A new mixed-use office in Regensburg, Germany, designed by abConsultants GmbH, was developed with indoor acoustic comfort built into the planning process. As more workplaces shift towards open-plan layouts that support flexible working, spontaneous conversations and teamwork, noise has become one of the biggest hidden stressors. Meeting conversations travel across the room, overlapping discussions blur into background noise, and constant interruptions make it harder to focus. Without a handled acoustic strategy, even the most well-designed space can become mentally exhausting.
Floating panels, focused minds
The Nibelungen Carree building relies on generous floor plates and exposed concrete soffits to create a raw, contemporary feel across its office spaces. Large spans, high ceilings, and minimal partition walls give teams the freedom to adapt the space, but they also make sound harder to control. Hard materials such as glass, concrete, and metals reflect noise rather than absorb it, increasing echo and reducing speech intelligibility. The challenge was to preserve this open aesthetic while ensuring the space remained comfortable for everyday work.
To control noise travel across the open office spaces, 400 Rockfon Eclipse floating ceiling panels were specified within the large office units and installed by Kumar Trockenbau. Suspended in Circle and Rectangle shapes, the frameless panels absorb sound from all sides, reducing reverberation and improving acoustic comfort and speech clarity.
The installation of Rockfon Eclipse adapts to different design requirements: the panels can be suspended or fixed directly to the soffit, a benefit in spaces with thermal mass cooling, skylights, or exposed ceilings. At Nibelungen Carree, the panels are free-hanging, keeping the services on show and retaining the industrial character of the exposed concrete soffits. The ceiling becomes part of the visual identity, with circular pendant lights echoing the round panels and transforming it into a focal point. And with a smooth, ultra-matte surface and 87 percent light reflection – the panels brighten the space and sit quietly within the minimalist design.
By integrating acoustic performance into the architecture rather than treating it as an add-on, the building maintains its industrial openness while supporting everyday comfort. The ceiling no longer acts only as a surface but as part of the building’s function, improving speech clarity, reducing stress, and helping people work and communicate more easily in an open environment.
