We spend a lot of time on this blog discussing how our modular wall systems are particularly well-suited to healthcare construction and renovation projects. Although we’re obviously proud of the fact that our ICRA-compliant RealWall™, LiteBarrier™ and FireblockWall™ reusable temporary containment protects patients, caregivers and staff from dangerous construction dust and risks associated with fire and smoke, there’s another significant market that routinely leverages our solutions for very specific use cases: commercial offices looking for wall partitions to divide occupied areas.
Not All Office Wall Partitions Are Alike
Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: when it comes to dividing an office or conference room, there are some instances where a STARC panel just doesn’t make sense, where it may be more solution than you need.
For example, if staff won’t be working in the adjacent area and sound attenuation is not a concern, you may be able to get away with a general-purpose room divider. Or, if you’re on a particularly tight budget and aesthetics don’t matter, there may be a cheaper alternative that will do in a pinch.
So, what’s the difference between a general office divider and a STARC wall that’s being used to divide an office? The major distinction, which is easy to see up-close, is the quality of construction. Since STARC panels are engineered to be reusable, they’re highly durable and built to last over many, many projects. On the other hand, most general office dividers are intended to serve as a single-use solution.
When STARC Makes Sense for Office Use
Generally speaking, commercial offices choose our walls for office partitions when:
- They need a room divider that telescopes all the way to the grid, or the ceiling
- They require a full enclosure
- They need a solution that’s easy to install themselves
- They’re concerned about supply chain, or have no time to wait for contractors, and want something that’s rapidly deployable
- They specifically need a temporary solution (non-permanent)
Practical Considerations
Various business imperatives may also drive commercial customers to choose STARC for office wall partitions.
For example, offices often want to reconfigure or divide a space in response to an immediate need. These may include smaller jobs that don’t necessarily require permitting but may call for sound attenuation. Perhaps they want to create a training area for new hires, or they simply realize that two smaller conference rooms will serve them better than a single, larger one.
When they go shopping for office wall partitions, however, they soon discover that many solutions require long waiting periods – in some cases as long as six months – and most general-purpose room dividers do little (or nothing) to reduce the noise from adjacent areas.
That’s not the case with STARC. With an STC rating of 40, our RealWall and FireblockWall systems provide superior noise blocking. And because all of our walls, doors and accessories are manufactured in the U.S., our solutions ship immediately.
Office Wall Partitions for Commercial Environments
As noted above, there are times when a general-purpose room divider will suffice for office environments. In other instances – such as when an office needs a telescoping solution or a full enclosure, or they just want a sound attenuating temporary wall that they can easily install themselves without delay – STARC’s temporary containment has proven to be a solid choice for commercial environments in need of effective office wall partitions.
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