Category: 2024 Blogs

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2024 Blogs

Mid Height Workplace Division

Wave top acoustic screens

Adding dividers into the office and workplace doesn’t have to be a full floor to ceiling fixture. Smaller and mid height screens can be just as effective whilst giving just the right amount of coverage.

1.5m and 1.6m high are mid height screens you didn’t know you needed. At this height, privacy, noise control and visibility aspects are addressed, and will of course, amplify office design.

Why choose a smaller, mid height office panel?

Privacy

As a floor standing design, there’s still of privacy to be gained from a small height option. In a seated position, a 1.5m high screen will cover open floorspaces and individual desk spaces. It won’t be possible to see those around you, yet they are within reach.

In a standing position, you’ll have full access to the rest of the office, where you’ll have the open space in your eye line. This can be effective when quiet and privacy is needed to work, but is also handy when you need to find a point of contact or converse with colleagues.

Noise control

At Rap Industries we have a large collection of screens and finishes which are tailored to varying room types and requirements. Finishes range from printed, loop nylon, laminate and acoustic foam.

If noise levels are a concern and you’ve noticed a decrease in activity, it could be due to the surrounding volumes. Every workplace will have distractions, but the way you deal with them is key. The acoustic foam within the acoustic panels is designed for these types of issues. Acoustic foam and fabric are the ideal pairing as a noise absorbing solution, thus making the environment quieter, comfortable and professional.

Visibility

As we’ve touched on, the privacy and the visibility go hand in hand.

With a mid height room divider, visibility is lost when in a seated position. But this can be easily rectified as when walking across the space or standing up, the full office will come into view.

It’s the ideal height to achieve a closed workstation with an open feel.

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What makes a good classroom Divider?

Classroom with a white gloss laminate portable room divider

Classrooms and educational settings are often large and with an open plan layout. Whilst this is great during lessons,  there are instances when a smaller space is better for study groups, parent evenings and the general need for more work spaces.

As the screens are around students of all ages, the stability of the panels is important. The chosen divider should be ideal for light to medium traffic with addition support where needed. It’s important to make sure the screens are safe even when monitoring isn’t in place.

The style and finish also play a part and will be chosen based on the need and placement.

Offering acoustic, loop nylon, print, anti-bacterial and easy clean panel finishes to enhance the space for teachers and students alike.

For early learning spaces the divider can be less about the space and more what it can bring. With a selection of bold fabrics and prints that are educational, the panels can be used as a learning tool whilst make better use of the floor space.

Make a bold choice and rather than a single fabric colour, opt for a patterned fabric complete with dinosaurs, numbers and other bold prints to drawer the eye and cause intrigue. From a functionality point of view, the acoustic foam and soft touch fabric will help with loud noise too!

If changes to the area are regular, a portable solution is best suited. Each panel is fitted with castor wheels to support the transition from space to space. Use a temporary option and move the concertina panels in and out of the space as the need occurs.

Classroom with white gloss laminate room dividers

White gloss laminate classroom dividers are easy to clean with anti-bacterial cleaners and wipes, so keeping the space clean and sterile is possible. However, the main interest could be the dry wipe finish, so whilst dividing space, the panels act as a whiteboard to assist during teaching sessions.

Other materials such as the loop nylon bring another purpose to school screens too. Loop nylon is Velcro friendly and will effectively hold lightweight displays and printed posters. For a more customized finish, use the double sided panels to display educational print using pre-designed templates or creating a fully bespoke design of your own.

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2024 Blogs

Acoustics On The Move!

Portable acoustic room divider

Traditionally, portable screens have a solid build. Due to being portable and concertina, the flat solid panels make it possible to fold the panels together into their compact form. For this reason, acoustic room dividers haven’t been an option as the acoustic foam makes the panels thicker, therefore unable to fold comfortably.

However, we’ve got acoustic screens on the move and this is how we’ve achieved the portable acoustic solutions. Generally, each screen comes supplied with a set of stability feet, complete with a profiled shape for safety purposes. It’s as simple changing of the static feet for the lockable castors that give the acoustic divide the portability it deserves.

