DesigningforSilence:TheAcousticChallengeinOpenOffices

The open office was supposed to solve everything. Tear down the walls, foster collaboration, create energy. Instead, we created a new problem: nowhere to think.

The Open Office Paradox

Walk into any modern office and you'll see the contradiction immediately. Open layouts designed for collaboration, filled with people wearing headphones, desperately trying to create acoustic privacy that the architecture denies them.

The problem isn't collaboration—it's the assumption that all work happens at the same volume level.

Research consistently shows that open offices reduce face-to-face collaboration while increasing digital communication. Why? Because when you can't control your acoustic environment, you retreat into digital spaces where you can.

Understanding Acoustic Privacy

Before we can design solutions, we need to understand what acoustic privacy actually means. It's not about silence—it's about control.

Acoustic privacy has three components:

Speech Privacy: The ability to have a conversation without being overheard or overhearing others.

Concentration Privacy: The ability to focus without auditory distraction.

Psychological Privacy: The feeling that you have control over your acoustic environment.

Traditional solutions—white noise systems, sound-masking technology—address the first two but ignore the third. And psychological privacy might be the most important.

The PEYMOON Approach

When we designed the PEYMOON acoustic panel system, we started with a question: How do you create privacy without creating isolation?

The answer required rethinking what an acoustic solution could be.

Beyond Sound Absorption

Most acoustic products focus solely on absorbing sound. PEYMOON does this—with an NRC rating of 0.85, it's highly effective at reducing sound transmission. But absorption alone isn't enough.

We needed to create acoustic zones—areas where sound behaves differently without requiring permanent architectural changes.

The dual-sided design means PEYMOON works from any angle. Whether it's a freestanding room divider or a table-mounted privacy screen, it provides consistent acoustic performance while maintaining visual lightness.

The Transparency Question

Here's a counterintuitive insight: acoustic privacy doesn't require visual privacy.

In fact, maintaining visual connection while providing acoustic separation often works better than complete isolation. It prevents the claustrophobic feeling of enclosed spaces while still enabling focused work.

This is why our CUBE acoustic booths use glass panels. You can see out, others can see in, but sound stays contained. The psychological effect is significant—you're private but not isolated.

Layered Acoustic Strategy

Effective acoustic design in open offices requires multiple interventions working together:

Layer 1: Architectural Acoustics

The foundation. Ceiling treatments, wall materials, floor coverings. This is the baseline that determines how sound behaves in the space.

Layer 2: Spatial Zoning

Creating areas with different acoustic characteristics. Quiet zones for focused work, collaborative zones where conversation is expected, social zones where noise is acceptable.

Layer 3: Flexible Barriers

Products like PEYMOON that can be deployed where and when needed. This is where furniture becomes architecture.

Layer 4: Personal Control

Individual solutions—acoustic panels at workstations, personal sound masking, even the humble headphone. The key is giving people options.

The Material Science

Acoustic design is fundamentally about material science. Different materials interact with sound in different ways:

Soft, porous materials (like the fabric covering on PEYMOON) absorb sound, particularly high frequencies.

Dense, rigid materials (like the acoustic foam core) block sound transmission.

Irregular surfaces scatter sound, preventing echo and reverberation.

The challenge is combining these properties in a product that's also aesthetically pleasing, durable, and affordable.

Real-World Application: The Tehran Chamber of Commerce

When we worked on the Tehran Chamber of Commerce Innovation Center, acoustic design was central to the project's success.

The brief called for a flexible space that could support everything from quiet individual work to energetic group brainstorming. The solution required careful acoustic zoning:

Focus Zones: PEYMOON panels created semi-private work areas within the open space. Users could deploy them as needed, creating temporary quiet zones.

Collaboration Zones: Deliberately designed with harder surfaces to support energetic discussion without feeling like you need to whisper.

Transition Zones: Areas with moderate acoustic treatment that could flex between uses.

The result? A space that actually supports different work modes instead of forcing everyone into the same acoustic environment.

The Psychology of Acoustic Control

Here's what we've learned: people don't need perfect silence. They need predictable acoustic environments and control over their exposure.

A moderate level of background noise can actually improve focus for some people. The problem with open offices isn't noise per se—it's unpredictable, uncontrollable noise.

This is why solutions that give users control are more effective than those that simply reduce noise. A PEYMOON panel that someone can position themselves provides more psychological benefit than a permanently installed acoustic ceiling that's objectively more effective.

Common Acoustic Design Mistakes

Through our work, we've identified several common mistakes in acoustic design:

Mistake 1: Treating Symptoms, Not Causes

Adding acoustic panels to a poorly designed space is like putting a bandage on a broken bone. If the fundamental spatial layout doesn't support acoustic privacy, no amount of absorption will fix it.

Mistake 2: One-Size-Fits-All Solutions

Different work requires different acoustic environments. Treating the entire office the same way serves no one well.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Visual-Acoustic Relationship

Acoustic solutions that create visual barriers often make spaces feel smaller and more oppressive. The goal is acoustic privacy with visual openness.

Mistake 4: Permanent Solutions for Flexible Needs

Acoustic needs change throughout the day and across different projects. Fixed solutions can't adapt.

The Future of Acoustic Design

We're exploring several directions for future acoustic solutions:

Smart Acoustics: Materials that can adjust their acoustic properties based on ambient noise levels or user preferences.

Integrated Systems: Acoustic solutions that combine with lighting, ventilation, and technology infrastructure.

Biophilic Acoustics: Using natural materials and forms that provide acoustic benefits while connecting users to nature.

Practical Recommendations

If you're dealing with acoustic challenges in your workspace:

1. Audit your acoustic zones. Map where different types of work happen and what acoustic environment each requires.

2. Start with flexible solutions. Products like PEYMOON that can be repositioned are more forgiving than permanent installations.

3. Give people control. Even imperfect control is better than no control.

4. Test before committing. Acoustic performance is hard to predict. Prototype solutions before full implementation.

5. Consider the whole system. Acoustic design works best when integrated with spatial planning, furniture selection, and technology infrastructure.

The Bigger Picture

Acoustic design is really about respecting how people work. It's acknowledging that focus and collaboration are both valuable, that different people have different needs, and that those needs change throughout the day.

The open office isn't inherently bad. But open offices without acoustic intelligence are.

By treating acoustic design as a core consideration rather than an afterthought, we can create spaces that truly support the diverse ways people work—spaces where you can collaborate when you need to and focus when you must.

That's not just better design. It's more humane design.

Struggling with acoustic challenges in your workspace? We'd love to hear about your experience and discuss potential solutions. Reach out at bloosh.studio@gmail.com.