Braemer Shipping

  • RBA Client:Apres Systems Ltd
  • Contractor:Apres Systems Ltd
  • Architect:Essentia Design Ltd
  • Project Value:£140,000
  • Start Date:August 2007
  • Completion Date:December 2007

Braemar Seascope Shipping is one of the largest chartering, sale and ship broking companies in the world. Their London offices, located in a converted church, were the cause of  complaint from the company's brokers with regard to speech intelligibility as they needed to be able to communicate well with each other to discuss sales. In addition, other users of the office space had complained about the noise created by the brokers.

The project architects, Essentia Design, approached RBA Acoustics to assist in the measurements of speech intelligibility and assessment of various options to improve the working environment.

RBA visited site to measure the reverberation times around the broker desk area. Whilst on site a temporary reflective panel was suspended above the broker’s desk area and the measurements repeated.  A reduction in the localised RTs was realised due to the suspended reflective panel.  Subjectively the brokers found the panel helped in terms of improving speech intelligibility across the broker’s desk and the other users of the office space found that, as a result, the noise transfer was reduced.

RBA Acoustics used room acoustics modelling software to model various options for remedial works, including the installation of additional absorptive material to the columns and underside of the balconies and to the suspended reflective panel.

The design of the suspended reflective panel provided its own challenges.  The panel needed to be flat on the underside to avoid the unwanted focussing of noise and transparent to allow natural light to the broker’s desk and areas under the balcony. The panel also needed to be maintainable in terms of cleaning and the whole system needed to be suspended in a fashion that fitted the internal aesthetics of the space.

RBA Acoustics’ measurements, modelling and advice fed in to the design of this complicated piece of engineering.  The end product was a glass roofed metal frame that sat over the broker’s desk.  Lighting was incorporated in to the supporting columns and televisions were hung at either end to show stock prices to the brokers.  All users of the office space were very happy with the outcome.