Sound Masking Technology

What is sound masking and how does it work?

Sound masking is one of the most cost-effective things a business can do to reduce unwanted noise and increase speech privacy.

In a nutshell adding sound to a space makes the space seem quieter. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it is true. This is because the added sound reduces the intelligibility of speech. When you cannot understand what someone is saying, their words are less distracting — in fact, you probably don't even notice them. 

Sound masking can be explained by analogy with light. Imagine a dark room where someone is turning a flashlight on and off. The light is very obvious and distracting. Now imagine that the room lights are turned on. The flashlight is still being turned on and off but is no longer noticeable because it has been "masked". Sound masking is a similar process of covering a distracting sound with a more soothing or less intrusive sound.

One of the most effective solutions to reduce auditory distraction is to install a sound masking system. These systems are designed to introduce low-level noises that subtly raise the ambient sound level, rendering office and outdoor noise less noticeable and speech virtually unintelligible.  

Sound Masking is a specifically tuned ambient background sound that targets the same frequency as human speech, reducing its intelligibility. Sound masking does not eliminate all noises in an environment; it simply reduces the area where human speech is intelligible and distracting. The resulting environment leads to greater productivity and increased privacy and comfort. 

Making privacy simple

Sound masking systems utilise a series of speakers that are typically installed within the plenum space of a buildings ceiling.

 

When working space sounds just right

Imagine an office where private conversations stay private, work areas stay quiet, and sound is efficiently managed to ensure maximum productivity.

Privacy is often an issue in offices and other enclosed spaces. For instance, when an office space is overly quiet every sound can break concentration. Conversely, in an office that is too loud the conversations of co-workers are distracting and affect productivity. Both situations create less-than-ideal work environments.  Purposefully adding sound into an open office environment lets you control the sound levels overall, improving speech privacy – rendering private conversations unintelligible to nearby listeners – and creating an environment with fewer distractions.

 

“Sound being unseen is often forgotten, or worse ignored in the design process. Spaces must not only look great; they must sound great too”.

 

 Who Needs Sound Masking

Sound masking is beneficial for a diverse range of workplaces including ~

 

·         Health Care

·         Hotels

·         Call Centre

·         Offices

·         Government Buildings

·         Financial Services

Improve Productivity and Enhance Privacy with Sound Masking

Sound masking is the addition of an unobtrusive background sound, similar to airflow, to reduce the intelligibility of human speech and reduce distractions. The resulting environment leads to greater productivity and increased privacy and comfort.

What makes our Sound Masking System so good?

 Flexibility, Adaptability, Scalability and Usability

Unlike other sound masking systems that need to be adjusted manually, the Soft dB Sound Masking System is adaptive to the real-time conditions in the space. It constantly monitors the ambient noise levels and makes automatic adjustments to compensate for any changes.

Because sound is energy, whenever a noise source, like a human voice, passes through a masking sound wave, it is dissipated and loses energy and intelligibility. This makes it possible for conversations to be held at normal volume levels and not be intelligible beyond 15 or 20 feet in open space. It also makes it possible to achieve speech confidentiality in closed areas like offices or patient rooms

For further information please contact us on 0845 6432197 or download our brochure at  https://www.movingdesignslimited.co.uk/sound-masking/

The New Wave Glazed Sliding Folding Partition by Moving Designs Ltd

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can do you a privacy page

Moving Designs ~ Leading the way in Fire Safety

Being a long-time advocate of third-party Fire Door inspection and certification and to meet the growing demand, Moving Designs have set up a specialist division within our group, MD Fire Doors.



MD Fire Doors provides an independent, third-party fire door inspection service. Our Certified Fire Door Inspectors are fully qualified under the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS). Our inspectors provide the most comprehensive and highest standard of inspection within the UK. Having your doors inspected by our certified professionals not only gives you peace of mind, it also reassures the building’s occupiers that you take fire safety seriously.



The FDIS scheme was designed to transform people’s knowledge and understanding about the critical purpose and function of fire doors. Its ultimate purpose is to help improve safety and save lives and to help those with legal responsibilities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. It also raises awareness of defective fire doors and the potentially tragic consequences of leaving these unchecked.



Keeping you compliant



MD Fire Doors provides an independent, third-party fire door inspection service. Our Certified Fire Door Inspectors are fully qualified under the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS). Our inspectors provide the most comprehensive and highest standard of inspection within the UK. Having your doors inspected by our certified professionals not only gives you peace of mind, it also reassures the building’s occupiers that you take fire safety seriously.

