room-in-room system - vetroCUBE

Modern office space planning is characterized by one insight: employees need to work in teams and communicate regularly. Today, the permanent availability of colleagues is a matter of course. Systems such as Skype and similar communication channels enable employees to be "always on". However, a study shows the limits. A large-scale test with 600 small teams provided the proof. Scientists asked the test subjects to solve tasks in three different scenarios. Scenario 1: the people had no contact with each other. Scenario 2: the test subjects had contact after each round and were able to exchange their knowledge. Scenario 3: the test subjects had contact after every THIRD round and were able to discuss results and solutions. The scientists expected that scenario 2, i.e. constant communication, would lead to the best results. No, this expectation was not confirmed! The best results were achieved by colleagues who worked according to scenario 3, i.e. alternating between communication and concentration. Communication and concentration at intervals optimize the results. Low performers as well as high performers work together more effectively if they have sufficient time to reflect on solutions and results in a concentrated manner in addition to the communicative phases.

Source: Ethan Bernstein et al: "How Intermittent Breaks in Interaction Improve Collective Intelligence", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 2018.

Let's talk about open office spaces. Communication is not neglected here, you might think. But can it take place without disturbing colleagues? Here it becomes clear that retreat areas are very important. Room-in-room systems are a suitable tool. Retrofittable in existing buildings, in direct proximity to the workplace, clearly visible, easy to see, soundproof and usable without complex booking procedures, the room-in-room units offer the necessary retreat areas for teamwork, conferences, telephony or simply maximum concentration. The systems are also designed for flexibility and are easy to relocate. Synergy effect: conference rooms on the façade can be dissolved. The 1A space on the façade is therefore fully available for workstations. This sustainably optimizes the space ratios.

As a rule, the room-in-room system provides sufficient sound insulation at 37 dB to offer communicative colleagues privacy. Colleagues concentrating on their work at neighboring workstations are not disturbed and do not overhear the conversations in the vetroCUBE. However, if very sensitive topics are involved and the retreat room is also located in a very quiet environment, the room-in-room system can be designed in the 40 dB version. The glazing is then 16 mm laminated safety glass panes. Solid walls and ceiling elements are optimized accordingly.

vetroCUBE is a room-in-room solution that can be set up independently of the building structure in the immediate vicinity of the workstations. Often referred to as a think tank, the room-in-room system is the basis for sustainable. Optimization of room acoustics in large office spaces. This self-supporting room system offers free-standing retreats for concentrated individual work or for communicative teamwork and is therefore, conversely, an acoustic solution for sound insulation in open-plan offices. The conventional acoustic treatment of open-plan offices through measures to reduce the reverberation time alone is not effective. It is important to effectively contain the direct propagation of sound. Disturbing noises or conversations must be excluded from the open office space. This improves room acoustics and sound insulation in equal measure.

It is not connected to the ceiling or the façade. It is independent of the building and can be changed at any time. The system creates space for meetings without taking up space on the façade, which is so valuable for workstations.

With sound insulation of 37 dB or alternatively 40 dB, vetroCUBE offers ad hoc usable and acoustically decoupled retreats in direct proximity to the open workstations. The user thus benefits from the advantages of an open workspace without sacrificing confidentiality and privacy.

In addition to good sound insulation on the outside, the room-in-room construction also has good acoustics on the inside. In addition to the highly sound-absorbing ceiling element (A-Class absorber), we offer high-performance A-Class wall absorbers. The think tank improves the efficiency of the open space and further develops the room program. The result is a high-quality, open working environment based on modern principles (alternating teamwork, individual work, space for different age groups). The room-in-room system makes use of the "no go" area for workstations in the depth of the room. User performance increases noticeably through the use of these room solutions. Today, the employee withdraws from the busy open-plan office to find a quiet environment for particularly concentrated work. Tomorrow, he will meet with colleagues in the think tank to make progress on a project in lively group work. In both cases, the good acoustics of the think tank and the high level of soundproofing are the basis for success.

Since mid-2022, we have had a glossy glass sliding door for the room-in-room system in our range in addition to the all-glass double door. The sliding door is a solution for particularly tight spaces. There is no need to provide the functional area of the door, so that even the central zone of very narrow buildings can be fitted with the room-in-room system. The good sound insulation is surprising. After all, the sliding door achieves 34 dB. Compared to the system with a hinged door (37 dB), this is only a reduction of 3 dB.