Last summer, a massive office in Pudong District, Shanghai, underwent a full construction. As part of efforts to bring the office in line with best practices, the company wanted to make sure that the office environments not only looked, but sounded good too. They wanted to ensure the space was free of unnecessary reverberation, and noise spill-over between different areas. For this, with help from general contractor Jinhan and design company IDA, they applied a whopping 3500㎡ of Zenfeel Acoustic products throughout various spaces. In this article, we’ll showcase how these were laid out.
Blue Groove Cut Panels
In the photos above, we can see how blue groove cut panels have been cut into two different patterns, and applied to two different spaces. The diagonal pattern in the open-plan meeting area provides a good contrast to the horizontal lines of the carpet. In the enclosed meeting room, the horizontal lines create an effect whereby the ceiling feels higher than it actually is. In both cases, the blue colour evokes the sky, bringing connotations of the outdoors indoors.
Light Brown Groove Cut Panels
Similarly to the meeting room above, the vertical lines on these panels give the impression of height. In this case, they’re coloured light brown, to match the colour tones of the surrounding areas. They achieve a sleek, modern, sophisticated style while providing protection against excessive reverberation.
Fabric-Wrapped Flat Acoustic Panels
Here an entire wall’s worth of acoustic panels are arranged in a concave shape. By wrapping them in fabric, a textured contrast is given with the glass windows and flat shiny and white-matte surfaces outside. Notice how the joint between the upper and lower panels is at the same level as the joint between the back rest and head rest on the chairs. Attention to detail like this ensure spaces feel spatially coherent and of a high aesthetic standard.
Flat Acoustic Panels
Here, large flat acoustic panels line the walls, but they are not wrapped in fabric. The lighter colour and less-textured surface allows more light to reflect, ensuring these large open spaces do not feel too separate from the outside world.
Conclusion
By carefully applying a mixture of groove cut and flat acoustic panels, the sophisticated aesthetic of the office was maintained, while noise could be controlled effectively. The office is a perfect example of how acoustic control products can be used with attention to detail, blending in seamlessly, and even enhancing, the office environment.