At Acoustic Consultants, we provide specialist acoustic consultancy tailored to office refurbishment projects. Whether updating a legacy workspace, adapting to hybrid working patterns, or upgrading to meet modern performance standards, our expertise helps clients transform existing office spaces into acoustically optimised environments that enhance comfort, focus, and collaboration.
Office refurbishments come with specific acoustic challenges — from constraints of existing structures to changing space use. We work closely with design teams, landlords, and occupiers to develop practical, effective acoustic solutions that fit within the constraints of a retrofit, without compromising on performance.
Managing Building Services Noise in Retrofit Environments
Older buildings often contain outdated or noisy mechanical and electrical systems that no longer meet modern acoustic expectations. During refurbishments, replacing or modifying HVAC systems, fans, pumps, and ventilation ducts can introduce or reveal noise issues. We assess the impact of building services noise in refurbished spaces using on-site measurements and modelling, and provide solutions including acoustic enclosures, duct attenuators, and vibration isolation.
Our approach aligns with BS 8233:2014, BREEAM HEA 05, and the British Council for Offices (BCO) Guide to Specification, ensuring refurbished offices achieve appropriate ambient noise levels for open-plan and enclosed work areas.
Improving Sound Insulation Performance
Refurbishments often involve repurposing spaces or upgrading poor-performing partitions. We assess the existing sound insulation performance of walls, floors, ceilings, and doors to determine whether enhancements are needed to meet acoustic objectives. This may include secondary linings, acoustic door upgrades, or floor treatment strategies — all designed to improve privacy and reduce sound transfer between areas such as meeting rooms, phone booths, and shared working zones.
Room Acoustic Enhancement
Office spaces often suffer from poor room acoustics — including long reverberation times, flutter echo, or hard reflective surfaces. As part of your refurbishment, we assess and optimise acoustic conditions in line with modern expectations. Whether you’re adapting open-plan zones, converting cellular spaces into collaboration areas, or upgrading meeting rooms, we provide detailed advice on acoustic finishes such as ceilings, wall absorbers, and soft furnishings.
Enhancing Speech Privacy and Intelligibility
Office refurbishments often introduce new acoustic requirements — such as increased demand for confidential meeting spaces, video conferencing, or acoustic zoning. We assess speech intelligibility and privacy using Speech Transmission Index (STI) analysis, and propose appropriate interventions such as partition upgrades, layout reconfiguration, or sound masking systems. Our solutions are tailored to balance openness with privacy, supporting both collaborative work and focused tasks.
Acoustic Commissioning
We can undertake pre-completion acoustic tests to ensure the design criteria achieved in all areas. Testing services that we can provide comprise: sound insulation tests, building services and indoor ambient noise level measurements, reverberation tests and external noise monitoring.
Recent Projects in London
We have assisted on a number of schemes throughout the London region. Recent projects include:
- The Peak
- 25 Copthall Place
- Nova North
- Lidl Head Office, Tolworth