Common acoustical problem of the closed spaces in the offices is the

sound transmission from outdoor to indoor, between floors (footsteps), and

between adjacent rooms.

The other factors like the disturbances from the conversations from the
other end of the room such as the communal spaces and visual distractions and
the need for privacy.

MATERIALS USED: PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT’S ROOM AND PANTRY

-ACOUSTICAL SOUND DAMPENING PLASTIC FILM FOR WINDOWS

This is a transparent film used in order to block out noise as effectively

as noise-canceling headphones even the windows are open, there are also
speakers built into the film and can even play music that blocks the noises
outside and has a strong, transparent lamination core surrounded by two
layers of polymer.

-SOUND ABSORBERS:

Porous Absorbers
Are consisted of porous materials. Their sound-absorbing effect comes from
the fact that the sound waves can penetrate the surface of the material and
flow into the cellular or fibrous structure, where they are dampened and
converted into heat thus they convert the energy of sound into heat energy,
which means that only a small part of sound energy is reflected back into the
room. This can be found in the office as seen in different textiles, carpets,
curtains, open-cell foams, mineral wool insulation, glass fiber, etc.
-ACOUSTIC FOAM

Acoustic foam is one of the most commonly used materials due to its easy
installation and its affordability as well as its effective absorption of a sound
and also a decorative panel for the room.

Since the sound waves travel outwards from their source in all directions,
foams prevent the sounds from hitting the hard surface and trap them inside
thus absorbing the sound that is usually consist of an attractive fabric and
design with different patterns where there’s aesthetics amidst its function
which is found in the office since the room that separates the wall is also the
office of the other architects.

-SOUND ABSORBING FABRIC PANELS

Acoustic Fabric Panels which are made of wood frame wrapped in fabric
with some other sound absorber, such as high-density fiberglass, or foam
which is used near on the principal architect’s room it can be seen at its back
specifically in order to avoid the sound transmission and to support the
resonant acoustic tiles to lessen the reverberation.
-THICK, FLUFFY CARPETS

thick carpets on the floor can significantly reduce the amount of noise
footsteps can make and lessens the vibrations.

-REGULAR CURTAINS AND BLANKETS

-PAINTINGS OR TAPESTRIES
Sound waves will easily bounce off and become louder thus canvas paintings
tapestries or the decorative acoustic wall panels that would also help the bare
walls eliminating the reverberation.

Membrane (Panel) Absorbers

Are non-porous and non-rigid materials that are most effective in the bass
frequency range but not with higher frequencies. They are common building
elements like windows, doors, floors that function as a panel absorber, as well
as tables, chairs, and other furniture.

-SOFT FURNITURE: SOFAS AND CUSHIONS

These are used to effectively absorb the sound in addition to the other
sound absorbers inside the office and most especially the pantry.

Resonance Absorbers
 Are consisted of an acoustical oscillation system, where there is a solid
plate on the front end with tight air space behind it. These plates include
perforated materials and materials that have holes or other openings and
these holes act as the bottleneck that traps the sound and locks it into the
space located in-behind the material which can be seen at the right side of the
wall in the office since the adjacent room is the fire exit with the stairs thus it
should be maintained silent.

OTHER MATERIALS USED:

-Acoustical Wall Fill

Most offices have the ceiling grid below the actual deck above the ceiling
which is a common way of creating pathways for cabling, HVAC ducts, and
plumbing above the ceiling and that the walls have been installed after the
original shell of the building have been built will only reach a few inches above
the ceiling grid making the sounds travel easily through the acoustical ceiling
tiles and over the wall to the other or next room.

-Hanging baffles manages to reduce the echo while it also contributes to the
aesthetics as light sound-absorbing in the pantry to emphasize the dining areas
which is prone to noise from conversations and are installed with chains and
hooks.
 An Underlayment makes the sound within the room much softer, and the
footsteps are immensely reduced as well as the noise from underneath which
is found on the floor and also this material comes in various forms, such as
acoustic foam, felt, plywood, but felt is one of the best solution as it is very
effective in reducing the sound absorption that is visible in the office and
pantry.

- Sound baffles, a construction or device which reduces the strength (level) of

airborne sound, minimizing noise pollution or reverberation thus absorbing the
energy. This is used in the office as wood to add aesthetics while being
incorporated in the pantry to lessen the noise from above and other sources of
sound such as the kitchen things
and machines.