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For projects in New Zealand
Office acoustics and soundproofing in New Zealand
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. Heat pumps and ducted systems, with outdoor units close to boundaries in dense suburbs.
- 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 / The material
What this material is and where it earns its place in New Zealand
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.
Heat pumps and ducted systems, with outdoor units close to boundaries in dense suburbs.
Work reaching us from New Zealand is mostly timber frame housing, apartments, offices, schools, clinics, studios.
- Timber frame, very little mass Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
- Designed to move Seismic detailing means junctions and joints that have to stay flexible. An acoustic build-up has to respect that rather than bridge it rigidly.
- A long sea leg This is one of the longest routes we run. Ordering to a real schedule matters more here than anywhere else, so we quote the full window.
- 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 New Zealand.
Office and conference room acoustics Acoustic office screens
02 / The build-up
The build-up, layer by layer
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Layer 1
PET felt acoustic panels
A rigid non-woven panel pressed from 100% polyester fibre, a large part of it recycled. In New Zealand, heat pumps and ducted systems, with outdoor units close to boundaries in dense suburbs.
Over a porous backing. Panel over mineral or PET backing where the room needs genuine low mid control.
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Layer 2
Acoustic carpet and rugs
A tile carpet with a dense polyester face on a felt backing. In New Zealand, school halls, marae and community centres carry speech and performance in the same hard room.
Loose lay on tackifier. Tiles lifted individually for access under a raised floor, which is why tile beats broadloom in an office.
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Layer 3
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In New Zealand, classroom acoustics are taken seriously and open plan learning spaces are common, which makes speech intelligibility the design target.
Duct and plant wrap. Membrane wrapped over the duct with a decoupling layer beneath, sealed at every lap.
If you are specifying for a New Zealand project, we can give you a section, a BOQ and the honest limits of each layer. See how we support architects.
03 / In this market
What we see driving New Zealand briefs
- Timber frame, very little mass
Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
- Designed to move
Seismic detailing means junctions and joints that have to stay flexible. An acoustic build-up has to respect that rather than bridge it rigidly.
- A long sea leg
This is one of the longest routes we run. Ordering to a real schedule matters more here than anywhere else, so we quote the full window.
- Damp and variable climate
PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which suits cold external walls and sealed rooms.
- Plant and HVAC
Heat pumps and ducted systems, with outdoor units close to boundaries in dense suburbs.
04 / Room by room
Where the money goes on a New Zealand project
-
Open plan
Distraction distance, not reverberation time. Ceiling absorption plus screens at the desk. Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
- 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
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Meeting rooms
Privacy between rooms. That is partition and door work, not panels. Seismic detailing means junctions and joints that have to stay flexible. An acoustic build-up has to respect that rather than bridge it rigidly.
- 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
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Cabins and calls
Short RT so a call sounds clean. A small amount of well placed absorber. This is one of the longest routes we run. Ordering to a real schedule matters more here than anywhere else, so we quote the full window.
- 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
Designers get colour, pattern and CNC options with the absorption figure attached to each. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Conditions
Durability in New Zealand, before acoustics is discussed
New Zealand 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.
Consultants get the raw data, not a sales sheet. That is the whole of our side of the job, and it is set out under working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Read this first
Where this kind of project usually fails
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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.
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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.
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Glass cabins specified without a door and head detail
A 6 mm undercut under a door leaves a hole the size of a brick. The wall around it is then decorative.
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Treating it as a generic New Zealand job
Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
05 / Logistics
Getting it to New Zealand, with real dates
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Auckland or Tauranga, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Auckland |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
Sea freight into Auckland or Tauranga, then road to site. Air freight for samples and genuinely urgent quantities.
Questions from New Zealand projects
What makes office acoustics and soundproofing different in New Zealand?
Heat pumps and ducted systems, with outdoor units close to boundaries in dense suburbs. Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
Where should the budget go first on a New Zealand 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 New Zealand?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into New Zealand. 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 New Zealand site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Auckland or Tauranga, then road to site, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
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
Tell us the room, we will tell you the 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.