In Australia, the “Green Star” rating system is administered by the Green Building Council of Australia. From the earliest days of the rating system, Soundmask has been involved in solving acoustic issues with a low carbon footprint and a green approved product.

The client

AMP Financial Services wanted to achieve a Green Star office space. This requires Green Star compliant materials and energy efficient appliances and fittings. The space, however, had noise problems: some areas were too quiet and some areas were too noisy. Also, as an insurance company, speech privacy was important.

The problem

The space itself featured a multilevel office space with an open plan area on the ground floor. A soaring atrium filled with glass ensured that sound would reverberate, carrying in a distracting and problematic way. The client had received quotations for panel and tile acoustic treatments. But the aesthetics and prohibitive cost of these treatments rendered them unfit for the client’s purpose. It would also potentially reduce the Green Star rating.

The solution

AMP engaged us to install a Soundmask system to good effect. Using a Soundmask zone distributor allowed the client to “zone” different spaces, customising the level of soundmasking in each space and smoothing the overall sound quality.

The diagram below demonstrates the different zones: the blue areas represent the general office area, the green areas represent the conference areas, the grey areas represent the reception and the white areas represent the atrium and lift core.

The client was happy because they solved their acoustic issues at a cost around ten times less than any other proposed solution, and they maintained their Green Star rating.