Is your office too loud to think in? Ringing phones, meeting rooms you can hear through the wall, the constant wash of an open-plan floor: poor office acoustics quietly erode focus, wellbeing and the quality of the work people do. Sound Zero is a London acoustic consultancy and design-build team. We diagnose what is actually causing the noise in your space, then design and install the treatment that fixes it. This page covers how we approach an office, the solutions we use, and how a project starts.
Start with the problem, not the panels
Most office noise is one of three problems, and the fix is different for each:
- Reverberation and echo inside a room. Hard surfaces such as glass, plasterboard and concrete soffits reflect sound, so speech and noise build up. This is what makes an open-plan floor exhausting. The fix is absorption.
- Sound passing between spaces. A meeting room you can hear through, or noise from the floor above, is a sound-insulation problem. Absorption alone will not fix it; the structure has to be addressed.
- Speech privacy. Sometimes the goal is the opposite of quiet: stopping confidential conversations from carrying. That needs a considered mix of absorption, blocking and sometimes sound masking.
Most offices are a combination. Getting the diagnosis right is the difference between a treatment that transforms the space and one that just spends the budget. That is why we survey and measure first, rather than reaching for a product. If you want to understand the fundamentals yourself, our guide to how to reduce office noise explains the science.
The solutions we use, and when each is right
- Ceiling treatment (rafts, baffles and tiles). The ceiling is usually the largest untreated surface in an office, so it is the biggest single lever, and often the first thing we specify.
- Acoustic wall panels (fabric, PET felt, moss and timber). Targeted at the room’s reflection points, and a chance to carry your brand into the space.
- Screens, dividers and zoning. For open-plan floors, breaking up the space and adding absorption at desk height controls the spread of noise between teams.
- Pods and quiet rooms. For focus work and calls, where the answer is a dedicated quiet space rather than treating the whole floor.
We rarely rely on one of these. A real office scheme is usually a measured mix, chosen for the room, the use and how the space needs to look.
Our process: survey, design, install
- Free consultation and survey. We visit, understand how the space is used, and measure what is actually happening acoustically, including reverberation time.
- Design and modelling. We set a target, model the room, and specify the treatment that hits it, balanced against the look and the budget. You see what you are getting before anything is made.
- Manufacture and install. We manufacture the treatment, much of it in-house and from recycled materials, and install it with minimal disruption to a working office.
Designing to a standard, not a guess
Good office acoustics can be measured. BS ISO 22955 sets out acoustic quality for open-plan offices by activity type, and we design against a defined reverberation and speech-clarity target rather than eyeballing it. That is the difference between adding some panels and bringing a room to a measured standard, and it is what lets us tell you honestly what result to expect before you commit.
Offices we have transformed
We have designed and built office acoustics for Universal Music Group (the “Soundscape” corridor at their Kings Cross HQ), UA92, and other workspaces where noise was getting in the way. Our case studies show the problem, the approach and the result.
What it costs, and what to expect
Cost depends on the size of the space, how much treatment it needs and the finish you choose. A single meeting room is a modest project; a full open-plan floor is a larger one. Rather than a vague number, we scope your space on the survey and give you a clear, itemised quote you can plan around. Most offices see a meaningful, measurable improvement: a calmer floor, clearer meeting rooms, and people who can concentrate again. For a wider commercial fit-out, see our commercial acoustics service.
Book a free acoustic consultation for your office.
Office acoustics: common questions
How much does office acoustic treatment cost?
It depends on the size of the space, how much treatment it needs and the finish. A single meeting room is a modest project; a full open-plan floor is larger. We scope it on a free survey and give you a clear, itemised quote rather than a guess.
How long does an office acoustics project take?
Most projects run from a few weeks to a couple of months from survey to installation, depending on scale, access and material lead times. We confirm a programme after the survey and design stage.
Do you survey the office before recommending anything?
Yes. We visit and measure first, including reverberation time, so the specification is based on your actual room, not a template. Diagnosing the problem correctly is the whole point.
Will acoustic treatment stop noise coming through the walls?
Not on its own. Absorption reduces echo and reverberation inside a room; stopping sound passing between rooms is a separate sound-insulation problem. We assess both and design for whichever you have, often a mix.
