How to optimise office acoustics with silent.office.wall

As anyone who works in an open space or an office with other people knows: the working atmosphere is only as good as the personal spaces for privacy and retreat, which can be created through the right measures. For example, a person who is concentrating on something wants to be disturbed as little as possible by the informal team discussion across the room. And if you’re on the phone, you might not want everyone listening in, just as others probably prefer not to overhear every phone call. Even in a single or two-person office, the sense of well-being can be significantly disturbed if walls jarringly reflect sound, giving the space a harsh and inhospitable feel.

One company that has been dedicated to this problem for years is the non-woven materials developer and manufacturer Recytex from Viersen in North Rhine-Westphalia. Under the silent.office.wall® brand, the company produces highly effective acoustic solutions, which are implemented in offices and public areas according to individually developed requirement profiles. A major advantage is that the raw material fleece is not only processed here, but is also produced in-house, which makes it possible to optimally respond to project-specific requirements.

In addition to the tried-and-tested framed acoustic products, a design collection and various acoustic-light combinations, the silent.office.wall® portfolio also includes a series of frameless products called Akustik to go with a minimalist aesthetic. Despite their slim thickness of 25 millimetres, they achieve excellent sound insulation and sound absorption – at a comparatively low purchase price.

The products are made from a dimensionally stable, self-supporting acoustic fleece consisting of 100 percent PET fibres – 30 percent of which are recycled fibres – which in turn can be further recycled. The material is certified according to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 (product class 1) and is flame retardant in accordance with EN 13501-1:2019; DIN 4102; B1. The mottled grey fleece can be optionally tinted in one of seven colours. In addition, individual special colours can also be requested.

The family of purist Akustik to go products includes a partition system that is available in three versions: as a self-supporting solo partition with adjustable feet, as a partition with two-sided or one-sided connectors. The latter allow the partitions to be assembled or disassembled in no time at all, without tools, thanks to a stable interlocking system, and desks and functional zones can be enclosed on one, two or three sides. In addition to standard dimensions of 150 centimetres high and a width between 80 and 200 centimetres, special dimensions are also possible.

If acoustic modules are to be placed directly behind or on the desk work surface, while the legroom below remains open to the floor, the Flyby and Solo desk attachments from the same product family offer an ideal solution. The 65- and 50-centimetre-high modules are attached to the desk panel with a simple screw clamp, making them perfect for height-adjustable desks. For a tidy workplace, an organiser rail, an A4 tray, a note tray and a hanging file are optionally available. As a desk attachment with a one or two-sided connector, desks can also be enclosed on two or three sides, or two desks can be placed next to each other in a zigzag configuration. Upon request, tapered side panels can be ordered to provide better all-round visibility.

If the ceilings are also to be equipped with acoustically effective absorber elements, silent.office.wall® offers a number of options in the Akustik to go series. On the one hand, simple ceiling panels are available in round or rectangular shapes; plus there are the graphic ceiling absorbers Baffel-Karree, consisting of wave-shaped or flat fleece strips joined together to form a grid. Both solutions are attached to the ceiling with a slender wire suspension system, which makes the elements appear to float. In addition to the basic mottled grey colour, the two products also come in raw white, or optionally tinted in a choice of colours.

Finally, the all-rounder when it comes to room acoustics is the acoustic column. Available in three heights of 160, 180 or 200 centimetres, it can be placed anywhere in the room. Optional castors also make the column mobile. It is the ideal sound absorber, especially for interior concepts where there are few options for installation on the ceiling or wall or where it is only intended for temporary use.

As the Akustik to go product series from silent.office.wall® demonstrates, good room acoustic solutions do not have to be complicated. Incidentally, it is also a perfect example of number 10 of Dieter Rams’s famous theses on design: “Good design is as little design as possible.” What more is there to say?

© Architonic