For this to be effective, its conferencing approach requires a realistic virtual presence between participants. Room acoustics and speech intelligibility are fundamental components in making video conferencing successful.

Consisting of lowered ceilings, a polished concrete floor and large windows, Vend's meeting room presents itself as an aesthetically pleasing space, but also provides high acoustic reflectance. This caused conference calls across Vend’s multiple locations to be difficult as voice clarity was compromised.

Voice clarity was also greatly affected when larger meetings were required and the partitioning dividers were opened up, allowing noise and echo from the open plan office to flood into the meeting room.

Turning to Autex was an obvious choice for Material Creative’s Toni Brando. Having a relationship since 2010, Autex has become Material Creative’s number one choice for advice, design and manufacturing interior acoustics. Toni’s brief was for a solution that was visually outside the norm but complemented Vend’s vibrant interior design, was affordable and most importantly minimised reverberation.

Made from 100% recyclable polyester and achieving a phenomenal minimum NRC rating of 1.3, Autex’s Trapezium Lattice was an ideal solution to this project. With an exceedingly high level of sound absorption, the Lattice in the right conditions can greatly reduce the reverberation at a standard talking level of 250Hz. Following advice from Autex, four of the 2.4m long Lattices were suspended in Vend’s meeting room to achieve the best outcome.

Due to the unique stepped ceiling design in Vend’s meeting room, careful consideration was taken to ensure the Lattice was fixed correctly. With vast experience in acoustic installations, NomadTika were able to complement the existing lighting and ceiling design. Placing the Trapezium Lattice so the downlights shone through the Lattice fins resulted in an aesthetically pleasing feature that adds to the vibrant Vend appearance.

When asked about the Lattice, Vend’s People and Culture Administrator Jordyn Riley said, “It looks beautiful, and extra awesome”, making it a perfect fit within Vend’s branding and company culture. But most importantly, since installing the Lattice, Vend have enjoyed the benefits of having absolutely no echo in their meeting room, resulting in happier staff and productive phone conferences.

Available in three creative designs, the suspended acoustic absorbing Lattice is ideal for reducing reverberated noise and controlling the echo of background chatter, and is the perfect solution to redefine any environment.