Human Scale
Office acoustics
Office acoustics are not solved with a product: they are diagnosed and zoned by noise level. We call it Active Silence: not the absence of sound, but designed sound. This page covers the diagnosis; totora panels and pods have their own pages.
timeline: depends on floor
Is this your case?
- “From the focus desks you can follow every conversation next door.”
- “Everything echoes in the boardroom and nobody can follow a video call.”
- “The open area got noisy and people go elsewhere to concentrate.”
- “Before buying panels, we want to know where the noise really is.”
How it works
Noise map
We measure noise with sensors during the Audit and cross it with real occupancy. Surveys tell us where concentration is hard.
Zoning by noise level
Deep Focus gets the lowest level on the floor; the Agora, a moderate level controlled at the ceiling. Vital Refuges stay silent or carry natural sound.
Absorption and masking
We absorb sound in ceilings and walls with totora and felt. In open areas we mask with natural sounds.
Verification
In meeting rooms we target a reverberation time of 0.4–0.6 s, and we measure it. From a focus desk, the conversation next door should not be intelligible.
What you receive
- A noise map of the floor, with the baseline of each zone.
- An acoustic zoning plan by activity.
- Absorption and masking specifications for each zone.
- A reverberation target for each room and its measurement after the work.
Frequently asked questions
What is Active Silence?
It is designed sound, not the absence of sound. It combines absorption, zoning by noise level and masking with natural sounds.
What reverberation time do you target in a meeting room?
We start from 0.4–0.6 s. It is a design reference value; the final one is adjusted to regulations, use and the Audit.
Is installing acoustic panels enough?
No. A panel absorbs sound, but it does not decide which activity sits next to which. Totora panels are one tool in this plan and have their own page.
What if what we lack is privacy for calls?
That is solved with a pod, such as the Foco pod. You can try it first with an 8-week Pilot Kit.
Your company's performance is decided in its space.
It all starts with a Workplace Performance Audit: we measure before we give an opinion.