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This explains the growing dissatisfaction with open-plan offices — despite their design to foster collaboration, the result is the very opposite. Such workplaces make it impossible to collaborate or concentrate because of their excessive noise levels. Simply because people can no longer hear themselves think and hearing others is also hard work. However, every cloud has a silver lining, and in this case the key placement of PET Felt can provide a winning acoustic solution.
Why PET Felt
PET Felt is a sustainable and durable material with an outstanding acoustic performance. The production technique used to make PET Felt provides its unique noise reduction properties. It is the highly porous structure of the PET Felt which allows it to absorb the soundwaves. Applying multiple layers on top of each other increases its sound-absorption Also the lower the level of pressing the higher the level of sound-absorptive qualities. At the same time, densely pressed PET Felt also demonstrates sound-blocking qualities. To understand how it works, let’s consider a case of PET Felt application for office acoustics.
Two colleagues are sitting next to each other at a distance of 2 meters and get distracted by each other’s phone conversations.
Placing three AK 4 room dividers between them will reduce the noise level by 13,1 dB (all other conditions remaining the same).
This effect is equal to placing colleagues at a 9-meter distance from each other.
Not only acoustics
As shown above, PET Felt is an effective solution for office noise, but it’s not the only benefit it provides. This material is also UV-stabilised, meaning that its look will remain unchanged in the long term, even when exposed to direct UV rays.
Some materials used to make interior products, like foam or pressed wood, emit dangerous off-gases. That is what causes the typical smell of new furniture, which seems harmless but in reality, can negatively affect our health. PET Felt however doesn’t emit any common off-gases, like toluene, formaldehyde and polystyrene.
Another fact making PET Felt attractive is its sustainability. The material is made by recycling plastic bottles and can also be recycled itself after a long time span. In essence, PET Felt is just plastic — it is easy to clean and hard to wear off. However, it doesn’t feel like plastic. The innovative felting and pressing technique make PET Felt both sturdy and soft to touch.
Lastly, PET Felt offers unlimited useful opportunities — it can take any shape and colour. You might be surprised to see how much is possible with this sustainable and durable material.
9 facts about PET Felt
4 PET Felt solutions to improve office acoustics
Acoustic wall panels
Thanks to its sound-absorption properties, PET Felt is extensively used to make acoustic panels and wall decor. This material is quite flexible in terms of processing and application allowing designers to create endless variations of shapes and patterns. PET Felt panels can be coloured, ribbed or patterned with cut-outs — the final look is totally up to you. Optionally, they can be applied to the ceiling or hung horizontally for an improved acoustic effect.
Bonus tip
In the case of a cut-out design, consider applying a plain PET Felt panel under a patterned one for better sound absorption. Placing two layers of wall panels with a gap in between will also increase their acoustic performance.
Case in point
Applying Mute Flow PET Felt panels directly on the surface guarantees a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.60. This means that the panels absorb 60% of sound energy coming in contact with them.
Alternatively, the Mute panels can be placed with a cavity of 50 mm. The NRC in this case equals 0.75. This has a particularly positive effect on absorbing the lower frequencies of sound.
Filling the cavity with stone wool will improve the acoustic performance of a panel even more, increasing the NRC to 0.9 (with the maximum possible value of 1.0).
Workplace & Room Dividers
Office acoustics can be greatly improved by PET Felt workplace and room dividers. The main benefit of these movable walls is that they absorb noises locally — right where it’s needed most — at the shared desks, in quiet zones or around individual workstations. Thus, employees can adjust the space and its acoustics according to their needs.
Ceiling Baffles
Covering a major reflective area in a room, PET Felt Baffles prevent the sound waves from bouncing off the ceiling. When placed above conference tables, the Baffles trap the sound waves directly at the source, making sure they don’t travel further. Thanks to varying shapes and angles, this smart system works for different frequencies and various room sizes.
PET Felt Furniture
PET Felt is also used to make office furniture. The 3D pressing technique shapes the sheets of felt into a sturdy form. This way, you can get an acoustic alternative to the traditional pieces of the office interior, like chairs and lamps. PET Felt is an excellent choice for privacy furniture making it not only visually shielding, but also sound blocking.
