Acoustic Tile Overview
Click to download the one-page version of this article: Acoustic-Tile.pdf
The Design Challenge
A tile and marble lined lobby, an open office floor plan with exposed metal ceilings, or an always busy waiting room in the Emergency Department of a local hospital all have something in common – noise. Sound waves bounce and reflect off of anything and everything in their environment. The larger and more open the environment, and the harder the materials in that environment, the more sound will reflect. The net result? Not only does the amount of ambient noise significantly increase, but the volume of that ambient noise also increases as the sound waves interact and amplify themselves.
The Impact
Using the open office as our example space, research has been able to quantify the impact high levels of ambient noise can have on the people utilizing that space.
- Worker concentration decreased by 48%[1]
- Work errors increased by 10%1
- Employee stress levels increased by 27%1
- Susceptibility to conversational distractions increased by 51%1
If you want to create a space that reduces stress, anxiety, and distractions, while increasing feelings of well-being, focus, and productivity, acoustically treating a room can make a significant impact.
The Solution
Combining beautiful artwork with acoustic panels offers a number of unique benefits:
- A unified, holistic solution that allows one to improve the visual and acoustic aesthetics of a space with a single product
- Thanks to the artwork, acoustic panels can be ‘hidden in plain sight’, allowing them to be placed where they’re most needed
- Acoustic Tile Art is incredibly versatile and can be wall-mounted or hung from a ceiling to best meet the visual and acoustic design needs of a space
- Have a budget for acoustic treatment but not art, or an art budget but nothing for acoustic treatment? Acoustic Tile Art is effectively two products in one, which makes it easy to maximize the returned value of interior design spend.
Design Recommendations
Through our experience working with acoustic tile, we’ve learned that size does matter. Because of this, we typically recommend fewer larger pieces over a larger number of smaller pieces. Acoustic tile art also compliments other installation pieces created using different materials like canvas or acrylic. We’ve found combining materials within a single space can significantly increase the impact of an art installation.
Product Specifications
Great American Art utilizes a commercial-grade acoustic material made with ECOSE® Technology. This allows GAA to offer a 100% American-made product that features excellent sound absorption characteristics, that was manufactured using rapidly renewable bio-based materials rather than non-renewable petroleum-based chemicals. The acoustic material contains no phenol, formaldehyde, acrylics, or artificial colors. Artwork is giclée printed and bound to the acoustic tile using methods specifically designed to minimize long-term stretching and wear.
Thickness and Size Availability
- Acoustic tile art is available in 1” standard, or 2” with an additional upcharge.
- Acoustic tile art can be ordered in a wide range of sizes from 12” x 12” to a recommended maximum of 48” x 72”.
Specification Compliance:
- ASTM C 612; Type IA and Type IB
- GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certified
- California Title 24
- HH-I-558C; Form A, Class 1 and Class 2
- NFPA 90A and 90B
Surface Burning Characteristics (UL Classified)
Does not exceed 25 Flame Spread, 50 Smoke Development, when tested in accordance with ASTM E 84, NFPA 90A and 90B, NFPA 255, and UL 723
Temperature Range (ASTM C 411)
- Operating temperatures from 0oF to 450oF
Corrosiveness (ASTM C 665)
- Does not accelerate corrosion on steel, copper, or aluminum
Mold Growth (ASTM C 1338)
- Does not promote growth
| Sound Absorption Coefficients
A rating of 1.0 means 100% of that particular frequency is absorbed by the acoustic tile. A rating of 0.5 means 50% of that particular frequency is absorbed. Ratings >1.0 are the result of the surface of the panel being greater than the square footage of the material, but indicates performance identical to a rating of 1.0. |
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| Thickness
|
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)
|
||||||
| 125
|
250
|
500
|
1000
|
2000
|
4000
|
NRC
|
|
| 1” |
.08 |
.23 |
.62 |
.88 |
.96 |
.99 |
.65 |
| 2” |
.29 |
.65 |
1.11 |
1.13 |
1.06 |
1.03 |
1.00 |