Have you ever been on the phone where you can hear a dozen other conversations going on in the background? I once worked at an office like that. When I walked in the giant open room with over 10 people sitting side-by-side carrying on phone conversations, I couldn’t imagine how they were able to concentrate or even complete any work with all the noise. Perhaps the sterile environment was meant to create focus on the client conversation, but for me personally, it felt like I was working inside a white-walled prison. With bare walls and rows of tables computer stations, I longed to promote the purchase of sound absorbing indoor plants. They would surely create a plant sound barrier.
Recently, I had the opportunity to propose a plant scape for a business with several cubicle areas. Using what I knew from my previous white walled office job, I made sure to point out in my design that cubicle planters would enhance the beauty of their cool modern office, but would also act as a natural noise barrier and create more privacy for their techs to work. I’ve found the importance of offering a service that’s not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional.
In my experience for the best sound reduction, you want to choose plants that have thicker stems, and heavy foliage to absorb the most noise. The more mass a plant has, the more sound waves will reflect off the leaves instead of hard surfaces. Besides the plant itself, the other organic parts such as the roots, soil, top dressings also help to absorb sound waves.
Another tip to optimize noise reduction is to spread plant groups throughout the space instead of clustered in one area. Noise comes from all directions, so the more plant obstacles a space has, the better to capture and deter sound.
Since most office spaces tend to be mostly hard surfaces, softening the areas we spend so much time in with natural foliage is the perfect way to reduce noise levels and create a much more inviting atmosphere!
Call Licata Pottas today (716-901-4945) or leave a message on our contact page for a consultation.
