In today’s open workplace, more are designing for collaborative and private spaces. With the flexibility of Snowsound technology panels, spaces sound as great as they look. *
With the growing need for acoustic comfort within the workplace, we had the chance to catch up with Snowsound to learn more about their Snowsound technology panels. This line was introduced to help architects, designers and project owners create a space with acoustic comfort, flexibility and aesthetics in mind.
How will this product impact workplace design?
Snowsound products are designed to provide unsurpassed sound absorption—all panels have an NRC of 1.0—as well as design flexibility. The colors, shapes, and sizes, as well as their ease of installation, make them the most flexible and user-friendly acoustic panels, with the broadest spectrum of application and mounting possibilities. Snowsound panels thus provide a beautiful, high-performance solution that fits any project need.
Why Acoustics Matter
According to research by Gallup, only 33 percent of American workers are engaged at work. And employee disengagement is costly: McLean & Company estimates that each disengaged employee costs a company up to $3,400 per year for every $10,000 of salary. Further, a disengaged employee will leave their job for only a five percent pay increase, whereas an engaged employee typically holds out for 20 percent more. Engagement is good business. In fact, according to Christopher Brown and Linder Brown, companies with engaged employees have better customer experiences. And those companies outperform their competitors by a factor of 5x.
Quite simply, it is an economic imperative that companies find a way to increase employee engagement. The workplace environment is a major contributor to the employee experience. And what is the leading complaint of workers right now? Acoustics. Noise is a significant economic issue for companies today. Let’s look at two major impacts:
- Productivity: The average worker is 66 percent less productive in a noisy environment. Better acoustics mean higher productivity and revenue.
- Why does this matter? Employee engagement, morale, retention, recruitment and customer experience. Companies that excel in these areas outperform competitors by five times.
- Wellness: Research has found prolonged exposure to noise can lead to higher blood pressure, increased illness, stress, anxiety, fatigue, and depression.
- Why does wellness matter? Employee absenteeism, turnover, productivity, and ultimately higher health care costs for the company.
How do Snowsound technology panels contribute to new ways of working?
At Snowsound, we know good acoustics are good for people. But better acoustics are even better for people. Our sound-absorbing panels not only offer unsurpassed noise reduction, but they also create acoustic comfort and balance. They are engineered to absorb all frequencies of sound but focus on the most prevalent sounds in an environment. It’s simply better acoustics.
Create spaces that sound as great as they look. Experience the Snowsound difference.
Can you tell a story or give an example of how this product can be used in a project?
Company: Scorpion Internet Marketing / Design Firm: Wirt Design Group
Snowsound Baffles were installed in their cafeteria and gymnasium. They liked the minimalistic design of the Baffle and the charcoal gray color was a perfect match and blend to the color palette.
We really liked the design and elegant look of the Snowsound Baffle and the Charcoal Gray color was the perfect match to the color palette. After installation, there was an instant change with the Snowsound panels.
– Eduardo C. Melgar, Design Principal
What was the inspiration for this design of this product?
When snow falls, it absorbs the sound waves.
-Bernadette Woods Placky, Meteorologist and Director of Climate Central’s Climate Matters Program
The name is biophilic. It refers to the ability of a fresh snowfall to absorb sound. Step outside right after a fresh snowfall. The sound is pure. It’s a memorable experience. Fresh snowfall is nature’s best sound absorbing phenomenon.
Inspired by nature, Snowsound panels use a patented composition of sound-absorbing material that mimics the properties of freshly fallen snow. All Snowsound panels are engineered with the same technology: A patented, variable-density polyester wrapped in an acoustically transparent textile. This composition allows each panel to selectively absorb the optimal amount of sound from each frequency. This selective absorption optimizes the acoustical environment: eliminating excess sound (aka noise) without eliminating the sound we need to collaborate and communicate at work.
Snowsound improves the sound in a space by absorbing echoes and reverberation without eliminating all sound, creating natural-sounding peace and quiet. Using variable density material, the panels can treat all frequencies in the acoustic spectrum as opposed to focusing on limited ranges.
What innovations in the use of materials or fabrication are utilized in the manufacture of this product?
What makes this design unique is not only the fact that it offers UNSURPASSED sound absorption—literally no product on the market performs better—but also sound balance, or acoustic comfort. While a single density, monolithic solution like felt or PET will reduce sound (and not as effectively as this panel), it treats all sound the same. A single-density PET or felt will absorb whatever frequency that material happens to absorb. It’s accidental, not deliberate in terms of which sound is absorbed.
Not Snowsound: Snowsound precisely crafts our panels to absorb all frequencies. Higher frequencies are absorbed toward the surface of the panel, mid- and lower-frequency sounds are absorbed closer to the center. This is Snowsound’s proprietary patented panel technology. ALL OF OUR PANELS ARE THE SAME IN THIS REGARD. All offer an NRC of 1.0. Different sizes, shapes, colors, but all work the exact same way. Better acoustic comfort is better for people.
Where do you think the installation of this product will be most effective?
Snowsound’s suite of acoustic solutions include a range of installation options and configurations for virtually any space, thus making Snowsound versatile and flexible for any application. We can even help you determine how much Snowsound is required to create acoustic comfort. Our proprietary software provides the analysis, and your creative panel selection and placement creates the beauty.
A year from now what would be the most exciting thing you could think about how the product has been accepted, specified and installed in projects?
We’re passionate about the benefits of better acoustics. Reducing noise helps workers be more productive, helps students learn and retain information better, and enhances the quality of care and health of patients in a healthcare facility. The most exciting vision we could have one year from now would be for the industry to embrace the tangible, evidence-based benefits of acoustics on human health, productivity, creativity, engagement and inventiveness. And all of this is possible with a product that is GREENGUARD Gold certified and 100 percent recyclable. Good for people. Good for business. Good for the planet.
When will the product be available?
Snowsound products are currently available. Best-selling products are in stock in Southern California and most orders ship out within 48 hours of an order being received, so better acoustics are only days away! In addition, we will be introducing new products soon that will provide the same unsurpassed sound absorption and acoustic comfort in unique looks, visuals never seen in this category.
Are there any other places you plan to exhibit the product?
Yes! NeoCon 2020.
Want to learn more? Watch this video for solutions in action:
*This is the second article within WDM’s SnowSound Series highlighting the brand’s three bold collections. Click here to read more about the first series, Snowsound Fiber Acoustic Textiles.
Images and Video courtesy of Snowsound
A really good article and very interesting to see how the acoustic panels had been used and how they added to the office design, welcome a pop of colour and made the area look extremely modern.
Adding acoustic ceiling, wall or free standing panels can really help with noise levels and contribute to higher productivity too!