If there is a need for separation between the manager and the employees in the office partitions and the manager wants to have eye contact with his employees but at the same time want to have a meeting in his room without being distracted, he can choose blinds to prevent eye contact.
Jalousie systems can be produced vertically or horizontally. Here, the ceiling height where the partition wall will be built determines the construction. In cases where the ceiling is very high (3.4-5 m), if the partition wall is not desired to go up to this height, plasterboard is lowered from the ceiling to a height of 2.4-2.8 m. However, this system may not be preferred in offices where heights of 2.4-2.6 m may be low and therefore cause a stuffy atmosphere.
For a better understanding; let’s simulate the installation of a partition wall system in an office with a very high ceiling.
Let’s consider a large space with high ceilings and multiple rooms next to each other forming a large office. Considering the location of the entrance, let’s assume that small offices are lined up side by side and opposite each other.
First of all, as a first step; ceiling height should be calculated together with the factors to be taken into consideration, especially heating and lighting expenses. When determining the ceiling height; in addition to heating, ventilation and lighting, office sound acoustics should also be taken into consideration.
Since there are structural elements such as ventilation channels, electrical lines (pans), fire and heating pipes on the ceiling, the selection of materials to be used in these areas is also very important. When structural elements are considered, it may be appropriate to place the ceiling in tiled (detachable) and solve it with rock wool or metal suspended ceiling coating.
By making lighting calculations appropriate to the size of the office, lighting fixtures and ventilation apparatus equivalent to tiles on the ceiling can be used (such as 60×60 cm).
When necessary, intervention hatches that open into the ceiling to reach the ceiling should also be considered. In order to prevent sound transmission between offices and to provide insulation, we have to raise the office walls to the ceiling with a 10 cm plasterboard sound barrier. Thus, let’s assume that we designed our office considering heat, sound, light and ventilation calculations.
In addition to these calculations, when arranging offices side by side and opposite each other, it is necessary to take into account the visual aesthetics in the corridor and the integrity contribution of the office partition walls to the space, taking into account the width of the corridors.
Offices next to each other should be arranged according to their degree of relationship with each other and with external visitors. For example, Purchasing and Accounting offices are generally more easily accessible, while technical offices and units such as R&D can be located further back. Meeting rooms can be located in more interior areas for meetings of internal units, while offices where general meetings with external guests and partners will be held should be located closer to exit areas.
We have outlined how we will divide the area, now it is time to choose the partition wall.
With the 10 cm wide system; meeting rooms, accounting, R&D and purchasing units can be designed as solid walls. We can think of other units as solid at the bottom, glazed in the middle, solid at the top and jalousie on the glazed parts.
The area that we have selected as solid 90 cm from the bottom can be double-glazed and have jalousie up to the door height (2.1 – 2.2 m). Then, we can determine the area up to the ceiling, which we have previously selected as 2.6-2.8 m, as solid and we can lay the spaces between the solid parts with 50 kg/m3 density stone wool board (in a way that prevents them from piling up over time) in an appropriate manner.
The selection of the glass to be used in the rest of the design is important. Generally, 6 mm + 6 mm tempered glass is used in double-glazed systems. As a result of the installation of blinds to be placed inside the glass, the offices facing each other and the corridor will have a smooth atmosphere, especially when the lights are on. Blinds can be preferred as manual or remote controlled.
After these stages, it is recommended to make an acoustic calculation that includes the entire system. If the acoustic calculation is made, it is possible to get rid of unnecessary thickness in the partition walls.
Finally, in double-glazed systems, the glass thicknesses may not be equal as a result of the calculation (such as 8 mm + 6 mm). In this case, glass selections can be made as 4 + 4, 5 + 5, 6 + 6 mm laminated glass, and the glass can be applied as tempered or ground. In cases where the same thickness is present, specially manufactured acoustic laminated glass can be used.