Interiors That Look as Good as They Sound: Acoustic Design to Enhance Comfort

The noisier the environment, the harder it is to concentrate on the sounds we really want –and need– to hear. We spend about 90% of our time indoors, either at home or at work, often with little concern for acoustic qualities, making our body remain in a constant warning state. In offices this is an even more critical issue. While traditional open plan working spaces encourage teamwork and effective communication, many professionals face the challenge of being able to concentrate with the frequent noises, whether from a nearby conversation, the construction site next door, or a noisy espresso machine. Among the problems that noise pollution can cause in the human body are stress, accelerated heartbeat, increased blood pressure, insomnia, and a constant state of vigilance. Studies also show that poor acoustics negatively affect productivity.

This can be further amplified by the environment itself, often composed of "hard" surfaces (masonry, concrete, glass) that reverberate sound several times over, making it necessary for people to raise their voices to be understood. Furthermore, acoustic devices are generally perceived as accessories that are not very aesthetically pleasing, often with clumsy designs and with little or no flexibility.

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Rockfon Eclipse . Image Cortesia de Rockfon

Rockfon, a leading acoustical company with 6 decades of experience, has launched a new range of acoustical design solutions to influence human health and well-being, while accelerating sustainability efforts and contemporary demands for flexibility. Parik Chopra, Managing Director of Rockfon, explains the vision behind this: "In buildings with good acoustics, people are healthier, happier, and more productive. Their focus increases. Their stress levels drop. They relax. Not just focusing on sound absorption, we also concentrate on aesthetics and how the use of colour, natural textures, and biophilic design can influence well-being. This results in a range of acoustic solutions, which have become an inspiration for modern design — not just a box to tick. Rockfon’s new complementary acoustic solutions help designers to create indoor environments, which focus on users’ well-being, all while unleashing their creativity."

Rockfon Lamella

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Rockfon Lamella. Image Cortesia de Rockfon

The Rockfon Lamella modular wall system allows you to improve room acoustics by combining the acoustic properties of Class A stone wool with elegant slatted wood veneers. With three different wood veneer options, ranging from warm golden to cool blonde and earthy dark oak in different widths and depths, 650,000 design combination possibilities are available in a standard wall module. They allow designers to create biophilic spaces and bring nature indoors to meeting rooms or in spaces where greater sound absorption is needed.

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Rockfon Lamella. Image Cortesia de Rockfon

Rockfon Canva

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Rockfon Canva. Image Cortesia de Rockfon

Rockfon® Canva is designed as a work of art, offering a smart way to create flexible and aesthetically pleasing spaces. They are panels that can be attached to the wall, room dividers, or resting on pulleys, with a choice of unlimited design options, you can choose any shade from the “Colours of Wellbeing” palette or customise your own to alter a certain mood or visual identity. The "Colours of Wellbeing" palette was curated to combine today's interior design trends: biophilia (reconnecting with nature), wabi sabi (celebrating humanity, simplicity, and imperfection), calm enclosures (reflecting a retreat into tranquilized and engaging interiors), and technology. The modular form and detachable screens offer the freedom to simply order a new screen to update the look when the users or functions of the room change.

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Rockfon Canva. Image Cortesia de Rockfon

Rockfon Hub

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Rockfon Hub. Image Cortesia de Rockfon
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Rockfon Hub. Image Cortesia de Rockfon

First of its kind, Rockfon Hub creates flexible zones where people can think, talk, or work in peace. This innovative platform are suspended from the ceiling that work well for open offices, creating an area where sound waves are absorbed. In addition, the system can include a curtain, creating segregated spaces when needed. Rockfon Hub comes in a choice of designer colors from biophilic greens to deep blue, cool grey or crisp white, and can complement any existing acoustic solutions perfectly. In addition, it is possible to add a felt cover to the frame, as well as lighting and curtains of your choice to create fluid designs that connect areas and rebalance open plans with intimacy and style. 

Rockfon Eclipse Customised

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Rockfon Eclipse . Image Cortesia de Rockfon

Rockfon Eclipse Customised is a acoustic island solution suspended from the ceiling and has best-in-class sound absorption to avoid unwanted noise. Its modular design offers freedom to complement the space with various shapes and sizes, offering total freedom for acoustic islands, making it possible to apply any hue colour or corporate visual identity, in addition to acoustic excellence. The Eclipse Customised islands are quick and easy to install: because they are frameless, they can be fixed directly on the soffit, where a traditional suspended ceiling usually cannot be installed.

"Rockfon Eclipse is the perfect balance between total creative freedom and solid functionality. We have made sure that no matter the colour or shape you choose, the acoustics and quality will be outstanding. Now it’s just up to you to choose what your Rockfon Eclipse should look like... Maybe create an acoustic island that matches the colour of your brand logo? Or green coloured leaves to bring a little piece of nature inside? You can do whatever you want, and that’s what Eclipse customised is to me. Whatever you want it to be," says Product Manager at Rockfon, Megan Thorn 

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Rockfon Eclipse . Image Cortesia de Rockfon

Rockfon Senses

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Rockfon Senses. Image Cortesia de Rockfon

Rockfon Senses was designed to create biophilic spaces, bringing the beauty of nature into the indoor environment. More than just pleasing to the eye, the idea of Rockfon Senses is to incorporate yet another sense into these acoustic devices: touch. Created from fragrant alpine meadow flowers, grasses, and leaves, the acoustic panels capture the tactile beauty of nature, as well as unwanted noise. This was done in partnership with Organoid Technologies GmbH of Austria. “It’s very easy to incorporate Rockfon Senses into your design. The range of wall panels come in a choice of five natural surfaces – from fresh spring florals to delicate fallen leaves or textured alpine hay. After picking the surface that compliments your space, the installation takes only a few minutes, it is just as easy as hanging a mural on the wall. Plug and play. Invite a piece of nature into your space and enjoy the calm and stress relief that green surroundings offer with class A noise absorbing properties,” says Product Manager at Rockfon, Megan Thorn. 

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Rockfon Senses. Image Cortesia de Rockfon

Rockfon Mono Acoustic

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Rockfon Mono Acoustic. Image Cortesia de Rockfon

Rockfon Mono Acoustic opens up unlimited possibilities for designing inspiring architectural ceilings and walls. Often, the smooth, monolithic surfaces required by architects make it difficult to control acoustics or provide easy access to technical installations in the ceiling void. At the same time, many designers are reluctant to employ a standard grid ceiling, especially when they wish to avoid interrupting a clean, minimalist surface. Made from recyclable stone wool, Rockfon Mono Acoustic reflects current design trends with its bold lines and smooth surfaces, no longer an unwanted accessory. The product also features Class A sound absorption and meets the highest possible fire resistance standards (A1). In addition, it reduces the need for artificial light with a reflection coefficient of 87% and an even distribution of natural daylight. 

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Rockfon Mono Acoustic. Image Cortesia de Rockfon

As the company points out, the intention is "to create Interiors that look as good as they sound". Visit the Sounds Beautiful website to see all the possible options and even customize the most adequate solution to your project with the 3D Configurator. If you want to explore your design possibilities for your next project, download the beautiful product book. To learn more about these and other Rockfon products, access our materials catalog.

About this author
Cite: Souza, Eduardo. "Interiors That Look as Good as They Sound: Acoustic Design to Enhance Comfort" [[PT] Interiors That Look as Good as They Sound: Acoustic Design to Enhance Comfort] 20 Oct 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/990666/interiors-that-look-as-good-as-they-sound-acoustic-design-to-enhance-comfort> ISSN 0719-8884

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