Offices
Breakout Area Acoustic Design for Offices
Find the noise source and its route through the space. Treat sound leaking between rooms differently from echo inside one room.
Explore the ideas
Plan in this order
- List sources of speech, equipment and impact noise at the busiest time.
- Put quiet work away from busy edges where possible. Check doors, gaps and service penetrations before adding finishes.
- Use absorption for excessive echo. Ask an acoustic specialist where speech privacy or isolation is essential.
Worked example
An open dining and living area becomes difficult to talk in when several people are eating and the television is on.
Treat the room’s echo with soft furnishings and ceiling absorption, then place the television away from reflective glazing. Listen from the dining seats during a realistic simultaneous-use trial.
How to test it
Recreate the noisier activity and listen from adjoining seats and rooms with doors both open and closed.
Apply it to this space
- Layout
- Place soft seating near team areas but buffer it from focus desks with storage or a change in flooring.
- Detail
- Combine wipeable tables with comfortable upholstery and a separate local light switch.
- Trade-off
- A central lounge is easy to reach but spreads conversation noise widely.
- Listen from the nearest desk
- Check that furniture leaves a direct route through
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