A Buyers Guide to Office Screens

Office Screens are usually used to provide privacy and a better working environment in an open plan office. They are cheaper and much more flexible than building partition walls and do not normally need the permission of the owner of the building. Modern office screens come in a very wide range of materials and formats, so you are advised to carry out some research before making a commitment. Some screens come in standard sizes and finishes and are stocked by suppliers, so they can often be purchased and installed in a matter of days, while others are made to order. These usually take a few weeks, but they can be tailored to your individual requirements, for example if you have specific requirements for colours and finishes.

There are two basic types of office screens:

 

1)Floor Standing Screens

 

These are often used in long runs to provide corridors and separations, for example between departments or workgroups. They are usually constructed from metal or wooden frames, with a wood insert. They are usually then covered in fabric, sometimes with a foam layer to absorb some of the office noise. They can be obtained in a wide range of fabrics to match or contrast with chairs, carpets etc or the existing office furniture. Sometimes they have additional fittings to enable shelves, flipper boxes etc to be attached.
In some cases, the screens form the basis of desk systems, so that desktops and other work surfaces are hung from the frames themselves. A good example of this system is the Screen 4 range from Screens at Work. An extension of this is the Screen 5 system, also from Screens at Work which also provide the walls for a modular office.
Finally, there are acrylic or similar floor standing screens which can be used in canteens, for example to screen off serving areas etc.

 

2)Desktop Screens

 

Desktop screens can be fixed to the back and/or sides of a normal office desk for a number of reasons.
They can provide separation of work areas between desks or when bench desks are used, for example in call centres.
They can be used to hang toolbars and toolrails, so that equipment like flat screen monitors, telephones etc can be fixed to the tool rail, de-cluttering the work surface.
Special acoustic screens can be used to reduce noise interference, especially in call centres - see note on acoustic screens, below.
Desktop screens can be obtained in acrylic, wood or fabric finishes. 
You are strongly advised to take advice from an office furniture specialist before buying desktop screens because of the many different fixing systems available to suit specific desk styles, shapes and sizes.

 

A Note on Acoustic Screens

'Hard' screens, for example metal, wood or acrylic, will often make office acoustics worse because the noise will bounce off the hard surfaces. Soft screens, for example fabric covered, even with standard foam, will avoid the problem of sound reverberation, but will not absorb much noise. There are special acoustic foams which will absorb noise to a considerable degree but these tend to be very expensive. If an office has a particular noise problem, it can be worthwhile to employ an acoustic engineer who will be properly equipped to investigate the problem and propose a solution.