The project of silence
Location: Padova
Area: 510 mq
Client: Private
Project time: 2025
In the city of Padova, the FAD architecture firm faced—and overcame—a complex and timely challenge: designing an acoustically comfortable work environment within a glass tower intended to house large open spaces.
In such contexts, the problem is obvious: glass is a highly acoustically reflective material. Sound waves bounce off its hard, smooth surfaces, generating the classic reverberation effect, which makes concentration difficult and reduces the quality of the acoustic environment. When dozens of people work in the same space without effective physical barriers, background noise amplifies, turning constant chatter into a true enemy of productivity.
A project driven by acoustic comfort
From the earliest design stages, we at FAD Studio, in collaboration with acoustic experts, identified a guiding principle: acoustic correction of the spaces through the targeted use of sound-absorbing materials. Every design choice was aimed at fragmenting and absorbing sound waves.
- Interface carpet flooring: Instead of opting for traditional surfaces like stoneware or parquet, we chose a technical carpet. Its soft, porous structure effectively absorbs sound, reducing transmission and improving acoustic comfort from the very first stage of the project.
- Fabric partitions: The workstations are separated by sound-absorbing fabric panels. Not only do they visually characterize the space, but they also act as effective sound filters between workstations.
- High-performance suspended ceilings: We used plasterboard suspended ceilings with high sound absorption characteristics, capable of neutralizing vertical sound reflections.
- Stabilized greenery on walls: in addition to its aesthetic and bioclimatic value, the stabilized greenery provided by Verde Profilo contributes to the diffuse absorption of sound on the walls, enriching the environment with acoustically active natural surfaces
Sound Masking: Technology at the Service of Silence
A distinctive and technologically advanced element of the project was the inclusion of a sound masking system. This technology introduces a light background noise tuned to the same frequencies as human speech, making it less intelligible and therefore less distracting.
This system:
- Increases speech privacy;
- Reduces involuntary overhearing of conversations;
- Improves concentration and a sense of subjective comfort.
The result
Through a synergy of materials, technologies, and design solutions, we managed to transform a glass-enclosed open space—by its very nature acoustically unfavorable—into an efficient, quiet, welcoming, and productive work environment. A project that demonstrates how design is not just about aesthetics, but also about caring for the quality of life and work.