A ‘tailor-made’ workspace with acoustic fabrics

In an increasingly hectic and digitally oriented world (when not overwhelmed by artificial intelligence), workspace design has become crucial in optimizing employee productivity and well-being.

In recent years, the office furniture industry has, in fact, undergone a significant evolution toward improving both environmental comfort and quality in everyday actions.

More and more companies are now recognizing the importance of creating places that inspire creativity, promote collaboration and boost employees’ quality of work.

To this end, recent studies have shown how better room acoustic performance can reduce stress levels by 27%, and increase attention levels by 48%.

To ensure a proper level of comfort, the implementation of concepts such as sound insulation, sound absorption, soundproofing, and reverberation are no longer limited to mere buildings’ structures, but extended to the interior design and furniture as well.

As a consequence, being constantly up-to-date on the evolution of both research and technology about innovative materials and the specific features of those most suitable for the creation of workspaces is, at present, an essential requirement to base any good project on.

One might be inclined to quote a more than ever modern Pier Luigi Nervi, who also wrote the words that follow about half a century ago: “Many difficulties of the current architectural moment stem precisely from the fact that the rapidity of technical progress has by far overtaken the inevitable slowness of development in the designers’ technical preparation.”

Among the trends and achievements worth “monitoring” at this stage is the increasing use of acoustic fabrics, technologically “revolutionary” materials that also manage to combine performance accomplishments, quality, aesthetics and design.

In a market that is heading toward workspaces that can be quickly reconfigured to suit the needs of organizations, these sound-absorbing fabrics are proving to be particularly effective and functional when designing modular spaces that can reduce distraction levels and the negative effects of noise, by creating discreet, privacy-friendly spaces such as Phone Booths or engaging and dynamic ones such as Meeting Booths.

One of the leading European design-oriented manufacturers, in the office, home and contract furnishings industry to offer advanced solutions in the use of acoustic textiles is definitely the Italian Caimi Group, winner of dozens of awards and honors worldwide, including three Compasso d’Oro, three German Design Awards and the DesignEuropa Awards.

Specifically, with Snowsound the company has invested significant assets on scientific and technological research focused on the acoustic well-being realm, delivering sound-absorbing products representing the world’s leading edge.

These are patented technologies based on soft, fire-resistant, interconnected polyester fibers. Fibers, along with the surrounding air, enable the control of reverberation by adjusting the acoustic response of the room. The laying, the surface area, and the distance between fibers and wall have an impact on the noise-reducing effect, considerably improving the quality of the working environment.

With a wide range of materials and installation options, it is possible to select specific frequencies to absorb, whether low, medium or high, or to create uniform absorption across different frequencies. Another highlight of these materials is their ‘commitment’ to the environment and to people’s health, a particularly delicate ethical issue in times of climate crisis and ecological emergency.

All products are certified with the prestigious Greenguard Gold label, attesting their low emission of pollutants and positive contribution to indoor spaces, making them suitable for sensitive places such as schools and care facilities and allowing them to earn credits in sustainable building rating systems.

Fabrics are, moreover, designed to be fully recyclable at the end of their life cycle.

The one-material structure of the panels, together with the use of high-quality materials, helps to extend the products’ lifespan and reduce the planet’s overall resource consumption.