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JUNE 2017 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 61
Acoustical ceiling clouds decrease reverberation and reduce
noise from mechanical systems.
Ted Pyper, P.E.
Sr. Acoustics Consultant
K2 Design
303-865-5500
K2 Acoustics Design – QSC Offices, Boulder
As part of the tenant fit out for the new QSC Audio Products offices in Boulder,
K2 provided architectural acoustics design with architecture and interior design
by Kieding. The main challenges in providing appropriate acoustics for the space
were the tenant’s desire for contemporary aesthetics with polished concrete floors
and open ceilings. This aesthetic could lend itself to problematic echoes through-
out the open office areas, which then would transfer noise into private offices and
conference areas. Without carpeted floors or absorptive ceilings in the open office
areas, reverberation would increase, and speech privacy would suffer.
K2 worked with the design team to counteract these effects by introducing
clouds of acoustical ceilings – strategically placed over workstation areas in or-
der to avoid excessive coverage. It was also important to place clouds of absorp-
tion below the main mechanical systems. This helped to reduce the noise that
is typically present in an office environment with open architecture. By layering
the absorptive clouds and locating them only in the areas of highest concern,
we helped the design team avoid staid ceiling designs.
Finally, we specified sound-isolating wall partitions at the most noise-sensitive
offices and conference rooms. With open architecture in the main group work-
station areas, special care was required to provide privacy to conference rooms
and management offices. Strategic space layouts, full-height walls and multiple
layers of drywall on select walls helped to mitigate the noise impact on spaces
of greatest concern. We were able to help the design team and client achieve
the desired aesthetic without compromising acoustical quality.
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