Lightweight Acoustic Partition Offers Flexibility for MATES in Construction

This hardwearing and affordable acoustic partition from Won-Door ensures easy visual and acoustic separation in the MATES office to allow for meetings and training sessions.

MATES in Construction is dedicated to reducing the number of lives lost to suicide in the construction industry by strengthening workplace communities with on-site training and professional support. They recently moved to a new open plan office in Penrose, and needed an acoustic solution that would allow them to use one end of the space as a training and meeting room.

It was important for the MATES team that the partition chosen would offer acoustic and visual separation to ensure privacy and minimise disruption to other areas of the office. It also needed to be durable to withstand use by staff largely working in construction. And with a rented space in an existing commercial building, affordability, and the ability to retrofit the system were also key. Won-Door’s DuraSound STC 43 operable accordion door perfectly met these criteria.

DuraSound is an aluminium accordion partition door which features a twin walled design, with an acoustic insulation blanket lining the interior of both walls, and a sound deadening air cavity in the centre. The system achieves an STC 43 acoustic rating — the same rating as a typical plasterboard interior wall. DuraSound has also been tested by BRANZ in accordance with ISO 9705:1993 and has a Group Number 2-S fire rating. The light weight of the aluminium assembly makes it ideal for retrofit applications such as the MATES office, where the top-hung design could be incorporated into the existing grid.

“Retrofitting a solution into an existing suspended ceiling grid can provide challenges. Typically, there are no beams or support structure directly above the path of the door where we need them to be which provides a design challenge that becomes unachievable on heavier systems,” explains Nick Askelund, Director, Won-Door. “Our DuraSound partition is very light — it weighs just 18kg per metre square — which allowed us to work with the builder to develop a simple recessed plywood header that connects into the existing ceiling grid and hangs via a threaded rod system from the existing steel beam structure running adjacent to the door’s path.”

Specified in Matt Gull Grey, the 8m wide accordion door was manufactured to measure at Won-Door’s Auckland facility, and then installed on site by the Won-Door team. With no floor track, the top-hung bi-parting door provides a subtle solution with no impeding sight lines or obstructions — stacking efficiently to each side of the room when not in use, and closing in seconds to separate the space when needed.

Having enjoyed their new office for over a year, the MATES team are pleased with the flexibility the DuraSound partition gives them. “The acoustic Won-Door model DuraSound has been an integral part of our office fit-out. The Won-Door has enabled us to enjoy the benefits of an open plan office environment while also having the flexibility to quickly transform one end of the office into a dedicated Training and Meeting Room,” says Jacqui Swan, MATES in Construction New Zealand. “It is easy to operate, and we can slide the partition across the 8m wide room in seconds.”

“The acoustic performance of the accordion door has significantly contributed to the overall functionality of our office space, enabling us to maximise our floor plan design,” she continues. “Additionally, we are impressed with the sleek appearance of the Matt Gull Grey colour, and the efficient stacking of the door when in the closed position. The team at Won-Door were awesome to work with from the time we briefed them on our requirements, through to install.”

Won-Door has installed over 5,000 acoustic partition doors in offices, schools and other buildings where acoustic separation and flexibility are crucial — including in large spaces with doors up to 25m in width. Get in touch with Won-Door to learn how their accordion folding partitions can help you bring acoustic control to your next project.