5 Types of Office Screens (And Which One You Need for Your Space)

The good news is that nowadays office screens can be used to address the gamut of challenges presented by most busy office environments or workspaces.

The bad news is that choice can sometimes be overwhelming, which is why you need to understand what you are trying to achieve when opting for office screens.

For example - do you want to prioritise screens that simply block sightlines, or do you need ones with acoustic properties to muffle ambient office noise?  

Below, we take a look at five of the main types of office screens and explain the types of issues they are designed to address, and the spaces they work best in:

1. Acoustic Room Dividers

Sound bleed in open-plan office spaces is a common cause of complaint among workers.

Left unchecked, sound will bleed through into neighbouring spaces and desks, distracting the occupant and hampering focus and concentration levels. 

In such situations, acoustic dividers or screens work well.

Fabricated from heavy-duty foams and dense wood or fibreglass, an acoustic screen provides a sonic barrier capable of trapping and muffling most ambient office noise.

The word acoustic in the name means that this type of screen will absorb as much sound as possible, meaning that sound waves are dampened and don’t get a chance to bounce around the wider office.

2. Modular Panels

For spaces where more permanent and heavy-duty screening is needed, modular panels are often the go-to solution.

They offer some of the noise and visual screening of more permanent dividers, and can be quickly and easily added or removed, thanks to their modularity.

And because of their size and adaptability, modular panels can even be used to create on-the-fly or ad hoc rooms or enclosures to give workers extra privacy and seclusion.

3. Desk Dividers

Sometimes, a simple desk-based divider is all that is required to afford the worker some privacy and sound control.

By simply fixing or clamping the screen to the side of the desk, you can give a worker a separate but adjoining workspace where they can get down to business.

This type of divider is perhaps the easiest to install and deploy – it will typically sit about 30–60cm above the desk and measure around 100cm in length, meaning it can be easily manoeuvred and fixed in place by an employee.

Given its dimensions, this type of divider isn’t going to give the desk the most robust soundproofing or visual enclosure, but it will prove useful if you want to give workers a sense of separateness and the wider office a visual cue that the worker isn’t to be disturbed.

4. Printed Screens

A printed screen serves a dual purpose in an office or public building – as a privacy screen and a marketing tool.

That's because printed screens can be fully customised, and feature your company logo, images, company colours and patterns, and marketing message.

Most designs are double-sided, so printing is visible from both directions, and panels can be used in straight lines or at angles.

5. Acrylic Partitions

In some spaces, a light-touch approach to dividing the space is required.  

You don’t necessarily want to block sound or impede sightlines, but you do want to have some sense of separateness from the wider office.

In these situations, a glazed partition can work well.

Fabricated from a material such as Perspex, acrylic partitions can nicely carve up a space, but don’t block out natural light and let the occupants take in the wider office.

Conclusion

Office screens and dividers come in different shapes and sizes, and are often designed to address a particular pain point in a workplace.

So if you are planning on using such a divider, it’s important to first understand what you are seeking to achieve and the issue you are looking to address before using it.

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