In this case study we review the use of room divider curtains and the requirements for an office space to segment to areas to provide some privacy between two areas.
The area in use was the Direct Fabrics office. Within the office was 2 areas between an entrance way with people passing in and through
For more information on sound absorbtion and sound block read this article
Issues with Current Space and Setup - Why Choose Room Divider Curtains
The current space had the main entrance way into the office space and as such a draught used to be present entering the space and passing through the office when deliveries were made and people arriving and leaving. Also when the other section of the office was used as a breakout area there was a lot of chatting which meant some distraction between the working side and the relaxing side.
The goal was to segment the spaces with room divider curtains and also provide acoustic improvements within the main office and divide the space.
Room divider curtains were selected primarily as they were
- An attractive option to divide the space.
- Simply to install on the wall or ceiling acorss the space
- Acoustic improvements for both sound blocking and reducing the echo
- Heat loss out of the door
Installing Room Divider Tracks and Curtains into the space
It was decided to install the curtains 10cm above the reveal of the space. The wall was made out of a plasterboard cover and behind a void with what is thought to be a lintel spanning the space. As the curtains were not going to be very heavy a simple platerboard fixing was used into the plasterboard.
The curtain track overlapped each side by 10cm which meant the new curtain would have a minimal air gap around it for both heat loss and sound passing around it.
Benefits of this curtain track
- The curtain track selected again for a cost perspective was a retail product.
- It holds ups to 20kg
- Easy to bend around corners
- Plastic quiet gliders
- Ceiling or wall fix
https://www.direct-fabrics.co.uk/fineline-curtain-track-white.html
Choosing the Right Room Divider Curtains
The curtains that are great for sound proofing between spaces work really well. However the same curtains will not work against road noise over windows. This is because independtly they will give 10-15db reduction but over a window the window and the wall are doing the majority of the work. You may see an improvement of say 1-2db over a window but in reality perceivable.
So using the Direct Fabrics acoustic herringbone curtains with the duo fleece interlining aswell as the reverse hung vinyl works incredibly well. This means that you get a product that works as a divider and per our video tests has performed at 10db
https://www.direct-fabrics.co.uk/curtains/acoustic
https://www.direct-fabrics.co.uk/acoustic-curtains-soundproof-herringbone.html
https://www.direct-fabrics.co.uk/curtains/room-divider
Do the Partition Curtains Work
Simple answer: YES.
The curtains have had a very good effect that can be seen on our video in this case study
The sound has been reduced between the space by 10db. You can read our article on sound reducing and acoustic curtains so you understand the reduction. 10db is nearly half the perceivable sound between the spaces. Example Different between 67 db and 57db is half the sound, so sounds half as loud.
Another very noticeable effect of the curtains is that during the winter the draughts and also the thermal insulation in the main office has been greatly improved. The resulting heat retained in the main room has increased. The team no longer complain about being as cold.
Finally when 3 or 4 of the customer service team use to be on the phone it was very difficult to hear themselves think, now there has been a great reduction in the sound passing around the space and repeating. In simply terms it has deadened the sound in the space. This is called acoustic absorbtion and our curtains have a 0.95 absorbtion coefficient.
Video of Case Study.
Conclusion
Direct fabrics were thrilled with the results and we have seen a dramtic improvement across the board with these acoustic curtains in one of our offices.
