Acoustics
The total area of acoustic wall treatment should equal atleast 50% of the total floor area of the room plus an additional 5m2, using treatment with an NRC of at least 0.7.
Key Hints
NRC (Noise reduction coefficient) is a measure of how much sound energy is absorbed when striking a surface. Measured from 0-1, a good benchmark is to allow for at least 50mm (2") thick treatment for the walls to achieve NRC 0.7.
Acoustic treatment on wall areas should ideally feature on two adjacent walls to reduce the risk of parallel reflections forming between two opposite reflective surfaces.
Wall treatment should ideally start just below seated head height approximately 1m (40") from the floor, continuing to ceiling level.
Key Hints
Multiple treatment options exist for walls that should be considered. Some options include felt, fabric wrapped panels, pinnable soft treatments, stretched fabric systems with concealed absorption. This will all depend on the desired look and feel for the room.
Ideally the entire ceiling should feature acoustic treatment to at least NRC 0.7. Suspended ceilings (ACT), are the most common solution, but other solutions such as suspended fabric wrapped panels or an acoustic spray treatment could also be considered.
Soft flooring, such as carpet or carpet tile, is the preferred floor finish for all meeting rooms. Hard floor finishes are a common culprit for poor acoustics in meeting spaces. Area rugs and soft furnishings should be considered in rooms where carpet is not feasible.