Have you ever noticed that some office environments make you feel comfortable to talk at a normal voice level, while others make you want to whisper all day long? While there may be other factors at play, the construction of an office ceiling plays a key role in the acoustic functionality of the entire room, or even the entire building. When it’s done well, everyone is able to work more comfortably and deal with fewer distractions. With Architectural Interior Restorations, Inc. as your building partner, you’ll get a ceiling that does its job perfectly.
Plan for Office Use
Before the ceiling material is determined, first consider the potential sound levels of the room.
- How many people will be working there?
- What kind of machinery will be present?
- Will the room be used for large meetings where sound will need to be projected?
Once these factors are defined, we can have a better idea of the sound quality needs for the room.
Two Goals: Sound Absorption and Sound Blocking
- Sound Absorption (NRC): NRC is a noise-reduction coefficient that measures how well sound is absorbed. A low-performing ceiling rating would be one that has an NRC rating of less than .50. A high-performing ceiling rating would be .70 or above.
- Sound Blocking (CAC): CAC performance rates the ability of a ceiling to act as a barrier to airborne sound transmission. A rating of 25 or lower is considered to be low-performing while a rating of 35 or higher is considered to be high-performing.
- Total Acoustics: This type of ceiling combines the benefits of both NRC and CAC performances to create a ceiling that is flexible enough for today’s workspaces, and is effective in many different industries and environments.