Office Partitions May Be Making Open-Plan Noise Worse, Canadian Study Finds
Published on 08/18/2026 at 02:01 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A field study conducted by researchers at Concordia University, working alongside the acoustics firm Soft dB, has produced results that run counter to a widely held assumption in workplace design. The findings, released in mid-August 2026, suggest that the very barriers companies install to quiet down open-plan offices could be amplifying the problem.
The research team measured acoustic conditions across workplaces in Montreal and Quebec City, tracking the experiences of 73 employees. What they found was a clear gap in noise levels depending on the office layout. Spaces fitted with partition screens recorded an average sound pressure level of 57.8 dBA — noticeably louder than open configurations that instead incorporated smaller meeting rooms, which came in at 53.3 dBA.
The explanation, according to the researchers, lies less in physics than in human behaviour. Partitions appear to create a false sense of privacy that encourages workers to raise their voices without realising it. Because standard screens rarely provide meaningful sound absorption, the cumulative effect of these louder individual conversations pushes the overall noise level upward.
That dynamic is prompting a rethink among workplace acoustics specialists. Rather than isolating employees behind rigid dividers, the German firm Baur Akustik is advocating a shift toward what it calls acoustic zoning — structuring floor space so that distinct functional areas are separated in ways that make sense for sound, not just for sight.
The company points to its "Woopies" range of textile acoustic elements as one practical option. Manufactured in Germany from Swiss sheep's wool under a zero-waste process, the collection includes table-top attachments, suspended room dividers and mobile freestanding screens. The idea is to absorb sound at the point where it originates, rather than simply blocking its path or altering behaviour through visual barriers.
The stakes extend beyond employee comfort. The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) has developed a tool designed to quantify the economic cost of poor office acoustics, and its data shows a direct link between noise-related distraction and reduced productivity. The Canadian findings reinforce the argument that acoustic performance and psychological impact deserve as much attention in office planning as visual layout does.
Based on the evidence gathered, strategies built around absorption and zoning appear to deliver better results than the straightforward installation of partitions.
