Noise Reduction: Solving acoustic problems in meeting rooms

Based on past experience, we’ve come across a range of challenges when treating acoustic issues in meeting rooms. Some of the most common are:

• Hard surfaces (floors, ceilings, and walls)
• Hard, non-absorbing furniture (plastic, screens, …)
• Glass windows and/or doors
• Typical small space where sound easily bounces back and forth
• Reverberation from AV equipment

Now, let’s get to work and have a look at a recent client case that will help you get started solving your acoustic issues too!

To find the most suitable acoustic solutions for your meeting room—or any other space—it’s crucial to measure the actual reverb time. It will help you better determine where to apply acoustic solutions rather than placing them randomly.

Try measuring the reverb time in your space with the BuzziSpace RT60 app(iOS only). It allows you to simulate acoustic improvements by adding sound-absorbing furniture. 

Getting started

To get started, you need to have a floor plan and room specs at hand. We received the following briefing from our client along with renders of the space.

• Length: 9,20 m | 30.2 ft
• Width: 5,41 m |17.75 ft
• Height: 3,60 m |11.83 ft
• Volume: 179,17 m³ | 6341.47 ft³

Measuring the actual reverb time in the meeting room, it is higher than the recommendations.

Taking a closer look at the results from the acoustic measurements, we conclude the need to apply solutions that balance low and high frequencies. Otherwise, we will not reach the recommended reverb time.

Wall-mounted absorbing materials

Let’s start with the walls. To prevent sound waves from bouncing back and forth against the walls, we’re proposing wall-mounted sound-absorbing solutions, e.g. BuzziBrickBack, BuzziBlox. And to further reduce sounds traveling through the space, BuzziFalls is a great option. The elegant, yet bold, cut-outs help spread sound transfers evenly in the room before they eventually hit the walls and is absorbed by the wall treatments.

— Soft, porous furniture

However, applying products to the walls is not enough to achieve the recommended reverb time. We have to apply additional products. These don’t have to be limited to acoustic panels.

Remember, this is a meeting room and must be set up in the function of the space. It is already furnished with a conference table, but rather than keeping the wooden benches, we propose to replace these with more soft, porous furniture, e.g. chairs with a soft core. 

— Ceiling elements and free-standing pillars

Finally, to bring down the high frequencies to the recommended level, we propose adding a few additional elements:

Ceiling applications to capture sound waves going upwards, e.g. BuzziPleat. Combining different suspension heights will prevent sound traveling further in a space like this with a high ceiling.

Free-standing acoustic pillars, e.g. BuzziTotem. The soft edges and round shape diffuse sounds while the upholstered acoustic foam body, without interference from a structural frame, absorbs sound in its entirety. Placing it in the corner will trap sound waves and keep them from bouncing back and forth in the room.

The result is clear! The new acoustic measurement now provides us with an acoustic rating within the recommended reverb time. The low and high frequencies have been balanced to an acceptable level, resulting in a well-balanced room.