The look and feel of a commercial space are vital to its success — and so are the acoustics. Bad acoustics, or how sound travels through a space and how the features in the space affect what you hear, can make your space uncomfortable to be in. However, if you incorporate features into your design that help promote good acoustics, you can make the space much more welcoming to customers.
Prevent Echoes
A common problem, especially nowadays when commercial designs trend toward open spaces with lots of hard surfaces, is the echo. Sounds bounce off hard surfaces and zoom around to everyone's ears, adding to the overall noise level inside the space. Background sounds may seem louder, and impact sounds, such as a tray dropping on a restaurant floor, can interfere with conversations across the room because the initial noise then creates echoes that travel far and wide, bouncing off additional surfaces.
You need to incorporate some softness into the design. Add wide planters, pad booths, or couches, if this is a non-food commercial space. Look for areas where carpeting would be possible, and add wall decorations that can mute echoes. Also look at adding acoustic ceiling tiles.
Increase Audibility
Try to configure the space so that conversations stay contained. For example, in an office plan that you wanted to be open as possible, you would be better off having at least high-walled cubicles (although offices with doors that close are always preferable). Completely open-plan offices and low-walled cubicles don't stop noise from conversations from traveling around nearby desks. In restaurants, add high-walled booths that can corral sound waves and help occupants hear what people at that booth are saying. When it's easier for them to hear, it's more likely that they'll speak more softly, further reducing the overall noise level of the space.
Reduce Outside Noise
Try to add noise insulation to the walls of the space. Even if the windows open, and even if the door is open a lot to the outside, adding that noise insulation can cut out quite a lot of traffic noise anyway. It makes the space more pleasant for users.
Your commercial architecture design should account for noise, both from the outside and from what's going on inside the space. Good architectural design takes acoustics seriously, and it helps your customers or clients have clearer conversations and helps them stay calmer. Excessive noise is cut out easily with good acoustic features.
Share12 February 2020
About a year ago, we invited some new investors to come to our corporate headquarters to talk about a potential merger. Unfortunately, they were displeased with the way that our office looked, and they ended up leaving without offering us a deal. That day, we took a good, hard look at our entryway and business areas, and we realized that things needed to be overhauled just a bit. We hired an interior designer to completely remodel our business, and it made a huge difference. Our office looked more professional and much more put-together. Read this blog about interior design to learn how it could help you.
