Ceiling panels, wall panels, or mobile partitions - what to choose for the office?

(TL;DR – Key Points to Start):
There is no single "golden mean." The choice depends on what you want to achieve and at what stage the investment is:

1. Are you planning an office from scratch or doing a general fit-out? Invest in ceiling solutions. They "compress" the acoustic background and determine overall comfort (reverberation time).

2. The office is already operating, it’s noisy, but you can’t renovate? Focus on walls and mobile solutions. They work pointwise, eliminate "flutter echo," and improve privacy without messy construction work.

3. Do you have a problem with “buzz” and lack of focus at the desks? Choose desk-mounted and freestanding partitions. This is the only way to physically cut off the sound path from the mouth to the neighbor's ear.

Diagnosis: What do you really need?

Before you open the catalog, define the "pain" of the office. The Facility Manager will hear: "It’s too loud," but the Architect needs to know if the problem is reverberation (echo like in a church) or lack of privacy (I hear every word from my colleague).

• Fighting Reverberation: Requires a large absorptive surface.

  • Winner: Ceiling and Walls.

• Fighting Speech Privacy and Focus: Requires physical barriers close to the sound source.

  • Winner: Mobile Partitions and Desk Screens.

1. Ceiling Solutions: The Foundation of Silence (Heavy Lifting)

The ceiling is the largest free surface in the office, often “hard” (concrete, glass), which makes it the main culprit of noise. Ceiling adaptation is the most effective method for globally reducing decibel levels.

For the Architect: This is a playground. The ceiling doesn’t have to be a flat plane. It can be a sculpture.
For the Facility Manager: This is a “set it and forget it” investment. Once installed, the system works for years, doesn’t take up valuable floor space, and doesn’t interfere with cleaning.

Drawbacks: Installation in an operating office is difficult (dust, work at heights, the need to close zones for use).

Recommendations from Nyquist's offer:

• EcoCloud Custom / 50mm: Ideal for open space offices. With an air void and material thickness, it absorbs not only high but also medium frequencies (human speech). For the Architect: Possibility to cut any shape.

• EcoBaffle Box: Boxed, linear construction. Optically raises low rooms and conceals technical installations while maintaining an industrial flair.

• EcoCloud Light: Hybrid. Solves two problems with one invoice: acoustics and lighting. For the Manager, it saves on separate installations.

2. Wall Panels: Precision and Design

If the ceiling is the “background,” the walls are the “foreground.” Wall panels are essential in conference rooms and offices, where there are so-called room modes and flutter echoes (sound reflecting between two parallel walls).

For the Architect: This is where acoustics meet interior finishing. Texture, wood, color – the wall is eye-level, so it must look premium.
For the Facility Manager: Easy installation (even with glue or magnets), protection of walls from dirt and scratches (in communication corridors).

Drawbacks: There’s often no room for them (glass walls, cabinets, windows).

Recommendations from Nyquist's offer:

• WoodenWall: When prestige is a priority (e.g., executive office, lobby). A combination of warm natural veneer with mineral wool absorption.

• EcoWall Harmony / Roll: Spatial, three-dimensional structure made of PET. It not only absorbs sound but diffuses it, making the sound in the room “soft” and natural.

• NyquiTiles: Mounted on magnets. Killer feature for the Manager: If the panel gets dirty or boring, you can replace it in 10 seconds without tools.

3. Mobile and Freestanding Solutions: Quick Response (Agile)

This is the “acoustic first aid kit.” When the office is alive, teams are changing, and the open space becomes a hive, you don't have time for renovations. You need solutions here and now.

For the Architect: A tool for zoning. You create corridors, relaxation zones, or focus rooms without erecting drywall walls.
For the Facility Manager: The Holy Grail of flexibility. You take them with you when moving. You solve the conflict of “it’s too loud for me” in 15 minutes by putting a partition between desks.

Drawbacks: They work locally; they won’t soundproof the entire office globally.

Recommendations from Nyquist's offer:

• EcoScreen Desk: An absolute must in an open space. A physical barrier at the desk is the only way to ensure psychological comfort and privacy for phone conversations.

• Office Divider: Mobile partition on a steel frame. Stable, elegant, ideal for creating a temporary meeting room in the middle of the hall.

• NyquiTotem / NyquiTotem Plant: Freestanding cylinders that act as bass traps (absorbing low tones). Plant Version is a response to the biophilic design trend – acoustics and greenery in one mobile module.

Decision Cheat Sheet (Comparison)

Summary

The choice is not binary. The best office projects are hybrids.

• Start with the ceiling (EcoGrid, EcoCloud) to create a good base.

• Supplement with walls (WoodenTiles, EcoWall) where meetings take place.

• Equip desks with screens (EcoScreen) to give people focus.

Need help with determining proportions? At Nyquist, we not only produce panels - we perform acoustic simulations that will show you which solution will give the best return on investment (ROI) in your specific case.