Sound Control Solutions Acoustic Glass Wall Systems
Opening glass wall partitions provide natural daylight, transparency, and flexibility within interior environments
such as offices, schools, medical facilities, and hospitality spaces. With all the benefits that the use of glass brings to interior architecture, one important design consideration is sound control.
The NanaWall Difference
When selecting and specifying operable glass walls, it is important to consider not only the configuration and usability of the space but also the acoustical performance of the product. NanaWall Systems offers the most comprehensive range of sound-rated interior opening glass wall solutions.
Acoustic Glass Walls
We offer an array of interior folding, sliding, and frameless glass walls products depending on your design constraints:
- STC Requirements
- Space Planning Requirements
- Structural Requirements
- Ease of Operation
- Aesthetics
- Cost
1. STC Requirements
In order to choose the best product, it is important to first determine what the optimum level of acoustical buffering is required for your space.
| STC | What Can Be Heard |
|---|---|
|
25 |
Normal speech is easily understood |
|
30 |
Normal speech is audible but not understood |
|
35 |
Loud speech is understood |
|
40 |
Loud speech is audible but not clearly understood |
|
45 |
Must strain to hear loud speech |
|
50 |
Loud speech is not audible |
Just Right—Specify Only What is Needed
For simplification, we have segmented NanaWall sound-rated opening glass wall solutions into three categories:
- Lower Range – Up to STC 35
- Mid-Range – STC 36 to STC 42
- High Range – STC 43 to STC 45
Understanding STC
2. Space Planning Requirements
Another consideration when choosing sound-rated opening glass walls is the product category—folding, sliding, frameless, or minimal sliding.
Folding Glass Walls
Each panel of the glass folding doors connects to the others and folds with ease as they open. Floor supported and top-hung options. Panels remain within the opening or FoldFlat with options of inswing or outswing.
Sliding Glass Walls
Top-hung, individual panels ride within a single, narrow head track over an ADA compliant single floor track—or no floor track—creating limitless spans and transformative design flexibility. Customizable remote panel parking is possible.
Frameless Glass Walls
With the beauty of pure glass and unobstructed sightlines, our frameless, single track sliding glass wall system creates an unlimited span of top-hung individual panels that easily navigate 90° or 135° corners and T- intersections with single-handed operation and customizable parking options.
Minimal Sliding Glass Walls
Offering the largest panel size of the NanaWall product line, the minimal framed sliding glass wall system is architectural minimalism at its finest with ultra-thin lines for light-filled spaces. Panels may be pocketed.
3. Structural Requirements
Whether the interior space is to be newly built or retrofitted, NanaWall offers products that are either top-hung or floor supported.
Top-hung opening glass walls are available in single track sliding, folding, and frameless options. These systems have capabilities of unlimited opening widths and ride in a single head track with options of floor tracks or no floor track. Most top-hung systems offer the ability to park the panels remotely out of the plain of the opening.
Floor supported systems are available in both folding and minimal framed sliding options with different choices of floor tracks. The system's main weight is carried by the floor track. These systems are ideal for applications where the load-bearing capability of the header is a concern. Learn more about the benefits of floor supported.
4. Ease of Operation
While some sound control products require tools to crank and seal panels when closed, NanaWall acoustic glass walls offer the user ease of operation. Our products are engineered with roller systems and acoustic seals that do not require additional efforts when closing. It is important to note that when the STC requirements of the system go up, so does the weight of the glass used within the panel. Do not overload your specification requirements when the environment or surrounding conditions may not require the highest acoustical values.
5. Aesthetics
With a wide breadth of sound-rated opening glass walls, NanaWall offers aesthetic product options to interior architects and designers.
With a glass-to-frame ration of over 80% (or more with our Frameless product), glass choice adds to the aesthetics of the interior space. Glass options also include low iron, whiteboard, and a cool white or arctic snow colored interlayer for different levels of translucency and privacy.
Acoustic glass partitions provide versatility and flexibility within interior space to easily and aesthetically create private rooms.
6. Cost
Cost is determined by what level of acoustical privacy and which opening glass wall system is best suited for the location. With a range of products that achieve up to STC 45, it is important to only specify the product and acoustically enhanced glass type that you truly need for any given space. Do not overload the requirements when not necessary.
To achieve the desired acoustical control of any room, it is important that the sound-rated opening glass wall is properly installed and is matched and surrounded with comparable ceiling, walls, and floor.
Learn More about Our Tested Acoustic Glass Wall Systems
View and Download:
NanaWall STC Product Comparison Chart (PDF, 80 KB)
NanaWall Product Comparison
Acoustical Testing Results – Interior Applications Only
| Folding | Sliding | Frameless | Minimal Sliding | |||||||||||
| NW Acoustical 645 | SL70 | SL45 | HSW60 | PrivaSEE | cero II | |||||||||
| STC of Unit | Max. Unit Height | Max. Unit Height | Max. Unit Height | Max. Unit Height | Max. Unit Height | Max. Unit Height | ||||||||
| with Swing Panel | without Swing Panel | with Swing Panel | without Swing Panel | with Swing Panel | without Swing Panel | with Swing Panel at jamb | without Swing Panel | with swing panel required at jamb | ||||||
|
Lower Range
|
30
|
Folding |
9′ 6″
|
9′ 6″
|
||||||||||
|
32
|
Folding |
10′ 2″
|
11′ 6″
|
10′ 2″
|
12′
|
Sliding |
10′ 6″
|
12′
|
||||||
|
33
|
Folding |
10′ 2″
|
11′ 6″
|
9′ 6″
|
9′ 6″
|
10′ 6″
|
Minimal Sliding |
13′ 1″
|
||||||
|
34
|
Folding |
9' 6"
|
9' 6"
|
10′ 6″
|
||||||||||
|
35
|
Folding |
10′ 2″
|
11′ 6″
|
10′ 2″ | 12′ | |||||||||
|
Mid-Range
|
36
|
Folding |
10′ 2″
|
11′ 6″
|
10′ 2″
|
12′
|
Sliding |
10′ 6″
|
12′
|
Frameless |
10′ 6″
|
|||
|
37
|
Folding |
10′ 2″
|
11′ 6″
|
|||||||||||
|
38
|
Folding |
10′ 2″
|
11′ 6″
|
10′ 2″
|
10′ 2″
|
Sliding |
10′ 6″
|
12′
|
Minimal Sliding |
13′ 1″
|
||||
|
40
|
Folding |
10′ 2″
|
11′ 6″
|
|||||||||||
|
41
|
Folding |
10′ 2″
|
10′ 2″
|
Sliding | 10′ 6″ | 12′ | ||||||||
|
42
|
Folding |
10′ 2″
|
10' 2″
|
|||||||||||
|
High Range
|
43
|
Sliding |
10′ 6″ *
|
12′ *
|
Minimal Sliding |
13′ 1″
|
||||||||
|
44
|
Folding |
9′ 2″ *
|
9′ 10″ *
|
|||||||||||
|
45
|
Folding |
8′ 10″ *
|
9′ 6″ *
|
|||||||||||
* with head track recessed
