Office Soundproofing Tips for A Commercial Office Space

A noise-free workplace helps better focus for employees and makes them productive while working. A workstation where there are a lot of distractions causes emotional fatigue and tiredness to employees. It also drains the energy and makes the employees prone to mistakes. Even though most workplaces are quiet and built around the idea of a soundproof work environment, office soundproofing is also a concept in a commercial office space.

This is especially true where sales and production teams work simultaneously, so one team doesn't get distracted from the other. While creating a huge office space with separate allocations for both teams is hard and expensive, a work pod is a creative solution to make things work. An office pod for home or even a wood pod can provide you with the required noise-free zone you need.

Similarly, soundproofing an office seems like a wise solution, but there are many other alternatives to home office soundproofing. Even if you are limited on indoor space, a wooden pod for garden is also a commonly observed practice. Moreover, soundproofing office space also begins at the construction phase.

In this article, we will discuss some office soundproofing methods you can try for better noise control.

Creative Office Soundproofing Ideas

Noise is not also a complaint about commercial offices, but it is also a challenge for remote workers. Working from home brings a lot of distractions due to family life and kids living around us. A backyard office pod seems like a reasonable option if you have an open garden space. Below are some other tips we find helpful for soundproofing an office.

Flooring

Flooring is an important place where you can control the noise. Flooring surfaces like concrete and porcelain seem nice and classy, but they generate a lot of noise. From echoing the footsteps to boosting the noise made by rolling chairs, flooring can substantially increase or lower the noise level.

This is why you will find many workplaces that have carpet flooring. Carpet flooring is a great way to absorb noise and serves as a damper for office chatter. It also works well for rolling chairs as the noise is reduced, but the chairs aren't that free to move. A second option to save noise pollution in the workplace is LVT flooring.

LVT flooring has sound absorption properties on its own; however, adding the appropriate amount of rubber underlayment increases the noise absorption. This type of flooring also looks good.

Sound Absorbing Furniture

Couches, lounge chairs, wall dividers, and filing cabinets can all affect the acoustics of an open office environment, especially the couches with wide backs and even private work booths that effectively isolate a person from the rest of the room.

Buying Plants

There are many known and anticipated benefits of plants in the workplace, but plant canceling noise might be a discovery for many people and help build up an office soundproofing. In an open office space, strategically placed plants have been shown to reduce noise levels. The greater the impact, the more obvious aesthetic benefits and overall impact on air quality, the larger the plant. Live and green walls are becoming increasingly popular in commercial architecture, not only for sound reduction.

Dedicated Quiet Corner

If you have a private call or a conference with a huge business client, you are likely to need a private space. Modern offices are usually in an open layout, so they are less likely to give you private cabins or closed doors. A dedicated quiet space works better in this regard.

This is where office pods help. Some companies use office pods to separate a commercial office from a quiet corner; others might even use backyard office pod settings to create a quiet corner.

Noise Cancelling Headphones

Here is a good way to soundproof an office surrounding you. It is a famous concept that if you cannot control the surrounding noise, you must reduce the personal noise. And noise-canceling headphones are a famous option to achieve that. With a pair of high-quality noise-canceling headphones, your colleagues can tune out the surroundings and not feel a hint of distraction.

Choosing the Right Materials

If luckily, you are in the construction phase of your office, then you can still control the noise in the initial phase. Many materials give the best results with noise absorption. Choosing materials with a higher noise reduction coefficient (NRC) gives a better experience with noise absorption.

Installing Acoustic Panels

Like acoustic pods, acoustic panels also work well for open office spaces; these noise panels help you control the noise, so the noise bounces around and is absorbed. These acoustic panels are also very easy to install, and they don't cost a lot.

Sound Masking

For enhanced voice privacy and office soundproofing, ambient background sound is created to match the frequency of human speech. Sound masking makes a room appear quieter by increasing ambient noise levels, and making speech sounds less audible and thus less annoying.

Music

Some people find it easy to work in their kind of noise. This might be a particular noise, music or a typical sound. If you cannot control outside noise, you can drown the noise with some music. This strategy works well for programmers and designers.

Plan Smart Office Layout

Another method for office soundproofing in a workplace is to be creative with the overall arrangement. For example, clusters of desks can assist in compartmentalizing sounds, especially when the groups are divided by some of the sound-friendly furniture noted earlier. Even easier, some noisier office equipment may be placed in a different room away from the employees.

Acoustic Ceiling Tiles

Acoustic ceiling tiles absorb sound and disperse it throughout an area. They can be placed throughout the room or in specific places where the most noise is generated. They aren't the same fiberglass used in ancient school buildings and workplaces. Acoustic ceiling tiles may now be created from various materials, including perforated metal, wood, and foam, and they can be customized to your particular design needs.

Conclusion

For especially open office spaces, noise control is one of the most commonly heard complaints. Noise control or office soundproofing is a big challenge because not all employees work the same way, nor do they all perform with the same level of focus in a similar environment. Hence your workplace needs to have noise-free zones so each employee can find their peaceful space to work. Take all of the tips above and apply it into your workplace!