“It’s 8:30AM in the morning. The sales team is having their breakfast meeting at the pantry just beside your closed-door office while you are on a video-call meeting with multiple partners. Amidst your intense discussion, you can hear the chatters and discussions from the pantry.”
You find it hard to concentrate and feel frustrated, and we understand why!
Today’s article shares more on how glass partitions can help create an acoustically comfortable environment which leads to an increase in contentment, and ultimately, a boost to productivity of employees.
One of the biggest workspace complaints is that of noise, as it affects concentration and that, may cause needless stress. Therefore, creating an environment that manages noise is an important consideration when setting up an office space as it indirectly affects our employee’s wellbeing, their ability to work creatively, collaboratively and productively.
In contrast, a well-designed workspace that solves sound transmission issues, will result in the employees feeling a sense of comfort and this will eventually have a positive effect on a business’s bottom line in the long run. For this very reason, when looking at the design of workspace interiors, designers place acoustics as one of the key consideration.
Due to their ability to provide good levels of sound reduction, glass partitions are often used as a part of the office interior, meeting rooms and quiet rooms. On top of having the capabilities of keeping sound out, glass partitions also helps in creating a sense of openness by allowing natural light flow and visual connectivity across workplaces (rather than feeling claustrophobic and closed in).
Understanding Acoustics
Understanding acoustics and sound transmissions can be complicated, with consideration not limiting to different surface types, elements, floor finishes, ceilings, furniture and partitioning. At ISP, we provide glazed partitions with high acoustics standards, and of course, they are also accessed by TÜV SÜD PSB – The trusted partner of choice for Safety, Security and Sustainability solutions.
The performance of a glazed partition is measured by the Sound Transmission Loss (TL) which measures the ability of airborne sound transmission loss of a product. To establish the TL, a product needs to be tested at an accredited acoustic laboratory that complies with the ASTM E413 standard.
This rating allows architects and designers to compare one product with another. For instance, our COMO double glazed glass panel achieves a Sound Transmission Class of STC = 49. When you compare this to an alternative manufacturer’s double-glazed system which has lesser than STC = 49, the difference is clear.
All in all, introducing glass partitions to your workspace helps to not just reduce unwanted noise but also creates a space that is conducive. However, considerations for other fixtures (i.e. ceiling, floor finishes) also needs to be in place as they will all contribute to the overall acoustics performance of your workspace. Addressing acoustic issues within a workspace allow our employees to feel more comfortable, which in turn, will result in a happier and productive workforce!
