Acoustics

When designing a comfortable interior environment, we often think about cushions and chairs. But the invisible world of acoustics has a staggering impact on our comfort, as well as our overall productivity and wellbeing.

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A sound design

Everywhere you look, spaces are being designed and adapted to fit the changing requirements of the built environment. Playing a leading role in creating comfortable and safe spaces, acoustic ceilings tiles have the power to impact everything from performance in schools and offices to the way patients heal in healthcare facilities. Used anywhere comfort truly matters, Rockfon acoustic solutions help elevate the human experience with sound design.

Acoustic management of a room

When creating the best indoor acoustic environment, you must take into consideration how the right combination of highly absorptive stone wool solutions, robust walls and floor slabs, and background sound work together to optimize the acoustics in a room.

Acoustic ceiling and wall solutions absorb the sounds in a room, reducing noise and reverberation while increasing acoustic comfort and privacy. Full-height walls, sound insulating ceiling tiles and/or plenum barriers block noise from other rooms on the same floor, while floor slabs offer sound isolation between rooms above or below each other. The appropriate background sound level ensures that any unwanted sound that does get through is masked and not heard.

Our various acoustic solutions meet or exceed all environmental and sustainability standards, such as the LEED® Green Rating System and the WELL™ Building Standard. But we didn't stop there. As of early 2021, more than 90% of our products are also Cradle to Cradle Certified® so you can be sure your interiors are safe, sustainable and that they support the circular economy.

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Our contribution to building schemes

Learn how our products can contribute to getting your building certified towards major building rating schemes.

Steps to optimise indoor acoustics

Optimise acoustic absorption

With the use of sound absorbing ceiling and wall solutions, noise and reverberation within a space are reduced. Students can understand their teachers, employees can focus on work and patients have a quiet space to heal. Sound absorption of acoustic ceiling and wall solutions are measured with a “weighted sound absorption coefficient” (αw), and most Rockfon acoustic solutions offer excellent sound absorption with a smooth, modern aesthetic.

What to consider: How loud are the sounds inside the room?

In a classroom full of kids, restaurant packed with diners or open office with collaborating employees, high sound absorbing ceiling and wall solutions are needed. This sound absorption increases speech intelligibility by decreasing reverberation. Even in quieter spaces, such as private offices and patient rooms, ceiling sound absorption is critical for speech privacy and intelligibility.

SE, World Trade Center, Malmö, Horisont Arkitekter AB, Office, Rockfon Blanka, M-edge, 1200x600, White, Chicago Metallic 2890 T24 Click, OPen Plan Office

Optimise sound insulation

To provide soundproofing and ultimately speech privacy between enclosed rooms, you have to consider the role of all sound insulating parts of a room like ceilings, walls, floor slabs, interior doors and windows. Most standard acoustic ceilings will not meet the minimum sound insulation performance required in building standards, guidelines, and rating systems if the walls between rooms are not constructed full-height, leaving the plenum above the ceiling open.

Using full-height, acoustically rated walls will optimize for sound insulation without comprising the ceiling absorption. If full-height walls aren’t possible, our lightweight plenum barrier Rockfon® Soundstop™ can work with our suspended acoustic ceilings to create a high-performing, sound insulation system that meets or exceeds industry requirements.

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Optimise background sound levels

Too quiet of a space can have a negative impact on its performance. If the space is so quiet that every whisper and crinkle of paper becomes a distraction, the acoustics of the space haven’t been optimised. Without the right level of background sound, occupants are pushed to rely on earplugs or headphones. Considering the background sound level ensures the acoustics balance noise and quiet, creating a protective and soothing environment.

Designed background sound has two main categories: soothe and comfort occupants or make speech less distracting. Both types can be accomplished with a myriad of sources, including music, nature, mechanical systems and electronic sound masking.

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Sound absorption and sound insulation combined

We see what you hear

Another great solution is a combination of sound absorption and sound insulation. Our dB acoustic ceiling tile range provides a documented noise control solution that is music to your ears.

The importance of acoustics extends to every environment

Overall Wellbeing: Without appropriate acoustic design inside buildings, noise can seriously harm human health by causing short- and long-term health problems⁽¹⁾.