Glass office partitions are a modern solution to optimum workplace layouts. They have become the natural choice in contemporary office spaces, promoting an open and collaborative trend in companies of all sizes. Glass partitions add practical functionality and modern aesthetics all at once.
Unlike brick walls or drywall partitioning, glass allows light to flow into work spaces and meeting rooms. Natural light has proven health benefits, and can improve emotional well-being, as well as workplace productivity.
Whether you’re looking to create additional offices, meeting rooms, or create divisions between work spaces, glass office partitions can be custom designed and installed relatively easily to create the desired conditions at your workplace.
Our team at Pro Aluminium has created this guide in response to frequent queries from our clients. We trust it will walk you through some of the key considerations before ordering your office partitioning.
The Acoustic Consideration
A key consideration when it comes to office partitioning is reducing noise (or improving acoustic privacy). This is especially the case for conference and meeting-rooms where important or confidential discussions may take place. Other times companies seek to cut out noise to improve the concentration and productivity of staff.
Humans can experience sound with an intensity of 60 dB as unpleasant, and 80 dB as disturbing. Even background traffic noise from outside, ranging 70 dB, can cause disturbance and stress over a continued period of time. This is where installing acoustic glass can be crucial.
Acoustic / sound insulating glass can retard sound transmission to around 45 dB in most cases. Choosing double glazing for your partitions will also make a huge difference in sound inhibitions. We’ll guide you through the glass options below
Connection vs Privacy
Another important consideration when it comes to office partitions is striking the right balance between connection among co-workers and privacy where necessary. Open-plan work environments have been associated with a better sharing of ideas and improved communication between colleagues and staff. On the other hand, dividers are necessary for privacy and productivity.
While glass has many obvious advantages, it can be problematic if privacy is an issue. Some offices and meeting rooms may require a level of privacy that clear glass simply cannot provide.
The good news however is that you can still get all the benefits of glass but with increased levels of privacy. This can be achieved by choosing the right type of glass. Other options include the application of frosted window vinyl or the installation of interior blinds. At Pro Aluminium, we offer you a wide range of aesthetic glass that can easily solve this problem. Read on to learn about our glass options.
Design considerations
When it comes to your glass office partitioning, it’s important to ask yourself a few basic questions to establish the design.
First look at your purpose. Form follows function, so design the offices, boardrooms and other areas in a way that promotes the functionality that is required in your specific business. Aluminium and glass partitioning offers great flexibility when it comes to design and configurations.You may want to avail the services of an architect or interior designer depending on the size of the project and company budget.
Consider the look and feel. Office partitions can be either frameless glass, or framed in aluminium. Each have their unique advantages and characteristics. Frameless glass partitions are a perfect complement to high end or ultra modern office spaces.
Aluminium frames offer the flexibility of choosing different profiles, colours and finishes to suit interior designs. Our “new silver” finish has always proved to be popular for office partitions. Or your designs may call for white powder coated, charcoal grey, or any of our other standard or custom colours.
Also you need to decide between floor-to-ceiling glass partitions or partial dividers. Floor-to-ceiling partitions create quieter more insulated offices, whereas partial dividers create more of an open feel and better airflow. Find the balance that works best for your company culture.
Choosing the Right Doors
Remember that your office partitioning can be fitted with different types of doors. Windows are also possible, for example a sliding window between two offices, but this is less common with office partitioning.
Door options include sliding doors, hinged doors, french doors or sliding-folding (stacking doors). Note that in the case of frameless partitioning, the options are more limited due to the practicality of the systems used.
Again, your choice of doors will be determined largely by the functionality of the space. Hinge doors will be best for smaller offices or cubicles. Sliding doors are popular for larger offices or boardrooms.
Stacking doors are a great option for larger boardrooms or conference rooms, as it allows for the entrance of the space to be totally closed – or wide open – depending on the meeting or event. Stacking doors are available from 3 panels all the way to 10 panels and can span a width of up to 9 m.
Glass Options
Pro offers a comprehensive range of performance glass products, each designed with specific properties to create desired interior conditions. As we mentioned above office partitioning can benefit greatly from the qualities of acoustic glass, tinted glass and double glazing, among others.
Safety codes for a working environment require you use laminated or toughened glass. All glass office partitions fall within these two categories. They are typically fitted with 5 to 10 mm toughened safety glass or alternatively with 6.38 mm laminated safety glass where required. Single and double glazed options are both available. Strict testing is carried out on these products to ensure that they meet their safety levels of criteria.
Acoustic glass, also called sound reduction glass, incorporates specific sound reduction qualities, and serves to combat levels of unwanted noise both in offices and boardrooms.
Acoustic glass is laminated glass, consisting of two or more sheets of glass, bonded together with one or more acoustic interlayers: The interlayers act as a noise dampening core, weakening the sound as it travels through the glass. By varying the thickness of the sheets of glass, even better sound insulation can be achieved.
Double glazing: Noise can be further reduced by using double glazed windows. A double glazed window unit consists of two glass panes encased into the window frame. The space in between the panes is vacuum-sealed and filled with dehydrated air or an inert gas such as, xenon or krypton, but most commonly argon. The primary function of these units is to reduce heat and sound transfers.
Aesthetic Glass: We also offer a range of glass with aesthetic properties, each with its own unique qualities. Tinted glass, reflective glass or frosted glass can each bring an attractive finish to your office partitioning and at the same time create the desired level of privacy.
Call in the Professionals
Are you ready to discuss custom glass partitions for your office space? Get in touch with our friendly sales team at Pro Aluminium today! We’ll be able to recommend the best solutions. Once we’ve agreed on all the specs and details, we will manufacture and install your modern glass partitioning with utmost professionalism.
For more advice, feel free to call us on 031 701 2001 (Durban) / 010 003 1889 (Johannesburg) or for a quotation please fill in a quote request form for your province: KZN / Gauteng.