With a simple change of feet, the acoustic screens can be moved between open plan areas and used in the loudest spaces to make the biggest impact. As Rap Industries specialize in acoustic partitions, the screen designs are high quality, available to all budgets and effective at reducing noise.

Portable acoustic office screens.

Can I change the panel back to a static screen?

If the portable feature is no longer needed, it’s possible to switch the castor wheels for a pair of stability feet.  The stability feet have a raised profile, making them trip and wheelchair friendly and suitable for all open spaces.

Can the acoustic panels be connected?

It’s possible yes, but this is also determined by the chosen partition and the design of that range. Our linking office screens can be linked even when on castor wheels, but must be unlinked when on the move.

Our other screen ranges are a non linking design, so this feature isn’t available. However, this won’t reduce the number of possible configurations.

How easy is movement?

With high quality castor wheels, all of the acoustic screens are easy to move, regardless of weight.

The wheels make easy work of relocating the screens and repositioning the acoustic properties into spaces with loud volumes. Once in place, activate the lock for a solid divide.

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What is the best desk screen height?

Acoustic desk screens

In addition to freestanding screens, we also offer a wide selection of desk screens. Our collection of desk screens differ in size, placement and how they attach into place. As the name suggests the partition is designed for the desk rather than sitting on the floor. Opting for a desk solution is a guaranteed way to keep the floor open and only requires the surface of the desk you’d like to divide.

Possible fixing points are the back and sides of the workspace, and will provide varying levels of division, shielding or acoustic support.

To have the best effect on the open space, the right height should be selected. Offering heights of 400, 500 and 600mm, there’s a height option to suit the requirement. To find the best height, we suggest measuring from the top of your desk until you find a comfortable option.

Acoustic desk divider fitted to the back of the desk with easy fix clamps.

The 400mm is the lowest of the 3 options and whilst provides cover, is also easier to see over. Suitable for light noise control and for those who work collaboratively or need to be able to communicate easily with those around you. However, you will gain a nice amount of privacy whilst your working.

Next, the mid height of 500mm. Providing 100mm extra, but making a bigger difference on the amount of visibility in and outside of the desk space. Adding more height can help with the effectiveness of the acoustics, this is due to how noise is captured into the partitions. Acoustic foam and fabric are paired to absorb sound and sitting at 500mm will effectively do just that.

Finally, a 600mm height supplies the highest levels of noise control and privacy. Ideal for those who work individually and require little noise for higher concentration levels. Implementing a 600mm acoustic desk partition to the back and both sides will create a small, individual desk pod. As visibility is restricted, it’ll produce a comfortable working environment.

Shop our desk screens by height for the perfect fit!

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Decorating an Office Space

Vision office screens, acrylic and fabric combination

Office screens are brought as part of the office design and are often based on functionality over appearance. Whilst controlling noise or dividing an open plan area is important, the style of panel should be right for the environment too.

Decorative office panels take use and looks into consideration – it’s possible to have both. Rap Industries continue to evolve as office needs change old fashioned styles into modern designs. Office screens can be decorative from the colour fabric, the shape of the screen and even with patterned fabric.

How can we help make your space more attractive?

Offering a fabric like no other, the Delta Velvet has discarded plain fabrics and includes a patterned fabric. The patterns include animals and numbers for children right through to geometric shapes and corporate colours to cover a vast number of environments.

Alternatively, if you’d like to add your own patterns, the Morton Vision collection combines acrylic and acoustic panels. On the acrylic section we’ll print any logo, font or image to represent your business. The combination of soft and hard fabrics ensure noise can be absorbed in one section and visibility into a department it still possible.

To get the right balance in the workplace between decorative and professional can be difficult, but with more panel designs available than ever before, you have a fantastic choice. Decorate an office space, work area or meeting room to add personality and colour.

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How to divide a room with temporary room dividers

Temporary folding room divider with light grey fabric

Dividing a room can revitalize unused space or make a space multi functional. It’s often thought that division into offices are built in and are very much permanent. Whilst that’s possible, there are other approaches to divide space on either a semi permanent or temporary basis.

When it comes to dividing space on a temporary basis, the chosen screens or room divider should be mobile. The addition of wheels and castor feet show no restriction for portability and can be moved as frequently as required. Incorporating a versatile screen maximises an open space and allows you reinvent your office for the better.

