Hard, reflecting materials are bad sound absorbers. Examples of such materials are metal, gypsum board or chipboard. Due to their physical design and density they reflect sound and are unable to absorb it. So called "soft" materials are far better suited. They absorb sound and change it into another form of energy.

Office/Business culture considering the dynamics of the 21st century

During the 20th century manufacturing processes were improved with the aim to reproduce products industrially. Economical growth was based on a continuous increase in productivity. Inventions (in medicine, physics, and chemistry) from the first half of that very century, continuously optimized and refined in the second half, were of help in this respect.