorption | Takes in sound energy within the room and reduces reverberation | Acoustic panels, ceiling sails, moss walls, carpets |
| Sound insulation | Reduces the transmission of sound between separate rooms | Walls, doors, windows and structural construction |
| Sound diffusion | Distributes reflections more evenly across the room | Structured surfaces and dedicated diffusers |
For typical acoustic problems in the office, sound absorption is the decisive factor. It reduces reverberation within the room. Sound insulation, by contrast, is needed when noise travels through walls, doors or ceilings into adjacent rooms.
Which measures improve room acoustics in the office?
An effective acoustic solution often consists of several coordinated measures. Which of them make sense depends on the room, how it is used and the surfaces already in place.
1. Add soft materials
Carpets, curtains, upholstered furniture and other textile surfaces absorb part of the sound. They are a sensible first step and can reduce minor reflections.
In offices with strong reverberation, however, such furnishings alone are usually not enough. Additional acoustic absorbers are needed there.
2. Structure work areas acoustically
Free-standing partitions and planted room dividers interrupt direct sound paths between workstations. They can separate teams, create retreat areas and reduce how far conversations spread across the room.
Room dividers are especially helpful between facing workstations or between areas with different uses. Their effect depends on height, width, material, position and absorbing surface.
3. Use the ceiling as an absorption surface
In many offices, the ceiling is the largest contiguous surface and at the same time acoustically unused. Ceiling sails and suspended acoustic elements can reduce reverberation effectively without taking up floor space.
They are particularly suited to:
- Open-plan offices
- Conference and meeting rooms
- Rooms with high ceilings
- Reception and lounge areas
- Work areas with little free wall space
4. Design walls as absorbers
Smooth walls throw sound back into the room. Wall absorbers, acoustic panels and moss walls reduce these reflections and can also serve as a design element.
It is particularly worthwhile to treat large, facing wall surfaces. Between such parallel surfaces, sound is reflected repeatedly, which quickly makes a room feel echoey.
Which absorbers are suitable for the office?
Acoustic absorbers differ in material, design, installation location and acoustic performance. The following solutions are particularly suitable for office spaces:
Acoustic felt made from recycled PET
PET acoustic felt is a light and versatile material for wall panels, ceiling sails and free-standing elements. It is available in various colours and shapes and can be adapted to the architecture and design of an office.
Moss walls and moss pictures
Moss walls and moss pictures combine sound absorption with natural interior design. Preserved moss is a porous material and works particularly well in the frequency range of speech and typical office noise.
The exact absorption performance depends on the type of moss used, the material thickness and the construction. You will find a detailed comparison in our specialist article with the tested measured values for the sound absorption of different types of moss.
Combinations of moss and acoustic felt
Combined solutions merge the natural effect of moss with the structural possibilities of a technical acoustic absorber. This makes it possible to align appearance, form and acoustic requirements precisely.
Which acoustic solution suits which room?
| Room or situation | Suitable measures |
|---|---|
| Open-plan office with many conversations | Ceiling sails, wall absorbers and acoustically effective room dividers |
| Meeting or conference room | Absorbers on walls and ceiling, especially on large reflective surfaces |
| Reception and lobby | Decorative wall absorbers, moss walls and ceiling elements |
| Small office with limited space | Compact wall panels and strategically placed ceiling sails |
| Flexible work and project areas | Mobile room dividers and modular acoustic elements |
How much absorbing area is needed?
For a clearly noticeable improvement, an absorbing area of roughly 15 to 20 percent of the room's surface can serve as an initial planning guideline.
The actual requirement, however, depends on several factors:
- Room volume and ceiling height
- Number of people in the room
- Use and the desired acoustic level
- Existing materials and furniture
- Absorption performance of the elements used
- Distribution of the absorbers in the room
A single small acoustic element can help locally but usually changes the room acoustics of a larger office only slightly. A clearly audible effect requires sufficiently large and sensibly distributed surfaces.
Where should acoustic absorbers be placed?
Besides the area, the position of the absorbers is decisive. They are most effective where strong reflections occur or where direct sound paths between people should be interrupted.
As a guideline, it is advisable to:
- avoid leaving large facing wall surfaces completely hard
- place absorbers near heavily used work and conversation areas
- use ceiling surfaces above groups of workstations or meeting zones
- arrange room dividers between neighbouring workstations
- distribute absorbers across several surfaces in the room where possible
For complex rooms, the required area should be planned on the basis of room volume, use and the desired reverberation time.
Frequently asked questions about room acoustics in the office
What is the difference between sound absorption and sound insulation?
Sound absorption reduces reflections and reverberation within a room. Sound insulation, by contrast, reduces the transmission of sound between separate rooms or through building components.
Which measure helps fastest against reverberation?
Sufficiently large absorption surfaces on walls and ceilings are particularly effective. Carpets, curtains and upholstered furniture can complement them but on their own are often not enough in strongly reverberant rooms.
Do room dividers help against office noise?
Acoustically effective room dividers can interrupt direct sound paths between workstations while also absorbing sound. Their effect depends on size, height, material and placement.
Is preserved moss sound-absorbing?
Yes. Preserved moss is a porous material and absorbs sound particularly in the speech-relevant frequency range. The exact effect varies depending on the type of moss and construction. You will find detailed values in the article on the sound absorption of moss.
How much area needs acoustic treatment?
As an initial planning guideline, about 15 to 20 percent of the room's surface can serve as absorbing area. The exact dimensioning depends on room size, use and the desired acoustic effect.
The right acoustic solution for your office
Whether a moss wall, ceiling sail, PET acoustic felt, room divider or a combination of different elements: a good solution takes the room as a whole into account. Material, area, position and design should therefore be planned together.
Greenfinity develops and manufactures individual acoustic solutions for offices, meeting rooms, reception areas and open work environments. Contact us for a no-obligation consultation.
