The cost of transparency: Balancing acoustic, financial, and sustainability considerations for glazed office partitions

Abstract

Substantial areas of modern offices may be glazed, including office partitions and doors. The desire for transparent connection between adjacent spaces may be driven by a need for natural lighting, the aesthetics of glass, and a desire for inclusivity and openness within organizations. At the same time, organizations require speech privacy for confidential communications, a requirement that relies on good sound isolation performance from glazing and seals. This paper examines the cost of transparency for modern offices, with a focus on balancing the acoustic performance of glazed partitions with spatial planning, post-pandemic occupancy patterns, financial costs, and the carbon cost of extensive glazing. Drawing on recent work to address poor sound isolation in a building with multiple small private offices with glazed partitions onto open office areas, this paper examines the impact of low Noise Isolation Class (NIC) values between adjacent spaces, including voice privacy concerns, acoustic discomfort and enforced changes to occupancy patterns. The design of glazed partitions should address a range of privacy needs while balancing the benefits and costs of a “transparent” workplace in terms of acoustics, construction costs, and embodied carbon.