After working with Keesee Architecture for the last few years and working with an AV specialist at Future Home Integration, Commercial Acoustics was contracted to install the sound masking system in Keesee Architecture’s new 11,000 square foot office space, which consisted of open and closed offices.
Sound Masking in Open Office Settings
When meeting with the client and taking a look at the new space, we discussed the importance of decreasing background noise and improving speech privacy, especially in an open office setting. Although the cubicles provide a visual partition, they don’t stop sound from traveling around the office. In order to decrease the level of background noise (conversations from neighboring coworkers and beyond), sound masking increases the ambient noise level so background conversations are no longer noticeable.
The new office space was also going to have closed offices, which normally provide ample speech privacy, but the walls between offices did not go to deck. Rather than spend more money bringing the walls to deck, sound masking speakers can be installed in and around the offices at a fraction of the cost.
After determining the placement of the speakers throughout the office, we were actually able to demonstrate how sound masking works with a couple of demo speakers. In adjacent offices, one person went into one office to have a fake phone conversation, while the others stayed in the other office to listen. By using one demo speaker in each office, those listening could not hear the conversation coming from the adjacent office.
Importance of Speech Privacy at Work
In all, a total of 33 speakers were placed around the office, with 23 of those being in the cubicle area. The remaining 10 speakers were placed in closed offices, the reception area, the conference room and surrounding hallways. Installation was completed in one day, right before the office was scheduled to open.
With the sound masking system installed, employees in adjacent offices will have the speech privacy they want and need, and those in the open office space will be able to work without distractions.
Many offices with cubicles or centralized workstations that lack floor-to-ceiling partitions, or when sensitive information is being shared, sound masking can be an effective way to improve speech privacy. However, poorly tuned sound masking systems by inexperienced AV contractors can cause more of a headache than a solution. Contact Commercial Acoustics if you are considering using a sound masking to improve the acoustics in your office.
