The Speech Guard System: Ceiling Overlay for Speech Privacy

The Speech Guard System is a complete ceiling overlay that treats every pathway speech uses to travel between rooms through a drop tile ceiling assembly.

In most commercial buildings, partition walls stop at the ceiling grid rather than continuing to the deck above. The space above the tiles, called the plenum, is shared between rooms. The walls usually do their job. The leak is overhead.

The Four Pathways, and the Products That Close Them

Speech leaves a room through the ceiling by four predictable routes. Treating one and leaving the others open is why partial fixes so often disappoint.

Speech Guard Light Hood encloses the back of recessed light fixtures, which are openings in the ceiling plane. ASTM E90, STC 27. ASTM C423-09a and E795-05, NRC 1.00. Pre-sized for 2×2 and 2×4 fixtures, and fits into the plenum without removing the cross tee.
Shield Guard Tile Backer adds mass above the ceiling tiles, which absorb sound well but block it poorly. ASTM E90, STC 27. Ships in 2×2 or 2×4 and cuts easily for border tiles.
G2 Plenum Return Silencer breaks the direct sound corridor created by open air return grilles while letting air flow normally. Two models: Standard G2 for speech, and Septum G2 for equipment noise and speech.
Air Feed Hood stops speech carrying through supply ductwork at the diffuser. Sized for standard 24 inch by 24 inch ceiling grids, with foil barrier backing that reduces condensation.

All four are addressed together because a ceiling assembly is only as good as its weakest opening. A single untreated light fixture can undo the rest.

For rooms that need reverberation controlled as well as speech blocked, fabric wrapped acoustical wall panels absorb sound within the room. Absorption and blocking are different jobs, and most spaces that complain about privacy have plenty of the first and almost none of the second.

Room Kits for a 12′ x 12′ Private Office

The system ships as complete room kits sized for a standard 12′ x 12′ private office, in both common ceiling grid formats.

Room Kit 1, 2′ x 2′ grid, standard speech privacy
Room Kit 2, 2′ x 2′ grid, 1lb septum, machinery noise and premium speech privacy
Room Kit 3, 2′ x 4′ grid, standard speech privacy
Room Kit 4, 2′ x 4′ grid, 1lb septum, machinery noise and premium speech privacy

The septum kits add mass for rooms dealing with HVAC rumble, rooftop or ceiling equipment noise, and mechanical room noise alongside speech privacy.

What Installation Actually Involves

Workspace disruption: minimal
Time per office: a 12′ x 12′ office is done in four hours maximum
Crew: two installers, with two 6′ ladders, a cutting surface, a razor knife, and a straight edge
Existing sound masking: compatible. The result is a quieter office with even greater speech privacy.

The system installs into new or existing drop tile ceilings. No demolition, no wall changes, no reconstruction.

This Is Not Sound Masking

Sound masking adds noise to cover speech. The Speech Guard System removes the pathway the speech was using. The distinction matters. Masking makes a room louder in order to make conversation less intelligible. A ceiling overlay makes the room quieter and more private at the same time.

If you already run sound masking, the two work together rather than against each other.