Acoustic Lighting

For more than a decade sound absorbing materials have gradually been introduced in the manufacturing and designing of various lighting units and has emerged as a practical two-in-one solution used in spaces where noise disturbance needed to be managed to maintain a pleasant environment. Known as acoustic lighting, this sound management solution has grown dramatically in popularity and can now be found across hotels, hospitals, offices, schools and homes in many parts of the world and with quality materials, innovative design and exquisite craftsmanship.

With many businesses continuing to opt for open office plans to encourage collaboration there is a growing need to enhance productivity without hindering well-being and concentration. Studies show that open offices have their benefits, but they can also leave the workforce feeling drained and overwhelmed by noise and stressed by a lack of quiet space to focus. From distracting side conversations and phone calls to loud movements throughout the office, the amount of noise and disturbances increase especially in buildings with many reflective smooth and/or tiled surfaces. Including carpeting and soft furnishings improves the sound distractions, but they’re often not practical in co-working or heavy traffic areas. Survey results have shown that office-based workers are mentally impacted by noise, therefore, not working to their full potential. They’ve reported distractions, difficulty concentrating and heightened stress.

For most, working in this state lowers creativity and focus. It’s imperative that employers and designers consider the impact of office noise and offer acoustic solutions that allow for both collaborations and focused work to occur. There are a number of sophisticated noise buffering options currently being used in the home and commercial sector with new impressive options being added regularly by highly acclaimed lighting designers.

If you are looking into the effectiveness of acoustic lighting, you would find that their efficacy varies according to the fabrics used to create the pieces or units. Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) is the average measurement rating of how much sound is absorbed or how much quieter a space can be made. NRC ratings range from 0 to 1, with a 0 NRC rating meaning there is no sound absorption, a 0.5 NRC rating indicating a 50% absorption and a 1 NRC rating meaning that 100% of the sound is being absorbed.

In the lighting design industry acoustic lighting is designed to be functional for both illumination as well as the well-being of the people in the spaces they’re in. At the forefront of this trend are the Italian manufacturers, Artemide and Luceplan with their innovative light sources Silent Field and Diade. Their extensive range of acoustic lighting that also looks stylish is expanding further with new manufacturers joining this innovative design journey.

Flexxica is one of these manufacturers that uses nature as a source of inspiration. They are inspired by shapes, use natural materials and organic ways of light penetration for their designs to make office spaces more humane and user-friendly. Their starting point and basis for their designs is technically perfect lighting. They build their luminaire’s aesthetics around it and give it a role to play in the space and follow that with modern technologies such as rotomoulding to expand the functionalities of their luminaires to make each of them unique. Their type of luminaires not only make interiors cosy, but above all ensure silence in the rooms and a more “organic atmosphere”.

Luceplan have a strong focus on sustainability with their designs and have always been engaged in technological and design research on light as a tool to improve human well-being and environmental quality. Luceplan has an extensive history in lighting, since the late 1970s and they currently offer 6 varieties of suspension and floor lamps, some of which can be personalized to match specified decor with high levels of sound absorption for public and private spaces. Their Pétale luminaires have an organic form that conceals the magic of silence with a sound-absorbing panel covered in white fabric, while their Diade suspension and floor luminaires have a more modular and linear look that blends seamlessly in work environments with the same aesthetic.

Since their inception in 2007 BuzziSpace's main driving force has been to produce effective and high-quality acoustic solutions, lighting and furniture for the ever-changing workspace that are functional, inspiring and bring happiness. This is evident in their fun and playful take on their designs captured in the colours, shapes and stitching details they’ve incorporated. They have a contemporary collection of 21 acoustic lighting solutions including table lamps, chandeliers, floor and suspension lamps in a wide range of colourful upholstery options.

The Swedish manufacturers, Abstracta have a holistic approach to sound absorption and believe you need to take the whole environment into consideration when designing the space. They’ve developed effective acoustic wall panels, wall dividers and smart acoustic furniture such as acoustic lighting, acoustic table tops and upholstered chairs and stools to contribute to a more pleasant overall experience. Their hope for their acoustic lighting range is to create beautifully stylish objects that also happen to be functional. Their approach can be summed up by this quote from designer Holly Homstvedt “An awful lot of acoustic lamps are easy to identify as acoustic products. They’re very much alike.

It’s reminiscent of the early hybrid electric vehicles. You could tell right away that they were HEVs simply by their outer shape. It’s the same with acoustic lighting. Runa and I approached the concept from a different angle.” Abstracta have 4 suspension light varieties that can fit as well in a home’s dining area as they could in a commercial office space. Their designs are simple in shape to dampen visible stress, yet effective in enhancing the spaces they’re in.

