Moveable Office Wall

By Ted Weidman

Office spaces commonly pose interesting and unique acoustical situations that usually require a little creativity as well as some flexibility.
I received a call from Sam who had her own office for years, but with the company expanding and the amount of space remaining constant, a co-worker moved a desk into the room. Because of the nature of their work, they decided to look for a way to put some kind of sound barrier between them.

The solution had a few prerequisites needed to be met in order to even be a possibility for the room. The first was that the sound barrier could not be a permanent addition to the room. Because the company was renting the space, the product that was to be installed would have to be easily removable. The second prerequisite was that it had to be aesthetically acceptable. They did not want to have an eyesore to work around all day. After looking at the website, Sam decided to call for some advice. When I talked to her, I informed her of our BSC-25 acoustical quilted curtain screens. These are custom fabricated curtains with a black 1″ steel tube frame that can sit on the floor. Because of the 1/8″ thick Mass Loaded Vinyl in the center of the curtain, they block the same amount of sound as a normal 2 x 4 wall with sheetrock on either side.

After sending Sam samples as well as a more decorative color selection for the facing, they decided to take measurements for a two-screen quote. I put together a simple little sketch to show them approximately where to measure and e-mailed it to them. It was decided that instead of the standard PVC facing which is most commonly used in industrial applications, that these panels would be faced with the more decorative, softer looking Sailcloth.

The screens were fabricated with the curtain overlapping the frame so one panel could attach to the next. Eliminating air gaps between and around the panels greatly improve their performance.