If you’ve ever worked in a busy open-plan office where the conversations, activities, and unrelenting clamor around you made it impossible to concentrate, then you already know how exhausting it is to be in the midst of all that noise. As a professional, you need to be able to focus and hear clearly to be at your best.
Studies show that constant workplace noise affects our ability to concentrate, increases daily stress, and can reduce cognitive performance by 44%. Others show that noisy distractions can result in a 66% decrease in productivity.
But you don’t need to resign yourself to the chaos. By installing acoustic ceiling panels, you can reduce substantial noise, helping you and your employees focus on the tasks at hand, hear important instructions, and communicate more effectively.
The Benefit of Acoustical Ceiling Tiles in Busy, Modern Offices
Acoustical ceiling tiles are made of materials that absorb most sound rather than reflect it, creating a noticeably quieter, more comfortable office environment. They’re rated using the Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC), which quantifies how much sound a material absorbs across key speech frequencies. NRC values for high-performance ceiling tiles will range from about 0.60 to 0.85, and sometimes higher.
Increasing the amount of sound-absorbing surface in an open-plan office by adding acoustic tiles directly contributes to lower reverberation time and improved speech clarity.
You can bump that up if your office has concrete or laminate flooring by installing premium office carpet, and further reduce reflected noise if your space has many glass or metal surfaces by using acoustic wall panels.
Our technicians at Ozburn-Hessey are certified in floor and ceiling tile installation. They can work with you to determine which type of acoustic ceiling best achieves your goals while enhancing your office’s aesthetics.
Today’s acoustic ceiling tiles have advanced well beyond the white squares of the past, offering you a wide selection of colors, designs, and textures. Now considered an essential component of commercial interior design, they can be customized to enhance any office environment, both acoustically and visually.
Different Types of Ceiling Tiles for Today’s Office Interiors
Often referred to as the “fifth wall” for drawing attention to the importance of ceiling surfaces in interior design, acoustic ceiling tiles absorb sound, reduce echoes, and lower noise levels, but they can also act as a design feature, adding depth, warmth, and even an extra “wow” factor. They provide a practical way of hiding exposed HVAC ductwork, electrical wiring, and plumbing, and can make a space feel more professional and even luxurious.
Tiles are now available in colors such as charcoal, stone gray, warm ivory, deep blues, forest greens, and even contemporary wood-looking designs. Their shapes have evolved as well, giving you options that include hexagons, triangles, linear planks, and sculptural 3D forms.
Your choice of materials is equally diverse. PET and felt tiles, often made from recycled components, deliver excellent sound absorption. Wood-look tiles bring warmth and biophilic appeal to offices, hotels, and meeting spaces. Embossed patterns and sculptured surfaces provide strong acoustic performance while elevating your brand.
Talk to us about your ideal interior design and noise reduction goals to improve office productivity, employee pride, and those very important first impressions among potential job candidates, stakeholders, and prospective clients.
How Ozburn-Hessey Turns Noisy Open Plan Offices into Tranquil, Professional Workspaces
At Ozburn-Hessey, we’ve installed the perfect acoustic ceiling tile system for offices and commercial settings, auditoriums, classrooms, lobbies, corridors, and more across the Greater Nashville Area. We partner with world-class manufacturers that deliver excellence in sound absorption, soundproofing technology, and visual aesthetics. Combined with our installation expertise, you can count on the highest-quality outcomes (the knowledge and know-how that only more than 30 years in the industry can deliver).
Our contractors are Certified Armstrong Architectural Specialists who’ve worked with a wide range of ceiling materials, including metal, wood, canopies, and more. We put a premium on reducing waste, partnering with the Armstrong recycling program to keep used products out of our landfills.
If your open-plan office is producing far too much unplanned noise, and you know it’s impacting productivity and comfort, get in touch with our experts at Ozburn-Hessey. We’ll work closely with you to determine the very best products for your needs and deliver flawlessly on your installation so your space becomes quieter, more focused, and better suited to the way your team would like to work.