How to Soundproof Your Office Space with Glass Office Partitions 

The “open-office movement” is well underway. Most offices have either committed completely to shared open spaces or adopted hybrid versions with parceled, private spaces interspersed. The benefits are well documented, but the adoption of an open office comes with multiple considerations. One of the most important is managing sound.

Before we jump into how to manage sound, specifically with soundproof glass office partitions, it’s essential to understand the difference between the two types of sound prevalent in most offices.  

The Echo vs. The Reverberation

People use the terms “echo” and “reverberation” interchangeably. Yet, in acoustics, the two represent distinct phenomena, and recognizing this difference is crucial for effective office noise control. 

An echo is a single, distinct reflection of a sound wave off a distant surface. A reverberation, on the other hand, is the persistence of sound in a space caused by multiple, overlapping echoes. Reverberations occur when sound waves bounce repeatedly off hard surfaces like walls, floors, and ceilings after the original sound source has stopped. This reflected sound continues until the sound waves lose enough energy and fade away.

Echoes occur in offices, but the major problem is reverberations. Poorly designed open office spaces without appropriate glass office partitions with soundproof technology lie at the heart of the issue. 

Why is Reverberation a Problem?

Reverberations are innately annoying. Moreover, they can significantly degrade sound quality within a space. Because a reverberation’s multiple sound waves hit a listener’s ear at slightly different times, it can make it difficult for occupants to understand speech and comprehend the sound clearly. Furthermore, the overlapping sound waves increase the overall sound energy in a room, which can lead to people raising their voices to compensate, further exacerbating the problem.

Solving Reverberation Challenges with Glass Office Partitions

The most effective way to reduce reverberation is to increase sound absorption within the space. Here is where glass office partitions with soundproof technology come into play. Via the installation of sound-absorbing glass office partitions, the materials reduce reflections and cause the sound waves to decay faster. In an open space, a comfortable decay time should be less than two seconds.

For improved speech intelligibility, absorptive glass office partitions should be strategically placed throughout the space to control reflections that interfere with the direct path of speech. 

A commonly held belief is that we need to work with uncomfortable reverberations because we’re all now working in a shared space. Glass office partitions create more intimate, shared spaces, and if implemented correctly, can improve speech intelligibility and lower general room noise.