Open-plan offices were meant to make us more collaborative. Too often, they just made us louder. Ringing phones, back-to-back video calls and constant chatter make focused work genuinely difficult & that noise has a real cost in concentration, comfort and, above all, employee wellbeing. Persistent noise raises stress, drains energy and chips away at how people feel at work.
Acoustic pods have become the go-to fix. Instead of knocking walls around or building permanent meeting rooms, you drop a self-contained, sound-insulated pod straight onto the floor and instantly create quiet where it’s needed a calmer space that supports both productivity and the people using it. At M2 Office, it’s one of the most common requests we hear from Irish workplaces trying to make open-plan work without the noise.
Below, we answer the questions we hear most often from business owners, office managers and facilities teams what pods are, how quiet they really are, the types available, where to put them and how to choose the right one for your space.
What is an acoustic pod?
An acoustic pod is a self-contained, sound-insulated booth that sits inside a larger office. Think of it as a room within a room: a prefabricated, plug-and-play unit that gives people a quiet, private space to take a call, join a video meeting, focus on deep work or hold a small huddle without the disruption of building a fixed room.
You’ll see the same product described in a few different ways – office pod, meeting pod, phone booth, work pod, privacy booth or acoustic booth. The label usually just reflects the size and intended use, which we’ll break down below.
The key difference from a traditional meeting room is flexibility. Pods are freestanding and modular, so they can be assembled quickly, relocated when your layout changes and reconfigured or reused as your needs evolve no construction, no downtime.
How quiet is it inside a pod?
Interestingly, the goal isn’t total silence. Most quality pods let a small amount of ambient sound through around 40 dB which is widely regarded as the sweet spot for concentration. It’s a gentle, low murmur, comparable to soft birdsong, rather than an unsettling dead-air quiet. You get calm and focus without feeling sealed off or isolated.
Types of acoustic pods
Pods come in a range of sizes built around specific tasks. Choosing well starts with being honest about how the space will actually be used.
- Phone booth pods (1 person): Compact and often mobile, ideal for private calls, quick video meetings and hot-desking areas. The Qyos 100 acoustic phone booth is a good example of this single-person format.
- Single work pods (1 person): A focused solo space for deep, uninterrupted work some come in sit or sit-stand configurations.
- Meeting pods (2–4 people): Enclosed spaces for small team huddles, interviews and confidential discussions browse the choices on our small meeting pods page.
- Larger meeting pods (4–6+ people): Room-scale acoustic spaces for bigger meetings and collaborative sessions where a full commercial office fit-out isn’t practical.
Acoustic pod vs phone booth vs meeting room
These terms overlap, so here’s the simple version:
- A phone booth is really just the smallest type of acoustic pod one person, one call.
- An acoustic pod is the broader category, spanning single booths right up to multi-person meeting spaces.
- A traditional meeting room is built into the fabric of the building. It’s permanent, slower and more expensive to create, and it can’t move when your floor plan changes.
The advantage of pods is that they give you meeting-room privacy with furniture-like flexibility and if you’re rethinking your meeting spaces more widely, it’s worth a look at the meeting rooms every modern office needs.
Key benefits of acoustic pods
- Better focus: By removing distraction, pods give deep work a place of its own and get more of it done.
- Speech privacy: Confidential calls, interviews, HR conversations and client discussions stay private.
- Less noise for everyone: Containing calls and meetings inside pods keeps sound from spilling across the wider floor, so the whole office gets calmer.
- Wellbeing and comfort: Constant noise drives stress and fatigue. A quiet space to reset is a simple, visible way to show your team their comfort matters.
- Inclusive, neurodiverse-friendly design: Controllable, low-stimulation spaces are especially valuable for neurodiverse colleagues and anyone with sensory sensitivities, for whom a loud open floor can be draining.
- Flexibility: Pods are modular and movable, they flex with your business instead of locking you into a layout.
How to choose the acoustic pod
A few questions will narrow it down quickly:
- What’s the main use? Calls, solo focus, or team meetings? This decides the size.
- How many people? Match capacity to the typical group, not the occasional maximum.
- What’s the verified acoustic rating? Look for ISO 23351-1 testing and a supplier who can show the report.
- How’s the comfort inside? Good ventilation, lighting and power make the difference between a pod people use and one they avoid.
- Will it move? If your space evolves, prioritise modular units that relocate easily.
- Does it fit the brand and the room? Finish, colour and footprint should sit naturally in your space.
Where to place acoustic pods in your office?
Placement is easy to get wrong. The usual advice is to locate pods fairly centrally, close to where people actually work, so they’re quick to reach and easy to check for availability at a glance. Tucking them away in a far corner just means they go unused. Balance accessibility with a spot that isn’t itself a high-traffic bottleneck our office design and layout team can help you map the right positions before you buy.
Do acoustic pods need power, ventilation or planning permission?
Three questions that come up constantly, with reassuring answers:
- Power: Most pods are plug-and-play, running from a standard wall socket through a single cord, with built-in lighting, power points and USB.
- Ventilation: Quality pods include active ventilation, often motion-activated so it runs only when the pod is occupied — keeping the air fresh and the energy use low.
- Planning permission: For a standard indoor pod, you generally don’t need planning permission, since it’s freestanding furniture rather than a permanent structure. (Always sense-check anything unusual with your own facilities or building management.)
A favourite is the Qyos range by Actiu, in sizes from single-person booths to larger meeting spaces. Qyos combines strong sound insulation with a clean, modern design, easy assembly and a sustainable build an inclusive, comfortable choice for any team. See it in real installations across our recent projects.
Want to see how acoustic pods could work in your office? Our team will help you choose the right fit. Call (061) 303 666 or get in touch, and browse the full acoustic pods range.
Frequently asked questions
1.Are acoustic pods completely soundproof?
No ,but a well-designed pod, ideally rated Class A to ISO 23351-1 (around 30 dB or more of speech reduction), makes conversations inside private and outside noise barely noticeable.
2. How many people fit in an acoustic pod?
Anywhere from one (phone booth or focus pod) to six or more, depending on the model. Match the size to your most common use.
3. Can acoustic pods be moved?
Yes. They’re modular and freestanding, so they can be relocated as your office changes.
4. Do I need planning permission for an indoor office pod?
In most cases, no ,an indoor pod is freestanding furniture rather than a permanent build.