Offices and meeting rooms

Most offices aren't loud. They're just hard, and hard rooms make every sound last longer.

The problem with a hard room

Desks, glass partitions, concrete and plasterboard all reflect sound. One conversation becomes three by the time it's bounced off the ceiling. People lift their voices to be heard, which makes everyone else lift theirs. By mid-afternoon the room is exhausting and nobody can say exactly why.

What panels change

Our panels are rated NRC 0.85, meaning they absorb about 85% of the sound that reaches them. Put enough of them in a room and the echo drops away. Speech gets clearer at normal volume. Calls sound better on both ends, because your microphone stops picking up the room along with your voice.

Where to put them

• Walls, in a run or a pattern, in any of the 14 Habitat colours.
• Ceilings, as panels or tiles, which is often the best result in a room with hard floors.
• Hanging screens above workstations or in an open-plan void.
• Desk screens, either desk-mounted or slide-on, to take the edge off the conversation next to you.
• Wrap screens for a quiet corner or a phone booth without building one.
• Frameless pinboards, which absorb sound and still take a pin.

Meeting rooms in particular

Meeting rooms are usually the hardest room in the building. Glass on two sides, a big table, no soft furnishing. A few wall panels and a ceiling treatment make a real difference to how a meeting feels, especially with someone dialling in.

The practical stuff

Australian made. 12mm or 24mm. Group 1 fire rating under AS 5637.1. 10 year warranty. The material is hard wearing and doesn't fray, so it stands up to a working office.

Send us a photo of the room and a rough size, and we'll quote it. Freight and installation are quoted separately.