Meeting Room Acoustic Design Guide
Meeting rooms require controlled reverberation for clear face-to-face and video-conference communication. The small volume and hard glass partitions common in modern offices make them prone to excessi...
Requirements by Standard
The table below shows acoustic requirements for meeting room spaces across 8 applicable standards. Values are sourced from published standards documents.
| Standard | RT60 | Noise | STI | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UnitedBS 8233:2014 | ≤0.6s | LAeq,T 40 | — | Furnished, unoccupied |
| GermanyDIN 18041:2016 | ≤0.55s | dBA 35 | ≥0.6 | Furnished, unoccupied, Group A3 at 100 m³ |
| UnitedBB93:2015 | ≤1s | LAeq,30min 40 | — | Unoccupied, school office |
| InternationalWELL v2 Feature S01 (Sound) | ≤0.6s | NC 35 | ≥0.6 | Furnished, unoccupied |
| InternationalISO 3382-1:2009 | — | — | — | — |
| AustraliaNCC 2022 / AS/NZS 2107:2016 | ≤0.6s | LAeq 35 | — | Furnished, unoccupied |
| UnitedASHRAE 189.1-2020 | ≤0.6s | NC 35 | — | Per referenced ANSI S12.60 criteria |
| FranceNRA 2000 | ≤0.6s | dBA (NF S31-080) 35 | — | Per NF S31-080:2006 |
Recommended Acoustic Treatment
Material specifications for achieving compliance in a typical meeting room. All NRC values reference ISO 354:2003 test data.
| Surface | Material Category | Min NRC | Coverage % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceiling | Mineral fibre tiles | 0.85 | 80% |
| Rear wall | Fabric-wrapped panels | 0.85 | 50% |
| Side wall | Acoustic wall panels | 0.80 | 40% |
| Floor | Carpet tiles | 0.30 | 100% |
Browse the acoustic materials database for specific product absorption coefficients.
Common Design Mistakes
Glass walls without acoustic treatment
Full-height glass partitions in modern offices create meeting rooms with three or four highly reflective surfaces. A single-glazed meeting room can have RT60 of 1.0–1.2 seconds versus the 0.6s target. Acoustic film, micro-perforated glass, or compensating absorption on remaining surfaces is required.
Table surface reflections
Large conference tables create strong specular reflections between the table surface and ceiling, causing comb filtering effects audible on video calls. A high-NRC ceiling directly above the table is critical. Some designs use acoustic felt table mats for additional control.
AV system echo and feedback
Video conferencing systems with ceiling speakers and microphones in reverberant rooms suffer from acoustic echo. Rooms with RT60 above 0.6 seconds cause echo cancellation algorithms to struggle, resulting in dropped audio, feedback, and poor remote participant experience.
Insufficient sound insulation to corridor
Meeting room doors are the weakest element in the sound insulation envelope. Standard hollow-core doors achieve STC 20–25, far below the STC 35+ needed for speech privacy. Solid-core doors with perimeter seals and drop seals are essential.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What RT60 should a meeting room achieve?
Per BS 8233:2014 Table 4 and WELL v2 Feature 74 Part 1, meeting rooms should achieve RT60 ≤0.6 seconds, measured furnished and unoccupied. DIN 18041:2016 Table 1 Group A requires ≤0.5 seconds for small communication rooms under 100 m³. For rooms primarily used for video conferencing, targeting 0.4–0.5 seconds improves remote audio quality.
How do you treat a meeting room with glass walls?
Per WELL v2 Feature 74 guidance, meeting rooms with extensive glazing require compensating absorption on ceiling and non-glazed walls. The ceiling must achieve NRC ≥0.85 over at least 80% of its area. Non-glazed walls need fabric-wrapped panels covering 40–60% of their surface. Micro-perforated glass partitions (NRC 0.40–0.60) are an emerging solution that provides absorption while maintaining transparency.
What sound insulation is needed between meeting rooms?
Per BS 8233:2014 and ASTM E1130, standard meeting rooms require STC 45 (Rw 45 dB) to adjacent offices. Confidential meeting rooms need STC 50+. The partition must extend from structural slab to structural slab, not just to the suspended ceiling, to prevent flanking transmission through the ceiling plenum, which can reduce apparent STC by 10–15 points.
What background noise level should a meeting room achieve?
Per BS 8233:2014 Table 4, meeting rooms should achieve ≤35 dBA background noise. ASHRAE Handbook Chapter 49 recommends NC-25 to NC-30 for conference rooms. For rooms with video conferencing, targeting NC-25 (approximately 30 dBA) ensures microphone systems capture clear speech without HVAC interference.