Acoustics for working environments

Kotahi Logistics has grown rapidly and has enabled local business growth by providing logistics and product access to over 60 countries. Kotahi now services a third of containers leaving New Zealand, a trade worth over $40 billion annually.

 

With a growing business, Kotahi Logistics needed a new space to accommodate a growing work-force without compromising quality.

 

When Steve Cooper, Kotahi CFO, and Christine Lyall, Learning and Development Consultant, set out to transform their new office space into a unique working environment, they enlisted the help of Unispace associate Rosie Taylor.

 

Kotahi had outgrown its previous office, but had come to love the high studs of the old heritage building. Cooper and Lyall wanted to emulate that spaciousness in their new building. With an expanding workforce and open plan style of working, tailored acoustics was also a priority. Taylor needed a product that could impress visually and perform acoustically without using too much space.

Rosie Taylor’s designs were influenced by the company’s core business of worldwide freight logistics. Her design scheme used freight and ocean-inspired materials and imagery to reflect Kotahi’s story.

 

Taylor reinforced the Kotahi brand by infusing the brand colours through the design scheme; orange, black, muted green, and blue were used throughout the fit out. “We wanted products that could be customised to reflect Kotahi’s story whilst still having great aesthetics and functionality”, says Taylor.

 

Autex Account Manager Anton Agnew and Senior Designer Jonathan Mountfort worked closely with Taylor from the project start to completion, helping to bring her creative vision to fruition.

 

The entrance area is a focal point and gives strong reference to the global reach of Kotahi. “We customised a stacked shipping container-inspired wall using Quietspace Panels overlaid with Etch fabric that allowed design flexibility and acoustic benefits for noise reduction, whilst being a bold statement and a talking point the client loves,” the designer explains.

This project was one of Autex’s first completely customised designs using Etch™.  Agnew and Mountfort were excited by Taylor’s vision, using the new technology to print a photo as a shadow detail on the fabric. “We were confident we could make this work right from the start, and with some work behind the scenes scaling the image and enhancing some of the details to ensure the result was clean and crisp, we were able to take Rosie’s vision and create something really great that we’re all super proud of – and the client loves”, says Mountfort.

Kotahi’s shipping container wall adds character and strong branding, but also helps reduce noise reflection in the busy entrance area that has a multitude of hard surface finishes, including polished concrete flooring. The clever use of the high-performing Quietspace® Panel overlaid with Etch decorative fabric has allowed for comfortable interaction at the business front.

 

Shanelle Sanson, Office Manager at Kotahi, says they were mindful of being a growing company and didn’t want increased staff numbers to mean increased noise. “There’s nothing worse than 80 or so people talking and getting louder and louder,” she said.

 

Quietspace® 3D Ceiling Tiles

Autex’s Quietspace® 3D Ceiling Tiles were used to help define breakout areas and absorb a combination of high speech frequencies and background noise, like HVAC systems, in the new open-plan spaces. The targeted application of the Quietspace 3D Ceiling Tiles creates distinct acoustic working zones that promote efficiency and proactive staff collaboration.

 

Entrance wall features 25mm Quietspace® Panels, installed with a 20mm negative detail, overlaid with custom designed Etch™ images of stacked shipping container doors. Colours used are; Vintage, Sage, Octane and Stonewash.

 

The suspended ceiling features S-5.26 Quietspace® 3D Ceiling Tiles in Civic, Silver and Brilliant Orange. In the open-plan breakout area and staff café, these tiles were placed into an existing ceiling grid suspended from the exposed concrete slab.

 

Cube™ panels

Meeting rooms were fitted with Cube™ panels, which provide great acoustic absorption and allow for a distinctive look in each location. The panels will also be used as “acoustic pin boards” – further adding to the product functionality and aesthetic.

 

Etch

Etch is an exciting new addition to the Autex offering. Agnew explains that Etch fills a unique, unoccupied niche in the marketplace. “Created using cutting edge laser technology, Etch is a visual layer of artistic expression; a wall fabric combining design, colour and texture”.

 

“We are really excited to introduce Etch to the market, and this project really highlights how creative design can come alive in an acoustic product” says Agnew. “From subtle branding to bold design statements; we can do it”

 

Etch is available in a pallet of 30 colours and 15 standard patterns or can be “Etched” to any custom design. Autex can take your design or work collaboratively with you to create something unique.

 

Etch is best suited for overlaying with an Autex acoustic backing to provide a customised acoustic solution. Etch is a decorative, functional, and durable interior wall fabric suitable for commercial offices, theatres, libraries, retail, hospitality, and education spaces.

 

With Etch, Taylor could create a stunning design, customised for company brand, working style and acoustic requirements.

 

Meeting rooms feature two custom Etch™ designs, Cairo and Paris, overlaid on 12mm Cube™. Colours used; Azure Paris, Azure Cairo, Jade Paris, Jade Cairo, Charcoal Paris, and Charcoal Cairo.

 

Taylor says her client “loves their new space and way of working, which is the project’s biggest success”.