The right soundtrack can enhance your immersive experience, while white noise can help you focus and be more productive. The problem is that most noise originating in the workplace is distracting and counterproductive. It causes you to lose focus and attention, and it can ruin one’s productivity.
This is the main reason why you, as a business owner or an executive, need to find a way to improve the design of your commercial space. Here are a few tips and strategies to help you do this right.
- Create a layout plan
Every area of your workplace is completely different in nature and purpose. This needs to become your starting point.
For instance, a reception area needs to be quiet and soothing, which means that, no matter the clamor in the main working area, this needs to be as isolated as possible.
This is especially the case if manufacturing occurs in your office. Sure, there’s a noise that comes from the office floor, as well, but if you compare it to the noise produced in the manufacturing or warehouse area, with conveyor belts, assembly, forklifts, and presses… it’s just non-comparable.
So, once you figure out these separate areas, you’ll figure out where to erect stronger barriers. This means picking going with drywall, adding more insulation, or just making thicker barriers and investing in thicker (fuller) doors.
Keep in mind that keeping this noise down is important for both the mental health of your employees as well as their productivity.
Just keep in mind that this is, indeed, a challenge and that if you want these things to work, you need to start with a layout.
Also, keep in mind that some of these elements are non-negotiable, and there’s only so much you can do. Still, even if things still sound noisy and disturbing, it would have been much worse without these barriers.
- Invest in noise-absorbing materials
The next thing you need to consider is the importance of investing in noise-absorbing materials to reduce the echo. You see, most production facilities and offices have a higher ceiling and a lot of reflective surfaces everywhere around.
When it comes to the ceiling, there are two things you can do. You can use a drywall approach and try to lower it slightly. This will reduce the likelihood of echo and make the place cheaper to keep warm.
However, if you want to go with a modern acoustic solution, you can go with a ceiling acoustic cloud. This is a popular choice in both offices and universities across the globe.
As for the walls, acoustic panels can do wonders when it comes to controlling the reverberations of the sound waves and provide a far superior acoustic experience. Keep in mind that this is especially the case in areas like conference rooms.
Next, we need to address the importance of covering the windows. This is especially important in office spaces where you must provide sufficient natural light (and the sky is visible from every corner of the office). In fact, this mental health requirement was one of the reasons why the cubicle system was abandoned in so many places across the globe.
One of the simplest ways to resolve this issue is to invest in some sound-absorbing curtains. This way, you’ll invest in a solution that’s both aesthetic and effective.
- Spatial arrangement
The next thing you need to understand is that the layout of the room and the position of the furniture in the room definitely affect the acoustics. This is so difficult in an office because you have to use the entire floor, accommodate everyone equally, and still somehow make it work. Here are some tips to help you out.
First, you need to ensure that the workspace layout gives enough space to each individual workstation. This is a bit tricky since you’re trying to maximize the use of a layout, which means that you want to get as many workstations here as possible.
A modern office space needs roughly 100 square feet per person (roughly nine square meters per person).
This way, you’ll separate your staff members a bit from the neighboring workstations, making the noise from neighboring keyboards quieter. Also, remember that if you are buying computer hardware, silent keyboards are a bit more expensive and worth the price. The same goes for noise-canceling headphones, a game-hanger in a crowded office space. You don’t have to go for high-end studio earphones; all you need to do is look for basic office headphones with some noise-canceling properties.
It’s also smart to group people working in similar functions/departments. Sure, you can insist that everyone uses Slack and Skype, but the truth is that people are still going to chat in person. It’s better to have them whisper to the person next to them than to have them yell across the room.
- Flooring options
Flooring is important for a number of reasons, one of them being foot traffic. When you have so many people in the office, some of them are going to come late; at every given moment, they’ll take breaks, run to the restroom, or just get up to stretch their legs. This means that they’re walking around, causing potentially noisy foot traffic.
Now, the simplest solution to this problem is not necessarily the best one. A softer flooring (like cork) would cause less noise, but they are quite easy to damage. With so many people dragging their chairs, moving their desks, and performing all sorts of functions, this is a much bigger threat than it is in residential homes. Your safest bet is probably a wall-to-wall carpet, but this is incredibly difficult to clean and maintain.
The truth is that there’s no ideal solution; you just have to review your options and pick one that sounds the best to you.
Wrap up
Designing a layout based on spatial pragmatism and aesthetics is how most people do it, but you still need to take acoustics into account. If you don’t, this threatens to become a far greater hindrance. Still, there’s still a lot you can do about it, but it’s always better to start right.