How the room is dividing is completely down to you but the different styles determine the set up and should help you choose which style is best for usability and the available space.

Our free standing office screens used to be a static solution, but with a small tweak of castor wheels are now portable too! Opening avenues of portable acoustic, laminate, printed and acrylic screening. The number of finishes broadens how and where our screen ranges can be placed.

As the floor standing panels are purchased singularly, multiple panels should be connected to create the width of choice. We’ll make sure you have what you need to connect the panels and create the portable, temporary wall required.

Portable concertina screen with light grey fabric

To make the temporary solutions as simple as possible, concertina screens are an effective way to divide a room into multiple areas. The concertina name comes from the way the panels fold together and proves a useful tool as a part time solution.

Using the foldable screen requires unfolding the panels, moving in to a shape or straight line and you’re new space has been partitioned.

The folding mechanism of the room divider is part of the attraction. Instead of moving a full sized screen, each panels fold with the next to create a compact unit. The ease of folding, moving and storing is second to none.

Due to the light weight design, the portable dividers are ideal in an emergency too. Simple grab the screens and unfold for privacy and shielding. Temporary office dividers only need to make an appearance when in use. The remainder of the time can be spent in storage and out of sight. There’s no reason for the screens to become an unused part of an office design.

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How can office screens assist a call centre?

3 part acoustic office screens
3 Part Acoustic office Screen

A call centre environment is constantly busy. With hundreds of inbound and outbound calls everyday the busy space can turn into a noisy one. When there are many conversations happening at once, it’s not a surprise that noise is a call centre complaint.

But noise doesn’t have to take over the office as there are plenty of preventative measures to put into place. Absorbent fabrics and acoustic foams are a proven way to reduce noise. Whilst it won’t remove all traces of noise, it’ll make a big enough impact to improve the working environment.

Open plan call centres carry the most noise and this is due to the open space. Without soft furnishings or breaks in the space, the noise will continue to travel and bounce from one hard surface to another. An example of how soft furnishing can make a difference, is by thinking of a completely empty room in the house and how echoes are apparent. But once you have carpet, curtains etc, the echoes reduce or are completely eliminated and the room feels warmer. The same can be applied to a workplace environment.

Separating the office and creating usable floor space is how acoustic office screens become a useful component. For design, noise and separation purposes, office screens are available in a wide selection of sizes, styles and colour choices.

To get the best out of an acoustic partition, it’s best to place multiple panels throughout the open space, and in direct contact with the loudest areas. Common partition placements are between large open areas, which take the space from completely open to a smaller more targeted work areas.

Other options include applying acoustic properties to a desk with a desk divider. The easy to install desk screens fix into place with an easy fix clamps and fit to the back of a desk rather than sitting on the floor. A once open desk space has the potential to be an individual work space that has privacy and divisions to help concentration.

Other types of office screens are suitable for a call centre too. Once the noise levels have been taken care of, you’re able to look at privacy areas, design features and multi-use panels that are great for meetings and training.

Laminate, printed and acrylic office panels are other materials that can enhance an office setting and change how space can be used.

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What makes a Premium Acoustic Office Screen?

Premium office screen with acoustic foam and beige fabric

We believe there should be an acoustic office choice for all office sizes and budgets, which is why we offer solutions from a budget to premium price point. All designs are functional and effective and have the potential to make a positive impact on your space.

One of the noticeable differences between the cost effective and premium acoustic office screens is the price, but what else makes an acoustic office screen premium?

Our range of premium partitions include designs from the Nova and Delta ranges. In particular, the Delta collection offer screen shapes and finishes like no other on the market, and give you the opportunity to make a unique office design choice.

We’ve modernized the original office partition by taking sharper edges and straight lines, and converted them into curved edges, smooth curves and the option to add a new and exciting element to the workplace. From wave top, curves and cloud shapes, there are plenty of ways to create a bespoke layout for your new office screening.

The Nova is one of the newest designs and has a feature that doesn’t appear on any other screen produced by Rap Industries. The main goal of introducing acoustic partitions into the workplace is to absorb sound and reduce noise levels – this is where the Nova partition thrives.

