Home > Manchester > Office acoustics and soundproofing
For projects in Manchester
Office acoustics and soundproofing in Manchester
Three separate problems get called one problem: speech carrying across an open floor, meeting rooms that leak, and hard rooms that ring. Each has a different answer and mixing them up is how budgets get wasted. Radiators and open windows in older stock, mechanical ventilation in new build, so the noise source depends on the age of the building.
- Open plan
- Distraction distance, not reverberation time. Ceiling absorption plus screens at the desk.
- Meeting rooms
- Privacy between rooms. That is partition and door work, not panels.
- Cabins and calls
- Short RT so a call sounds clean. A small amount of well placed absorber.
- Quote
- From a plan and a section, within 48 hours
01 / What it is
The product, described honestly, for a Manchester brief
Three separate problems get called one problem: speech carrying across an open floor, meeting rooms that leak, and hard rooms that ring. Each has a different answer and mixing them up is how budgets get wasted.
Radiators and open windows in older stock, mechanical ventilation in new build, so the noise source depends on the age of the building.
Work reaching us from Manchester is mostly warehouse conversions, student housing, studios, bars, offices, schools.
- Warehouse conversions Exposed brick, timber joists and steel look superb and hold nothing back. Neighbour noise between units is the first complaint, echo the second.
- Student and build to rent blocks Repeat rooms mean a repeatable detail. Get the wall and floor build-up right once and it works across every level.
- Metrolink and city centre traffic Ground level trams and buses put low frequency into the structure, which panels on the wall will not touch.
- Open plan Distraction distance, not reverberation time. Ceiling absorption plus screens at the desk.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for office acoustics are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Manchester.
Office and conference room acoustics Acoustic office screens
02 / The build-up
What goes where, from the structure in
-
Layer 1
Ceiling baffles and clouds
PET felt suspended from the soffit, vertically as baffles or horizontally as clouds. In Manchester, radiators and open windows in older stock, mechanical ventilation in new build, so the noise source depends on the age of the building.
Mixed with services. Set out around ducts, trays and lighting rather than fighting them, coordinated from your reflected ceiling plan.
-
Layer 2
PET felt acoustic panels
A rigid non-woven panel pressed from 100% polyester fibre, a large part of it recycled. In Manchester, church buildings, civic halls and converted industrial spaces are long-decay volumes with hard surfaces throughout.
Over a porous backing. Panel over mineral or PET backing where the room needs genuine low mid control.
-
Layer 3
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Manchester, school buildings run hard floors and long corridors, with sports halls and dining halls the loudest rooms.
Duct and plant wrap. Membrane wrapped over the duct with a decoupling layer beneath, sealed at every lap.
We would rather argue about the build-up at design stage than on site. See how we support architects.
03 / Local conditions
What decides the build-up in Manchester
- Warehouse conversions
Exposed brick, timber joists and steel look superb and hold nothing back. Neighbour noise between units is the first complaint, echo the second.
- Student and build to rent blocks
Repeat rooms mean a repeatable detail. Get the wall and floor build-up right once and it works across every level.
- Metrolink and city centre traffic
Ground level trams and buses put low frequency into the structure, which panels on the wall will not touch.
- Wet climate
PET felt does not take up moisture or feed mould, which suits older brick stock and cold external walls.
- Plant and HVAC
Radiators and open windows in older stock, mechanical ventilation in new build, so the noise source depends on the age of the building.
04 / Room by room
Space by space, for Manchester briefs
-
Open plan
Distraction distance, not reverberation time. Ceiling absorption plus screens at the desk. Exposed brick, timber joists and steel look superb and hold nothing back. Neighbour noise between units is the first complaint, echo the second.
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, 500 x 500 mm
- Acoustic panels, 1800 x 900 mm, image printed into the felt rather than onto a facing
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
-
Meeting rooms
Privacy between rooms. That is partition and door work, not panels. Repeat rooms mean a repeatable detail. Get the wall and floor build-up right once and it works across every level.
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, 4 mm
- Acoustic panels, Cut pattern in PET felt, adds visual rhythm without changing the absorber
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 12.6 kg per sq m, STC on request
-
Cabins and calls
Short RT so a call sounds clean. A small amount of well placed absorber. Ground level trams and buses put low frequency into the structure, which panels on the wall will not touch.
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, High density polyester
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 5 x 1.2 m, 6 sq m per roll
If the visual is fixed and the room still has to perform, that is a solvable problem and a conversation worth having early. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Durability
The Manchester climate decides the material list
Manchester is cool and damp, with long heating seasons and cold external walls, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
Cold wall build-ups and long heating seasons mean interstitial condensation is a real risk behind any lining. PET felt is unaffected by damp air and will not feed mould where a fabric-faced mineral product would.
The failure we design against here is condensation behind linings in older, poorly insulated stock.
If a consultant has set the target, we will quote against their figures rather than ours, and stay out of the scope they own. More on working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Worth knowing
Where this kind of project usually fails
-
Lining every wall while leaving the ceiling bare
The ceiling is almost always the largest untreated surface, so leaving it out means paying for panels that cannot reach the target.
-
Treating a privacy problem with absorption
Privacy is a transmission problem. Absorption makes the room sound nicer and does not stop anyone hearing through the wall.
-
Glass cabins specified without a door and head detail
A gap undoes the partition it sits in. Sealing is the cheapest line on the quote and the first one to get cut.
-
Treating it as a generic Manchester job
Exposed brick, timber joists and steel look superb and hold nothing back. Neighbour noise between units is the first complaint, echo the second.
05 / Getting it there
How material reaches a Manchester site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Liverpool, Felixstowe or Southampton |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Liverpool |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved and custom colours take longer, and we tell you before you order.
Sea freight into Liverpool, Felixstowe or Southampton. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities. Clearance through your agent or ours.
Questions from Manchester projects
What makes office acoustics and soundproofing different in Manchester?
Radiators and open windows in older stock, mechanical ventilation in new build, so the noise source depends on the age of the building. Exposed brick, timber joists and steel look superb and hold nothing back. Neighbour noise between units is the first complaint, echo the second.
Where should the budget go first on a Manchester project?
Open plan. Distraction distance, not reverberation time. Ceiling absorption plus screens at the desk. Meeting rooms. Privacy between rooms. That is partition and door work, not panels.
Do you have an office or installation team in Manchester?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Manchester. We give you drawings, build-ups, a BOQ and material that arrives complete, and we will tell you plainly when a job needs a local contractor we cannot be.
How does material get to a Manchester site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Liverpool, Felixstowe or Southampton, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved and custom colours take longer, and we tell you before you order.
What goes wrong most often on this kind of project?
Lining every wall while leaving the ceiling bare. Treating a privacy problem with absorption.
What do you need from us to quote?
A plan, a section through the critical partition or ceiling, and what the room is for. From that we can give a build-up and a BOQ rather than a price per square foot.
Next step
Send a plan and a section, get a real build-up
We quote from drawings, not from a square foot rate. Send a plan and the section through the critical wall or ceiling and you will get something you can actually build from.