Acoustic Performance
In today’s modern office environment acoustic privacy is increasingly important. Creating quiet spaces or meeting rooms for confidential discussions is a key requirement and knowing that the chosen partitioning system will perform well acoustically is essential.
Acoustic Test Certificates should be readily available to show that a full partition sample has been tested in an independent laboratory, not with modelling software.
Environmental Performance Requirements
Whilst glass office partitions don’t provide any structural support for the building, they do need to behave correctly in use and overtime. This includes being safe under impact and standing up to abnormally rough use.
The British Standard for partition BS 5234 hasn’t been revised since the publication in 1992, in spite of the design of glass partitioning systems changing considerably since then.
Ensuring that glass partitions meet safety and stiffness requirements is another key consideration. Manufacturers should offer comprehensive design guides for each product to help ensure requirements are met. In addition, in-house structural testing can be used for extra peace of mind. For glass partitions, tests such as opening and closing a door 100,000 times are carried out to ensure quality performance.
In summary, when selecting glass office partitions for your scheme, it is important to follow the 3 point check:
- Does the glass office partition perform acoustically and can the manufacturer support this with credible test data.
- Does the partition meet environmental regulations and can the manufacturer produce EPDs for each of its products.
- Can the partition meet the required performance criteria including safety and stiffness.