Designing Workspaces For Better Productivity

Intelligent Layout

Design should separate noise producing areas from noise sensitive areas. A simple example is meeting rooms should not be located close to server rooms or cafeteria’s.

Sound Insulation

Design should ensure minimal sound insulation between rooms to ensure privacy. A common example of a sound insulation problem in office spaces is highlighted below as stated by a Manager @ an International bank, “Recently, I travelled to Mumbai with my team to meet an established client at their new office which occupied four floors of a corporate park. At first, I was impressed by the well-lit offices, quality furniture and classy interior design. It was only once our meeting had begun in one of the 8 seat cabins that I realized that sound insulation had not accounted for. We could clearly hear another meeting taking place in the adjacent room. We were constantly distracted by their discussion.” Again a commonly occurring problem across our offices which is loss of privacy. i.e. sound from outside the meeting room is clearly heard inside the room or vice versa. This can be solved by designing and using appropriate partitioning system between rooms.

Sound Absorption

Interior materials should absorb excess sound to improve communication and reduce noise related distraction. Although, both cafeterias and open plan offices essentially need sound absorption, the approach taken for the two spaces is very different. In cafeterias, the objective is to reduce the overall noise level so the occupants can communicate. Hence, more the absorptive material added, greater the noise reduction. In the open plan office, the challenge is to reduce conversation noise, i.e. ensuring it does not travel a significant distance but at the same time travels without loss in level and intelligibility. An effective solution here requires a careful study of the type of tasks carried out by employees, a proper layout which maximizes distance between different teams of people and the strategic placement of sound absorptive materials.

Conclusion:

Among the three facets of office comfort i.e. lighting, ventilation and noise, we find that noise is the only parameter which does not have a switch to turn up or down. Hence acoustics design should be considered at the design stage itself to ensure the design the not just for the eyes but also for the other senses.

In case of existing spaces where an acoustic problem exists, solutions can be given through proper acoustic retrofit treatments after analyzing the problem. A case in point is a recent retrofit carried out by us at the cafeteria of an IT major wherein the sound decibel level was reduced by as much as 10db (sound is measured on a lograthamic scale – so a reduction of 3 db means sound is reduced by close to 50%) by covering 70% of the ceiling area with Ecophon sound absorbing ceiling tiles thus bringing down the acoustic levels in the cafeteria to within normal limits.

At Saint-Gobain Gyproc, we have the both the knowledge of desired acoustic levels based on the activities and zone which complemented with a wide range of wall and ceiling acoustic products that can be used to create the right environment in the open office, cafeteria and meeting room. Our innovative approach to acoustics is helping the next generation of buildings to be acoustically sound. Combined with our efforts in sustainable design, Saint-Gobain Gyproc is leading the way to multi comfort habitat.