Speech Privacy & Acoustic Performance, Enabling a More Focused Workspace

High-quality acoustic design plays a vital role in boosting employee focus and overall productivity. By implementing soundproof spatial planning, external distractions are minimized while unintentional disruptions to others are reduced, fostering a more comfortable and seamless office environment.

The greatest value of acoustic spaces lies in ensuring speech privacy. Conversations are well protected from leakage, making internal discussions, video conferences, and confidential communications secure and worry-free.

How to read an acoustic figure

Two rating systems are in common use: Rw in Europe (ISO 717-1) and STC in the United States (ASTM E413). Both are single number laboratory ratings, and higher is better. They weight frequency bands differently, so similar numbers are not interchangeable.

What matters more is where the figure comes from. A reliable rating comes from an accredited laboratory testing the whole partition system, doors included, not the rated value of a single pane standing in for the wall.

Tested performance across two product lines

Optima fixed glass partitions, United Kingdom | Tested up to Rw 52 dB

The full range is tested in a UKAS accredited laboratory to BS EN ISO 10140-2 and ISO 717-1. Single glazing reaches Rw 40 dB and double glazing Rw 52 dB, comparable to a blockwork wall. The Elite glass door is tested to Rw 45 dB, so door and partition can be specified to the same grade.

IWC operable walls | Up to STC 48

IWC UNIQ pairs double glazing with Fast Set retractable top and bottom seals. Extended, it forms an independent zone. Stacked away, the space is one again. Meeting rooms, ballrooms and training centres move between divided and open without giving up sound insulation.

Sound insulation is not only about the glass

Door grade. The door is usually the weakest link. Optima door sets are tested to Rw 45 dB, so door and partition can be planned to the same grade.

Head and floor track, and seals. Sound finds gaps. Track detailing and seals decide whether a laboratory figure holds on site. IWC uses Fast Set retractable top and bottom seals to hold performance once extended.

Installation quality. With the same system, installation quality decides what people hear. Planning through to installation is handled by one team, which is how a site ends up sounding like the test.

What acoustic grade does an office partition need?

It depends on how confidential the space is. For an ordinary enclosed room within an open plan floor, single glazing (Rw 34 to 40 dB) meets everyday privacy needs. For meeting rooms and for finance and HR offices, where confidentiality matters more, double glazing (Rw 45 to 52 dB) is the sensible specification, and the acoustic grade of the door should be planned at the same time.

Can Rw and STC be converted into each other?

Direct conversion is not advisable. Rw comes from the European standard ISO 717-1 and STC from the American standard ASTM E413, and the two weight frequency bands differently, so similar figures are not strictly equivalent. When comparing products, work from an accredited laboratory system test report and confirm that both sides are quoting the same standard.

Do operable walls insulate much less well than fixed partitions?

Not necessarily. IWC UNIQ operable walls pair double glazing with Fast Set retractable top and bottom seals and reach up to STC 48, which is enough for dividing meeting rooms and ballrooms. Where a permanently fixed, high performance specification is needed, Optima fixed glass partitions are tested up to Rw 52 dB with double glazing.