For many years, walls made from studs and drywall have been used to divide space, provide visual and acoustical privacy, and contain power and communications for access to technology. Now, building professionals are looking at new ways to improve the performance and flexibility of fixed wall construction while maintaining its benefits. To improve their bottom line and remain nimble for changing workplace configurations, many companies are finding modular wall solutions, such as moveable and demountable walls, as a high-performance alternative to fixed interior wall construction. Combining modular wall systems with an integrated application of sound absorbing finishes and background sound masking can result in a highly flexible environment that meets or exceeds traditional wall construction.
While first costs for moveable walls are comparable to traditional construction, their long-term benefit is realized in terms of organizational adaptability. Modular wall systems offer facility managers the ability to significantly alter the layout of spaces without the cost, demolition waste and downtime associated with traditional stud and drywall construction.
For companies facing rapid growth or with a strong culture of collaboration, modular walls can provide many benefits over an open office plan. Demountable partitions offer greater acoustical separation than open workstations, and the proper choice of height and materials can mitigate most sound transmission concerns. Many systems offer the ability to detail and customize the interior solution in a way that bridges the gap between architecture and office furniture.
One option is to integrate office furniture that consists of solid barriers at lower elevations, with transparent materials, such as glass or Plexiglas, at higher elevations. A combination of these two approaches can create visual openness in the work environment along with reduced sound transmission as a result of the increased barrier height.
The Myth: Modular Wall Systems = Insufficient Acoustic Performance
There is a common misconception that demountable and moveable walls do not provide the same acoustical performance as closed offices and divided rooms. If teams utilize the appropriate installation techniques of “blocking” and “covering up,” the final design will help mitigate any acoustical privacy concerns.
The first acoustical design strategy – block – means increasing the acoustical effectiveness of the barrier between neighboring spaces. In traditional wall construction, materials form a continuous barrier that runs from the floor to the ceiling. With floor-to-ceiling modular wall constructions, it remains important to use panels that effectively block sound (STC 40-45) and seal well to each other for reducing sound transmission that might otherwise pass between the panels. It is important to use installation contractors who understand how these seals work and implement them properly during the installation.
Introducing a pleasant and innocuous background is a good instance of the other design strategy – cover-up. Examples include sound-masking systems or speech-privacy systems, which can provide an unobtrusive background noise that covers up the offending noise. Newer privacy systems can even be installed through a ceiling tile by facility personnel. When modular walls are used with a system that provides elevated levels of background sound, the acoustical privacy provided by modular wall products can be comparable to traditional basic stud wall construction (STC 40-45).
Shire Pharmaceuticals constructed a new traditional office space in its laboratory facility in 2007. As the project neared completion, changes to the design required demolition and new mechanical and electrical systems. This experience caused its facility managers to look at new ways of providing organizational changes without the impact on operations.
Shire did three things that serve as a blueprint for their anticipated interior office fit-out projects: they studied the probable design scenarios that might occur in the future, looked at the impact on the delivery of utilities and where fixed elements must be located, and worked with the wall panel manufacturer Haworth to customize the product choices and installation details within the traditional construction process. The modular wall product – LifeSPACE ERA specified by Integrated Interiors – was then tailored to provide the most efficient utility delivery system, maximize future flexibility, and provide appropriate levels of sound privacy for the offices. Shire is currently constructing a new combination office and laboratory building that includes significant moveable walls based on the successful experience gained from past projects. Acentech consulted with Shire and the architects, KlingStubbins, on noise control and sound absorption techniques.
Modular walls can maximize acoustical performance with exceptional sustainability while providing greater organizational adaptability in the long-term.
David Atwood is general manager of Integrated Interiors, Jeff Fullerton, INCE Bd. Cert., LEED AP, is the director of architectural acoustics at Acentech Inc. and Katelyn Filippetti is the Lead Supervisor of Facilities Planning and Design for Shire Human Genetics Therapies (HGT), Inc.
Editors note: The authors will be presenting this topic at Build Boston 2011 (Presentation Code: A43.)