In addition to the 24mm acoustic foam, the Nova Deluxe panels are upholstered with an acoustic fabric. Our acoustic fabric is made with 100% wool and is yet another barrier put in place to reduce workplace distractions.

Within the Delta designs, if the boldness of the cloud shape isn’t enough then the velvet fabric is sure to make an impression. A soft touch fabric that feels just like velvet. The velvet fabric includes types of patterns that work in many different environments. Vibrant numbers, multi colour dinosaurs and geometric patterns are just to name a few. We have patterns to fit within schools for early learners and more corporate environments like offices and receptions areas.

In conclusion what makes an office screen premium is the acoustic foam thickness, the fabric choices and the wide variety of styles to modernize a work environment.

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Bi-Folding Room Dividers

Printed 3 panel portable room divider

Bi-folding room dividers offer a versatile solution for dividing and sectioning a room with ease. Also known as concertina screens, these dividers can fold in various ways, allowing for different placements and uses within the chosen area. Equipped with sturdy hinges and castor wheels, these screens can be easily moved around, even if the panels are light or heavy weight. The addition of castor wheels is particularly beneficial when the dividers will be moved by a single person or if they are regularly relocated.

The design of a folding room divider allows for multiple configurations, which can be achieved by angling and positioning the panels correctly. Whether you need a straight form or a U shape, the bi-folding panels are flexible enough to provide the desired coverage. To ensure the right coverage for your space, the number of panels and their height are crucial factors. These dividers can cover small to large open spaces, with heights reaching up to 2m for maximum impact.

At Rap Industries, we understand that personalizing your space is important. That’s why we offer a wide selection of finishes to suit any environment. As part of our bi-folding or concertina room divider range, you have access to printed, loop nylon, laminate, and fabric finishes.

The most expressive choice is the printed panel finish, which allows you to add bespoke artwork designed by you. With double-sided printing, you can incorporate bold and eye-catching images and fonts to create a unique feature in your workplace.

Loop nylon is another fabric option that enhances the versatility of portable room dividers. Commonly used on display boards, loop nylon has a Velcro-friendly finish, allowing you to create a small display or notice area in addition to providing privacy.

If you need a whiteboard surface, our high-pressure laminate (HPL) finish with a white gloss is the perfect choice. This finish accepts dry wipe pens, making the divider suitable for use in meetings, training sessions, and brainstorming sessions. You can utilize the divider as both a separator and a whiteboard, maximizing its functionality.

The woven finish is utilized by adding a layer of fabric over the solid panels, aiming to introduce vibrant colors into the chosen area.

Choose Rap Industries for your bi-folding room divider needs and enjoy the flexibility, versatility, and customization options we offer.

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2024 Blogs

Winter in the Workplace

Acrylic freestanding office screens

Winter in the workplace can be a difficult time of the year with disagreements on the office temperature and with the amount of colds in circulation. However, it’s a time of year we can prepare for to ensure the majority are happy and healthy.

It’ll come as no surprise as it happens every year, but as the temperature drops and the seasons change the number of colds increase, therefore causing most of the office to get ill. During COVID-19, whilst it was an unusual time and came with long term changes, some of the implementations are just as useful for the winter of 2024.

One of the main messages was to reduce contact with people and wash your hands as much as possible. Even without COVID-19 hanging over us, it’s possible to implement these actions when others are getting ill or COVID is on the rise.

To help with reducing contact, dust off those social distancing screens and arrange them in the office. Making use of existing furniture is both cost effective and efficient and ensures you have the right tools to hand.

The best type of screens to use as protective screens are those with an acrylic or laminate finish. Both materials are easy to clean, yet provide the space with a different look and functionality.
Acrylic goes almost undetected with a slim and clear appearance yet laminate gives a fresh, white finish whilst bringing other benefits to the table.

Looking to reduce contact and create a notice board? The laminate dividers accept dry wipe pens and provide a whiteboard feature.

Along with the use of existing screens, smaller changes can be made too. Such as bringing back hand sanitisers and keeping a steady flow of air throughout the office. Hand sanitisers are inexpensive and can be positioned in spaces that get the busiest, such as a lunchroom or meeting pod. Combining protective screening, sanitisers and increased air flow takes a proactive approach to keeping the office healthier this winter.


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