Meeting Room Soundproofing
Soundproof Ceilings
July 15, 2019
How to Soundproof a Floor
July 15, 2019Offices, schools, meeting venues all have conference rooms where large numbers of people meet to exchange ideas and information. In this digital age conference rooms often rely on audio equipment, video conferencing facilities and sound systems. Conference room designers often demand an elegant minimalistic style with limited soft furnishings. This can give rise to excessive sound reverberation and poor acoustics leading to reduces clarity of voices and audio communications.
Meeting and conference rooms often demand sound proofing to avoid being disturbed by outside noise or disturbing others in the building and also prevent confidential meetings being overheard.
At Quietstone we offer cost effective and beautiful solutions to optimise the acoustics of any conference room. From ceilings to floors we have the ideal products for your project. We can survey the room and propose a total solution which we will build and install promptly and efficiently to your specifications. Our acoustic panels can be produced in any colour or shape to bring you beauty, functionality and affordability.
How to soundproof your meeting rooms
When deciding to soundproof your meeting rooms, first of all you need to decide on what your requirements actually are. Are you looking to stop inside noise from getting our or outside noise from getting in?
Stopping inside noise getting out requires noise reduction whilst stopping outside noise getting in requires noise absorption. Noise reduction is achieved by stopping the sound while noise absorption alters the sound, which eliminates reverberation.
Soundproofing new build offices
If you are building a new office or meeting room and wishing to provide more privacy and less disturbance to your meetings there are a lot more options at your disposal.
From acoustic absorbing ceiling tiles to shielded floors and ceilings we can create an environment which stand up to the most rigorous of testing.
Highlights from our soundproofing range include our Photosorption artwork where we can print images or branding of your choice onto sound absorbing acoustic panels.
Remember, it is not only MI5 who require soundproofed rooms to conduct their business. Any business can benefit from soundproofed meeting rooms to protect both confidential information and ensure that meetings are not disturbed by outside noise pollution.
What is the difference between soundproofing and sound absorption ?
Soundproofing refers to keeping all the external noise from entering a place. On the other hand, sound absorption is about reducing the echoes and sound from within your living space. This is used in areas like a conference room, restaurant or a drum room. You may be using sound absorption materials without even realizing. One example of such sound absorbing material is carpet.
Since we are looking to soundproof the room on a budget identifying where the noise is coming from is going to help a lot in reducing the costs. Most of the time the sound enters your room from either window, walls or next-door neighbors. It is advised to soundproof the whole room, but if you want to only dampen the noise, soundproofing the primary source will be enough. Once you have identified the leading cause, you can move forward with the soundproofing.
How to Soundproof a Glass Room: Office, Conference Soundproofing
To have a glass conference room is a matter of privilege and prestige. At least that’s how a blue collar guy like myself feels about them. But one things for sure: glass is not a good soundproofing material. Unless it’s really thick. Unfortunately, the glass used for conference rooms is usually not very thick, so a lot of sound can pass through.
This will not only allow the outside noise to bother you during a PowerPoint presentation. It will also jeopardize the privacy of the meetings held inside the conference room. Because anyone who passes by the room can hear what’s going on inside.
So how can you soundproof a glass conference room? It’s actually very simple. These are popular and very affordable methods that will improve the room’s sound insulation.
Soundproofing existing offices
Step 1
First of all, you need to measure the dimensions of the room. Noise can be reduced with partitions that divide the room into separate spaces. Between these layers air space is often effective in reducing noise. Use a Sound Pressure Level meter to track decibel levels throughout the room.
Sound pressure level meters can be found at good electronics stores or online. You need to decide whether or not windows need soundproofing. If sound can be heard through the glass there are several options to consider, such as adding a second window pane, which reduces noise by adding space between the glass. Another option is actually plugging the window. Consider covering windows with acoustic absorbing drapes, which are commonly used in hotels due to their effectiveness at blocking noise.
Step 2
Learn about Sound Transmission Class (STC) ratings to understand the amount of noise reduction required to satisfy your needs. STC ratings represent the amount of decibel reduction that a wall or partition provides. Speech can be heard through a wall with the STC rating of 30.
Increasing the STC ratings reduce noise and this can be achieved by adding mass, space or absorbing materials. Often all 3 are added to provide the best effect.
A common STC rating for office walls is 50.
Step 3
Plan your noise reduction focusing on the side of the wall where the unwanted noise is coming from. When choosing materials, allow for a lot of mass and weight to be added to walls. Keep in mind when deciding on insulation materials that mass helps stop noise while soft surfaces help reduce noise, which is why lead or acoustic tiles are often used for soundproofing. Use STC ratings to help select materials then apply those materials to walls and consider increasing the space between walls for the best possible results. Bear in mind that any gap in soundproofing can reduce effectiveness.
Identifying Acoustical Problem Areas
Speech is most easily understood in rooms with what is known as “dry” acoustics, in other words, rooms that reduce the reflection of sound off multiple surfaces that causes reverberation. But while good, dry meeting rooms acoustics are universally important, the causes of poor meeting room acoustics are various.
Is there a lot of distracting ambient or outside noise coming into your conference room from other parts of the office? Does your meeting room have a lot of flat, hard surfaces such as white boards, large screens or glass walls that create an uncomfortably high sound reverberation? The first step to improving meeting room acoustics is to identify what your problems or concerns are. Then you can invest in the right solution.
