ECOPHON ACOUSTIC DESIGN WITH SCREENS

IN THIS FOLDER YOU WILL FIND GUIDANCE ON HOW TO CREATE A SOUND OFFICE WITH AKUSTO SCREEN. The paradox of open offices The most cited reasons for designing open offices are to facilitate collaboration, idea generation and community building. In other words: verbal communication. At the same time one of the biggest issues of open offices is distractions due to speech. In other words, once again: verbal communication. Paradoxically, the very reason for open offices also seems to be its biggest problem. This might appear to be an irreconcilable paradox with this type of workspace, but it in reality...

WITH SCREENS

INSIDE AKUSTO SCREEN Durable sound absorber Sound blocking layer Durable sound absorber Akusto Screen combines two important acoustic qualities to reduce sound propagation as much as possible. Firstly, it is assembled with a core that impedes sound travelling through the screen. Secondly, durable absorbers are placed on both sides of Akusto Screen. Instead of being reflected back into the space, sound waves that hit the screens are absorbed, which lessens sound propagation even further. Because of its highly sound-absorbing surface, Akusto Screen also reduces reverberation time and noise levels,...

ACOUSTIC DESIGN WITH AKUSTO SCREEN REDUCING SOUND PROPAGATION When it comes to technical acoustic evaluation the most important acoustic descriptor to consider in relation to screens in open offices is D2,S which is a measure of the attenuation of A-weighted sound pressure of speech in decibels. It specifies the reduction in sound pressure when the distance to the source is doubled. Therefore the higher D2,S value in an office space, the better. According to ISO 22955, an open office should preferably have a D2,S that exceeds 6 dB for most activities, while 7 dB or higher is recommended for collaborative...

THE EFFECT OF SCREENS Even a small change in D2,s can affect the sound environment in an office. Let’s consider an example: a standard open office space of about 187 m2, with 24 workstations and a class B acoustic ceiling suspended at 2.6 meters. If we then imagine a noise level of 46 dB, we can presume that speech will be much less disturbing below this level. Therefore, 46 dB is in this case our target value for dampening of speech to improve acoustic privacy. Installing Akusto Screens for every two workstations could realistically raise the D2,S from about 5 to 7 dB in this example. A 2 dB...

Ecophon is the leading supplier of solutions for indoor acoustic environments that improve working performance, wellbeing and quality of life. The principles guiding our work are grounded in our Swedish heritage, where a human approach and a common responsibility for people’s lives and future challenges come naturally. Ecophon is part of the Saint-Gobain Group, a world leader in sustainable habitat solutions that balance the need for comfort and cost-effectiveness with energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. https://ecophon.com/akusto-screen