When it comes to novel acoustic lighting, ORBIT’s development team consistently enhances the optics, electronics and mechanics in their fixtures to make them multi-functional as much as possible. Their R&D team have increased their value adds in their luminaires with the integration of an acoustic function, digital dimming (for some) as well as wireless IoT technology. Sound absorption is realised using a flexible, open-cell foam made from melamine resin. Its 3D network structure allows an array of design possibilities, which is seen in their suspension and wall-mounted units, simply named Globe, Aco Snap, Macaron, Macaron Wall and Slanted. Grouped together or singular, these luminaires are made to be seen and make for interesting and functional talking points.

The key outcome for Delta Light’s approach to dampening sound with luminaires was to humanise spaces and make them more adaptable. In consultation with Soliscape they developed UNSx, UNStudio’s in-house multidisciplinary team that alternated between divergent and convergent steps to bring their designs to life. The co-creative nature of the process enabled the design of the Soliscape system and ensured a very clean and refined appearance without compromising on flexibility and performance.

The slender Soliscape profile is the structural base used to customise the desired configurations. Sophisticated spots and linear lighting can be arranged around acoustic panels (called Soli-Shhh panels). These sound absorbing panels can be applied to facilitate specific functions from acoustic to decorative. The ability to combine spots on the linear profiles, both with up and downlighting, enhances the sense of space and creates a uniform glow on both vertical and horizontal surfaces that reduces the contrast between the units and is relaxing for the eyes compared to busy or bulky sound buffering units paired with an assortment of luminaire fixtures. The Soli-Form profile is a combination of Delta Light’s Melanopic Light Technology (MLT) with high efficient louvre optics.

Also taking influence from nature, like Flexxica, The Leaf Lamp system designed by Green Furniture Concepts provides ambient lighting and acoustic solutions for a wide range of public interiors and effortlessly adds nature and a sense of calm into the space. Each lamp is a stand-alone “tree” of light that minimises sound from carrying and enhances the surroundings with diffuse light, soft textures and natural materials. The “leaves” are shades crafted from class A-certified sound absorbing and flameproof felt that has been designed to help balance acoustic levels. The lamps can provide focal points within large areas or form part of a route creating strategy in a public space. The trunk of the Leaf Lamp Tree unit is made of naturally pale birch wood and the felt leaves are available in a similar white or green (the standard option) or a wide variety of colours and mix options are also offered.

Their Leaf Lamp Link Trees allow for round tables and charging stations to be positioned on their trunk which is made out of cylindrical powder-coated steel. Leaf Lamp Pendants finish up the collection and make for eye-catching pieces that resemble bouquets of leaves suspended from the ceiling. The Leaf Lamp series changes the perspective of time spent in environments where people often wait around. Multiple lamps can be combined to create a series of statement-making lights or clustered together to create a canopy that radiates light.

Italian manufacturer Panzeri has 2 designs of sound-absorbing suspension luminaires in their range with integrated power supplies for dimming the light intensity through DALI or Push DIM protocol. Zig Zag, Arena Acoustic and Zero Round Acoustic (non-luminaire that can be grouped with Arena Acoustic for added sound absorption) are minimalist in their look and have adopted acoustic PET panels made from recycled plastic for sound absorption with a NRC 0.7 for all 3. Their Arena and Zero Round units are PET disk-shaped panels fitted inside slim aluminium circular frames that can be suspended at different heights from barely there wires to “float” above an area. The circular metal frames are available in white, black, titanium, bronze and mat brass finishes and the PET fabric panels inside are available in basalt or custom colours on request.

The Zig Zag is a larger and complete acoustic lighting unit that appears rectangular from its broadest side, but is actually corrugated across its height, which gives it an added interest factor. The Zig Zag can be installed with direct or indirect illumination and its outer steel frame painted in micaceous grey with the interior in a charcoal-coloured acoustic material as standard. Other colours including light grey, dark blue, emerald green and orange are available on request.

Acoustic lighting that is multifunctional in its design approach and function is in high demand. It is a sustainable solution for devising a harmonious ambience with pleasant illumination in an endless range of places where people meet, dine, work, rest, wait, learn, focus, heal and interact. They provide a quick-to-install and less expensive solution compared to building refurbishment and also allow the space to have a personality or overall pleasant feeling with a few additions. If you are looking for the latest acoustic lighting solutions that suit your unique specific needs, allow the team at Brink Licht to introduce you to them.