Case Study: Google's Vendor Office, Kuala Lumpur

Acoustic Design for 150,000 sq ft of Workspace Across 10 Floors — Malaysia's First Acoustic Plaster Ceiling Installation

Location
Menara Shell

Business
Novico Engineering

Scope
Acoustic Design, Measurement & Compliance

A dimly lit conference room with a long white table surrounded by white chairs. On the table are devices, cables, and a framed document. At the end of the room, two large screens display the Google Meet logo. There are various electronic equipment and cables on the table and in the room.

Summary

When Google expanded its Malaysia footprint by adding over 150,000 sq ft of workspace across 10 floors of Menara Shell, KL Sentral, the acoustic challenges were as complex as the space itself. Flexible production workspaces, tranquil collaboration nooks, entertainment areas, meeting rooms, and a café — all sharing the same floors — each with distinct acoustic requirements and strict material constraints.

Novico Engineering was engaged to provide acoustic design consultation, sound measurement, and compliance advisory — delivering a solution that preserved Google's intended aesthetic while meeting every acoustic performance target.

The Challenge

The project presented three compounding acoustic challenges that ruled out conventional solutions:

  • Cleanroom-grade material restrictions: For the café, Google required either waterproof or cleanroom-grade materials — ruling out soft and foamy materials that typically provide high acoustic absorption.

  • No conventional silencers: Conventional silencers rely on fibrous materials to absorb noise. With cleanroom restrictions in place, they were not an option.

  • Open ceiling design: The space used an open-ceiling layout to maximise floor-to-ceiling height — meaning the primary tool for acoustic design (the ceiling surface) was almost entirely unavailable. Walls became the next largest usable surface, but the "no soft materials" constraint severely limited the options.

The Scope and Solution

KSM Phoenix was engaged to advise on architectural and interior design materials that would optimise sound insulation, provide acoustic and reverberation time calculations, and address mechanical systems noise control — all within Google's strict aesthetic and material constraints.

For the café ceiling — the most technically constrained space — we specified acoustic plaster: a cleanroom-compatible, visually seamless material with genuine sound absorption properties. This was the first use of acoustic plaster ceiling in Malaysia — the material was air-flown directly from Europe specifically for this project.

Across all spaces, our design ensured each zone fulfilled its acoustic purpose: production workspaces remained quiet and conducive for focused work, while entertainment areas and meeting rooms contained chatter and energy within their designated zones.