Feel-good and acoustic comfort
The only closed area is the shared meeting room that is partitioned off with sliding glass doors with fine wooden frames. “They are great to look at, but not very effective acoustically”, says Hervé. “Since COVID, videoconferencing has developed a lot, so we acquired the equipment we needed to continue using these new modes of communication practically every day. It ended up causing a real noise problem, so we had to find a solution that would give us all optimal acoustic comfort inside and outside this room. It was about dampening the passage of sound and reducing reverberation inside the room, without changing the layout or losing the warm, cosy feel. Cécilia, the architect suggested installing Texaa acoustic curtains, and we were already familiar with Texaa products.”
A small project producing substantial comfort
“We regularly work with architects, who use Texaa solutions in their projects”, explains Hervé. The fact that Texaa can provide solutions to suit every project, whatever the scale, is also a strength. Here the curtain hung from an inconspicuous white rail, is made up of four twin-coloured sections that connect together using the Texaa zip system. As well as providing the required acoustic performance, it also acts as an attractive interface inside the area. The side inside the meeting room is a Chiné noir to match the anthracite colour of the wooden frames, while the side looking out into the open space is Vert beige “The yellow recalls the wood, which is almost everywhere”, adds Hervé. “There are already quite a few colours here, especially green, and I didn’t want to add another. Overall it’s quite understated and harmonious. And the fabric adds extra warmth. We leave the curtain half drawn most of the time. And when it’s fully drawn, it’s like being inside a cocoon. Every day we notice the benefit in terms of real extra comfort. In meetings it helps us concentrate better on the jobs at hand and the things we say to each other. And there is no longer any interference with what goes on in the open space. The curtain keeps the noise inside and doesn’t disturb my colleagues’ work, who are often on the phone. It’s easy to just pull the curtain. And in general terms, it gives us an area that is a little different, where you can be private and take personal calls for example. Open space is great, but it’s also great to have somewhere private!” Hervé closes with a slight smile, noting that the curtain goes particularly well with the wood stove that is particularly liked by his colleagues with cold feet.