• Our Fire Door Inspection service provides a detailed inspection report of all your Fire and Exit doors using our latest data collection technology software.
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• The service includes a full rectification report outlining the defects and faults with your fire doors. 
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• An identification label is attached to each fire door providing a unique numbering system for data referencing and demonstrating to the users of the building that the doors have been surveyed professionally
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• On completion an inspection certificate is provided for identification purposes in compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Third-party certification involves the testing of the door as a complete assembly, including door leaf, frame, ironmongery, intumescent seals and glazing. But it goes further than just certification of the door leaf, regular testing and audits are required to complete the certification process and certificates are issued, indicating the scope of the certification. It is these measures which ensure the product supplied to the contractor meets and maintains the guaranteed quality of the original design.



Please visit our new website can be viewed at http://www.mdfiredoors.com/ or call us on 0845 6432198



Moving Designs specialist in acoustic moveable walls, sliding folding partitions and fire doors

What regulations affect the use of fire doors?

Regulations

There are a number of regulations which apply to both new and existing buildings across the UK. 

In the case of new buildings, or those which include alterations, extensions or change of use, the appropriate Building Regulations apply.

Existing buildings, other than domestic properties, are governed by the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order: 2005 – otherwise known as the RRO or FSO

You should also be take note of Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations (England and Wales) which links the Building Regulations to the RRO for those buildings to which the RRO applies.

New Buildings

Building Regulations are known as Approved Documents (or equivalent) and are available from the websites shown below. They are designed to help meet the minimum standards required for construction in the UK.
Because fire doors are functional items and are necessary in all buildings and structures, they are required to meet a number of different regulations such as sound, accessibility, ventilation, thermal efficiency and safety glazing as well as fire safety.

A summary of Approved Document regulations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is shown in the table below.

• England and Wales – Approved Documents
• Scottish Building Standards – Technical Handbooks
• Northern Ireland – Technical Booklets

Other Regulations and Codes

In addition to building regulations, fire doors may also be required to comply with other codes and standards to meet BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes criteria, as well as procurement requirements for responsible sourcing of materials such as those provided by forest certification and chain of custody required under CPET regulations, which apply to ALL projects undertaken by UK Government Public Sector and its agencies.

Existing buildings

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 or FSO, replaced over 70 pieces of fire safety law and came into force in 2006.

The responsibility for fire risk assessment in all non-domestic buildings, including the common parts of flats and houses of multiple occupation, falls to the so-called 'responsible person'.

Under the FSO, the responsible person must carry out a fire safety risk assessment and implement and maintain a fire management plan. Further information on what you need to do when carrying out a risk assessment is available here.

The law applies to you if you are:

• responsible for business premises
• an employer or self-employed with business premises
• responsible for a part of a dwelling where that part is solely used for business purposes
• a charity or voluntary organisation
• a contractor with a degree of control over any premises
• providing accommodation for paying guests

Fire doors play a major role in the fire safety and protection of ALL buildings covered by the FSO and it is important that fire doors are inspected correctly and maintained in order to ensure compliance.

Failure to do so can place property and lives at risk and is likely to result in criminal prosecution.

If you would like to appoint one of our CertFDI-certificated fire door inspectors to assess and inspect the fire doors in your buildings. Please contact Moving Designs on 0845 6432198.

Who is legally responsible for the Fire Doors?

Building owners and managers have legal responsibilities to take on knowledgeable people to  assess and manage fire risk in their properties. Articles 17 and 18 of the RRO – or Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order – make specific reference to the need to maintain fire prevention devices that are fit for purpose and to appoint one or more competent people to assist in undertaking preventive and protective measures.

The consequences of not meeting the regulations can result in severe punishments and include a large fine. This sends out a strong message about the implications of ineffective fire management procedures, which is often caused by the lack of knowledge and understanding surrounding fire doors and the RRO. 

Estate managers need to be confident that if a fire should occur they will not be in breach of the legal requirements for fire doors. If there is any doubt in your mind you should ask a certificated fire door inspector to take a look around the buildings and determine whether there are any shortfalls and what action needs to be taken. 

If you would like to appoint one of our CertFDI-certificated fire door inspectors to assess and inspect the fire doors in your buildings. Please contact Moving Designs on 0845 6432198.