Desk screens

Why an acoustic screen?

Noise pollution is a common problem in open-plan offices and large departments. Open-plan offices are not ideal for concentrated work. This situation will probably sound familiar: a colleague further away is talking on the phone, elsewhere they are busy discussing things, while you are trying to concentrate. You no longer want to hear your colleagues. Listening in on conversations happens unconsciously and leads to decreased productivity.

Sound-absorbing screens are intended to reduce the transmission of sound. With sufficient height, mass and the right absorbing materials, you block out more sound. Moreover, an acoustic screen provides more physical separation between you and your colleagues. In this way, a desk or table screen provides more privacy.

Direct sound vs. indirect sound

In acoustics, we distinguish between direct and indirect sound. Indirect sound is caused by reflections of sound from hard surfaces. Depending on the frequency and the absorbing capacity of a surface, reverberations create an echo. The higher the reverberation, the worse the intelligibility.

In an office, it is crucially important to have good intelligibility. A low level of reverberation (little indirect sound) calms the mind and improves acoustic comfort. To achieve a pleasant level of reverberation, indirect sound must be avoided and we do this with acoustic wall panels, wall coverings or ceiling panels.

Besides the indirect sound, there is the direct sound. Meaning, the direct sound from A to B. With a low reverberation level, this direct sound is easily intelligible, because the direct sound hardly enters indirectly.

On the one hand, it is nice to be able to understand someone directly, but on the other hand, it can also be disruptive in a situation where you want to concentrate on your work and you can literally hear every conversation elsewhere.

Acoustic office screens are designed to reduce direct sound. Simply put, an acoustic screen is a barrier that interrupts direct sound. By covering the screen with absorbent material, in this case PET felt, we prevent new reflections from arising.

Does an acoustic screen really work?

Yes, an acoustic desk or table screen really works. However, the proper functioning of a screen depends on several things:

• the reverberation level in the room is pleasant;
• the screen is acoustic, high and thick;
• someone sitting opposite you will continue to hear you. Nevertheless, a desk screen has a physical effect and reduces the noise coming from someone further away (from 3-4 metres).

Direct sound can never be completely eliminated. An improvement of several dBs can be achieved with screens. This depends, among other things, on the sound level in a room, the distance from the transmitter to the receiver and the reverberation level in the room.

Acoustic screens office

The screens offered by EASYfelt are made of sustainable PET felt. They are very suitable for the office, but also for a school environment, for example. You can think of desk screens that can be attached with brackets or table screens that you can place loosely around the table and simply put away again. With different designs between work zones, you bring extra peace and quiet, but also ambience to your space.

In practice, we often see that screens are used to reduce the reverberation in a room. However, this is not the most effective solution because hard walls and the ceiling cause reflections and reverberation. It is, therefore, smarter to add absorption to these surfaces. Of course, we have solutions for this too, want to know more? Contact us without obligation!