Commercial Office Noise Issues
KForce’s international headquarters are located in Ybor City, near downtown Tampa. However, they have field offices throughout the country, including in St. Louis, Missouri, where dozens of employees work in an open office setting, creating a noisy environment. Nearby are conference rooms that require some noise reduction, and just beyond that are interview rooms, which require sound privacy – for both comfort as well as protection of sensitive information.
This is a common layout that challenges many corporate clients that need to balance square footage price constraints with the real need for privacy.
Office Acoustic Treatment
We consulted the KForce development team and determined the most significant cause of concern in future office buildouts – the transition area from the bullpen to office and interview area.
(While seemingly apparent, many commercial office clients have their greatest noise disturbances in the bullpen itself, where sound masking alone may be used to create a more cohesive atmosphere).
Because non-load-bearing metal studs were used, the Wall Blokker soundproofing membrane was sufficient to attain an STC of 56 on those walls at a reduced cost to the client. Meanwhile, several of the walls were not extended to the deck near the conference room. Since the design was already complete, it was easier to treat the ceiling tiles than to extend the walls. Drop Ceiling Noise Blokker was applied to each of the ceiling tiles in the transition zone to require the sound to increase its path by as much as 80% in this area.
After installation, significant noise reduction was achieved, with sound in the office transition zone to the conference room down by 65% or more, while the interview rooms exceeded their privacy index goals.
The total cost of the project was well below $10,000 and did not affect the critical path of the construction, resulting in no schedule impact.
If your commercial office space could benefit from sound masking or acoustical attenuation between sensitive areas, reach out to one of our technical consultants today.
Commercial Sound Masking System
