8/3/2023 0 Comments Phonebox pearson![]() ![]() And the little office phone booths also offer a bit of charm and nostalgia into the bargain. There was a time when they primarily served to house a phone, whereas now they offer a small private space - even if we can expect more to come as regards office acoustics. The triumphal march of the mobile phone may have swept phone booths away from most public spaces - but only for them to crop up again in changed shape in offices. If one turns toward the back wall to talk, then anyone on the outside will hear a voice, but hardly understand what is said. The upholstered surfaces absorb the sound not only within the acoustically-dampening furniture but also lower background noise levels throughout the open-plan office. The panels are first covered with foam and then fabric, be it felt or a customary upholstery textile such as Kvadrat's "Cava", "Divina" or "Hallingdal". The walls of these novel phone booths tend to be structured like acoustic panels. ![]() And Ronan&Erwan Bouroullec have dreamed up so-called "Communal Cells" for Vitra, acoustically dampened wall modules that can be used to create cloakroom facilities, printer islands, beverage niches - and phone booths. "Phoneboot" by Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd for Bene may have been inspired by an enclosed phone booth such as was a customary part of streetlife not so many years ago. The "#003 PhoneBox" developed by Axia Design for Prooff looks almost exactly like those phone-booth-hoods at upper-body height that used to be omnipresent in the public spaces of railway stations, airports - and trade-fair grounds. What tend to catch the eye in this context are above all those items of acoustic-dampening furniture with the typology of which designers have toyed in recent years in a very entertaining manner: "Workbay" is probably the very first office chair to come with something resembling a hairdresser's hood two "Alcove Highbacks" placed opposite each other create a very comfortable and protected space inside the room "Workshelter" provides asylum for thinkers seeking peace and quiet.Īt Orgatec 2010, one of the keynote international trade fairs for office design, several manufacturers addressed the topic of spatial acoustics, offering phone booths for open-plan offices, booths that resembled the public telephone booths of yesteryear. A room's acoustics can be improved by curtains, carpets, suspended ceiling, wall paneling and mobile partitions. And with so much openness and dynamism, you still have to tread that thin line between communication and concentration, to guarantee confidentiality as a higher good, and minimize noise, which is such a source of stress. Teams work on platforms together, close contact between working groups ensures a constant flow of information. Networking and communication shape the face of the professional world today. If things are really desperate, then the only option may be to exit the building, phone in hand.Ĭontemporary offices are as open as possible. As they can simply take the phone to the nearest meeting room that is free or into the corridor with them - which is not to underestimate how corridors can amplify sound. Those with portable phones have things somewhat things somewhat easier. ![]() If the person taking the call has a workstation on the outer periphery of the office, then he can perhaps turn towards the wall or window for a little more privacy. The alternative is to bear around the bush or convince the person at the other end to talk about things later. In the case of calls with delicate content, you have to be able to converse such that the corresponding key words do not get mentioned. And anyone still using a corded handset will need a lot of skill in phrasing things. Standard calls are straightforward, but things are different if the conversation starts to involve complex business issues or private details. Phoning is not without its difficulties in open-plan offices. ![]()
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