Mary Brewer established Brewer Insurance Information Services (BIIS) in 1981 after recognizing that interested individuals in South Carolina needed a resource for learning about the industry. BIIS has six locations throughout South Carolina and is headquartered within the Dutch Center in Columbia, a busy shopping center with commercial office space.
BIIS’ office suite features presentation space, open workstations, and private offices, separated by modular walls built up to the acoustical tile ceiling. Both employees and students have mentioned being distracted by overheard conversations from adjoining spaces such as the surrounding offices and retail outlets.
SOLUTION
Due to the variety of spaces within BIIS, a multi-zone sound masking solution was needed to meet the acoustic requirements. Additionally, staff needed the ability to access the sound masking settings easily to adjust levels during presentations and events.
A Qt® 600 sound masking system was installed in the suite with emitters placed in the acoustic ceiling tiles throughout. The system was mounted in the BIIS server equipment rack and connected to the school’s local area network.
CONCLUSION
“[The Qt 600] has solved our problem,” says Frank Seeby, Facility Manager at BIIS. Employees have reported a quieter and more productive workspace. As Mr. Seeby explains, “The various levels of masking in each area are very beneficial. The end result is the noise that was bleeding from room to room is now almost completely unnoticeable. Any voices that do make it into the room are unrecognizable as they are very faint.”
The Qt 600 sound masking system is easily controlled using the system’s monitoring and control software should the BIIS team need to adjust settings for presentations and events. “The software is easy to use and helps us adjust the masking level easily for presentations,” Mr. Seeby said.
