Achieving a Quiet Office Environment with a Acoustic Panel System

W PR Newswire moved into an old printing industry building on Hudson Street in New York City and achieving a desirable acoustic environment was a key element in planning and creating the new workspaces. M. Castedo Architects took on the project of transforming the 25,000 square foot loft space into an acoustically and aesthetically attractive workplace. A specially-designed acoustic panel system, engineered by Eckel Industries, Inc., Acoustic Division, Cambridge, MA, provided the solution. This system utilizes Eckel’s Type III Eckoustic Functional Panels to obtain the desired sound control throughout the open plan areas and in the conference rooms. More specifically, the large open loft space with its 12 foot high ceiling was configured so that all personnel have a 5’6” x 5’6” open workstation with 48” high enclosures. Positioned over the workstations are the Eckel acoustical “canopies,” the canopies being wing-shaped in form. Each “wing” of the canopy is 72” wide x 48” long. These canopies are arranged in a variety of groupings to give a more dynamic pattern. Fabricated from .032” V-ridged perforated aluminum with fiberglass wrapped insulation, the canopies provide acoustic attenuation, thereby ensuring a comfortable, quiet environment. The Eckel sound absorbing canopies serve not only an acoustic control function, but also an energy conservation one. The canopies integrate lighting, ventilation, and sprinklers. The canopy wings bounce and amplify the light from standard up-down fluorescent fixtures. Because of this reflecting capability, the panel system provides a way of saving energy by enabling fewer lighting fixtures to be needed to product the perception of a desired light level.