11 Ways to Reduce Noise in an Open Air Office

Open-plan offices are great for collaboration, but they can also contribute to excess noise, a lack of privacy, and productivity issues if your open workspace design is not approached with noise control in mind. Reducing open office noise through strategic acoustic design has the power to enhance employee focus and can even help maintain their physical and mental wellbeing, making it more important than many of us may think.

Chronic exposure to unacceptable noise levels can increase our stress levels and contribute to a host of physical ailments that go hand-in-hand with heightened stress levels. It can also make communication and concentration more difficult, leading to lost productivity and potential mistakes.

If your office deals with sensitive data like medical or financial information, speech privacy is another concern. Loud office spaces often make it difficult to conduct private conversations due to both reflections and competing noise sources. Acoustically treating the space will help solve your privacy issues and keep clients feeling comfortable.

Let’s look at some common noise sources in open office spaces, their potential impact on productivity, and open office noise reduction solutions that work.

Common Open Office Noise Sources

As you can see, some of these noises can be incredibly distracting and require noise control measures to take them out of the equation. Here are some highly effective workplace noise pollution solutions.

1 – Install Acoustic Ceiling Baffles or Panels

One very effective way to reduce noise and maintain privacy in open-plan office spaces is to treat the ceiling with acoustic baffles or panels. These dense and porous materials reduce reflections off hard ceiling materials, reducing overall noise and keeping conversations from traveling into the next space over, making them one of the best noise reduction strategies for workspaces.

Material LogIQ offers a wide range of customizable ceiling baffles and panels to meet any design aesthetic. Our PET felt panels are environmentally friendly and won’t fade over time, meaning they will look great and improve the sound in your open office space for years to come. They are some of the best ceiling panels on the market, and they won’t cost a fortune.

2 – Use Acoustic Wall Panels to Reduce Reflections

Using acoustic panels on our walls is another important step in reducing open office noise. Hard, reflective wall surfaces contribute to echo and reverberation, both of which increase noise levels. Wall-mounted PET felt or wood slat panels absorb sound instead of reflecting it, vastly reducing echo and reverberation.

The best acoustic panels for offices will be those that meet both our aesthetic and acoustic needs. PET felt and wood slat panels are both attractive ways to reduce noise in open offices, and are best installed in or near high-noise areas like conference rooms, break rooms, and workstations.

3 – Incorporate Sound-Absorbing Office Furniture & Decor

Another way to reduce the number of reflective spaces in the office is to incorporate sound-absorbing office furniture and decor. The more soft materials like carpeting, rugs and fabric furniture we incorporate into our interior design, the more opportunities there are for sound waves to be absorbed rather than reflected. Combining sound-absorbing office furniture and decor with Material LogIQ’s fire-resistant acoustic panels is a step up and will help to greatly reduce echo and reverberation.

4 – Create Dedicated Quiet Zones

Separating collaborative and quiet areas within the office is a great way to minimize disruption and maintain productivity. Creating a layout that separates low-noise spaces from high-noise spaces through thoughtful planning will deliver noticeable impacts. Incorporating acoustic panels in the quiet zones will further reduce the amount of noise there, forming a two-pronged approach to soundproofing for open-plan workplaces.

5 – Add Microperforated Aluminum Panels for a Modern Look & Functionality

If you are looking for a high end aesthetic that delivers acoustic benefits without the need for visible acoustic infill panels, microperforated aluminum is a fantastic choice in modern office soundproofing. These panels are perforated with thousands of tiny holes that allow sound waves to pass through and become trapped, reducing the reflections that lead to common acoustical problems.

Some of the best locations for this sleek, industrial looking acoustic treatment include conference rooms, executive spaces, and lobbies. They are available in several color and wood grain finishes, meaning you can precisely tailor your microperforated aluminum panels to meet your aesthetic needs.

6 – Implement White Noise Machines or Sound Masking Technology

We cannot always remove all the sound reflections in a space, nor would we want to. Creating an overly absorptive space leaves the room feeling “dead”, meaning there is little or no echo. This can make some of us feel a little uneasy and unwilling to communicate clearly, due to the fact that there is no sound to mask our own voices and keep our conversations private.

Sound masking technology like white noise for open office spaces introduce a low-volume ambient tone to the space, blending sound into the background and providing speech privacy solutions by gently masking our conversations. Combining them with acoustic panels will provide maximum impact on office acoustics.

In open office spaces, scattering a number of these machines throughout the room provides complete coverage without the white noise becoming overly loud, while incorporating them in open desk areas, phone booths, and collaborative workspaces are also incredibly effective options.

7 – Upgrade to Noise-Reducing Flooring

Hard flooring materials can contribute more noise to a space than we may think. Footsteps and the moving of chairs and other furniture create noise of their own, but that reflective flooring contributes to echo and reverberation, making the space even louder. Using carpet, rugs, or cork flooring will reduce noise produced by the floor from all sources.

If replacing your flooring is not an option, treating the walls and ceilings with a sufficient number of acoustic panels will absorb enough sound to compensate for your reflective flooring.

8 – Design Conference Rooms for Better Sound Control

Conference rooms are one of the spaces in all offices where clear communication is essential, which is why they must be designed for great office acoustics to eliminate any speech intelligibility issues. Incorporating acoustic wall panels, ceiling baffles, and furniture that reduces reverberation are all incredibly helpful in this regard. For a polished, professional look, high performance wood slat panels deliver acoustical performance in a package that blends both classic and modern design sentiments.

9 – Train Employees on Noise Awareness

Employees understand some of the challenges that go along with working in an open office, and training them on proper awareness can reduce the amount of noise they must deal with. Establishing quiet hours, designating phone zones, and encouraging mindful talking habits and respectful music volumes all reduce noise pollution in the office. This all adds up to an office culture of awareness and caring.

10 – Use Acoustic Lighting Fixtures

Integrating your lighting fixtures with acoustic treatments combine them into a single, functional solution that looks great and improves sound in the space. For example, using pendant and panel-style lights with acoustic materials will absorb sound while providing eye-catching illumination solutions.

Pairing acoustic PET felt ceiling baffles with well-placed lighting can maximize effectiveness, especially when placed over conference tables, workstations, and collaborative areas.

11 – Optimize HVAC Noise Control

Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems can all contribute a significant amount of noise to any space, and that is especially true of HVAC systems. Their loud air vents and fans are notorious noisemakers, but silencing them is surprisingly simple with the right acoustic solutions.

Using acoustical panels near HVAC vents will absorb excess airborne noise coming out of the system, while installing vibration dampening materials on ductwork and mechanical equipment will prevent vibrations from creating additional noise issues. Beyond that, adjusting fan speeds and keeping up with routine maintenance will reduce operational noise to boost both office productivity and noise control.

Ready to Create a Balanced and Productive Open Office?

Open office spaces do not need to be noisy and chaotic. With the right acoustic solutions, they can be more efficient, comfortable, and stylish. And when you choose LEED-certified acoustic materials like Material LogIQ’s PET felt, you can potentially even save money through tax incentives. There are a lot of great reasons to reduce your open office noise issues with acoustical products, but the performance will be dictated by the materials you choose.

Architects, designers, and office managers can identify the best materials for office acoustics by exploring Material LogIQ’s custom acoustic solutions for their next project. If you need help identifying the commercial space sound absorption that are best for your needs, reach out for a consultation.