The Benefits of Acoustical Panels in Interior Design

Sound is one of the most powerful elements in life. It is the vibration that makes people hear and has a subtle and substantial impact on our feelings, emotions, and attitude. Sound reveals the characteristics of the environment, and it can contribute significantly to how you experience a location or space. Many people experience headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. due to constant exposure to loud and unpleasant noise. To prevent the health risks mentioned, the acoustics of a room must be balanced, and every space should be treated acoustically to make people feel comfortable and able to enjoy a space. Without proper acoustic treatment of an area, sound can become noise, which will impact people’s experience directly. The acoustics of a room need to be treated or regulated for efficient noise control. This process includes using acoustic panels in the walls and floor treatments to reduce the reverberation time, reduce noise, and make speech intelligible.

Acoustic comfort is the perceived state of well-being and satisfaction with the acoustical conditions in an environment. It is an increasingly important topic between architects and interior designers due to its role in boosting productivity and reducing low levels of anxiety for regular users of an indoor environment. Healthcare facilities, offices and other work environments also require special attention to acoustics, particularly in open-plan offices. Such places often use acoustic solutions on every possible surface. Human exposure to unfavorable noises and improperly regulated acoustics has a tangible impact on mental wellbeing, concentration, and focus. And it can create a consistent, low-level anxiety and stress that accumulates over time. Typical mental wellbeing issues are stress, a reduction in attention span, memory retention, and lower quality sleep. Designing with good acoustics in mind is a fundamental part of any healthy building concept and interior design strategy.

“Acoustical design within the healthcare setting is extremely important for anyone and everyone who enter the space. It is not just for the patients, but also for the caregivers and loved ones that are visiting. As a healthcare interior designer, it is one of our top priorities and is an important feature. In addition, the budget is also tightly constrained sometimes, so being able to blend art with a product that will help lower the acoustics is a beautiful opportunity for us to enhance the space without adding a lot of additional cost. Acoustical design also helps lower stress. It creates a nice, calming environment for the patient and caregivers so that they can take a moment of respite and re-center before going back and tackling the next task. Acoustical artwork enhances the space, creates a visual distraction, and makes the space a little calmer regarding noise vibration.”-Jolene Mudri, Senior Project Manager, Perkins & Will You can view the entire Biophilic Minute interview here.

Acoustical Panels