Conference Technology
Conference Room Design Guide
A well-designed conference room is planned as a whole, with furniture layout, acoustics, lighting and technology considered together rather than as separate purchases. This guide walks through the design decisions that determine whether a conference room works for hybrid meetings and large presentations alike.
Start with room shape and sightlines
Long, narrow rooms create poor sightlines to a single screen at one end, while very wide rooms make it hard for a camera to frame everyone. A length-to-width ratio close to 1.5:1 works well for most conference rooms up to twenty seats, keeping every seat within reasonable viewing angle of the display.
Furniture layout and table shape
Boat-shaped or racetrack conference tables angle end seats slightly toward the screen, improving sightlines compared to a plain rectangle. For rooms doubling as training spaces, modular tables that reconfigure into U-shape or classroom-style seating add flexibility without a full re-fit.
Acoustic treatment
Reverberation and speech intelligibility
Hard surfaces such as glass walls, tile floors and bare ceilings cause sound to reflect and overlap, reducing speech intelligibility even with good microphones. A reverberation time (RT60) of 0.4-0.6 seconds is a reasonable target for a conference room; measuring this precisely needs specialist equipment, but a practical proxy is that a room with noticeable echo when you clap needs treatment.
Practical acoustic fixes
Acoustic ceiling tiles, fabric wall panels, heavy curtains over glass, and carpet or an area rug each reduce reflections. Even modest treatment, such as fabric panels behind the screen and on the rear wall, noticeably improves both in-room speech clarity and remote-participant audio quality.
| Room feature | Acoustic impact | Recommended treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Glass walls | High reflection, echo | Heavy curtains or acoustic film |
| Tile or hard floors | Reflection, footstep noise | Carpet tiles or area rug |
| Bare concrete ceiling | Strong reflection, boomy sound | Acoustic ceiling tiles or baffles |
| Open-plan adjacency | External noise intrusion | Partition walls with sound-rated core |
Lighting design
Lighting needs to support both in-person comfort and camera performance for video calls. Evenly distributed ceiling light at around 300-500 lux avoids harsh shadows on faces, while dimmable zones let presenters darken the area near the screen without dimming the whole room, which otherwise leaves remote participants seeing dark, poorly-lit faces.
Avoid backlighting
Never seat the camera facing a bright window. Backlighting turns participants into silhouettes on camera. Orient the table so windows are to the side of the camera's view, not behind the seats it captures.
Technology zone placement
Plan cable routes and equipment locations before finalising furniture position. Floor boxes or table power modules avoid trailing cables, and the display, camera and speakers should be grouped at one end of the room rather than split across walls, which simplifies both cabling and camera framing.
Ventilation and comfort
Air conditioning units placed directly above microphone positions introduce constant background noise that beamforming microphones struggle to filter out. Position HVAC vents away from microphone zones, or specify quieter, variable-speed units for rooms with sensitive audio requirements.
Sizing for capacity
Kenyan building guidance and comfortable seating practice both suggest allowing roughly 2.3-2.8 square metres per seated person in a conference room, including circulation space. A 20-seat conference room therefore typically needs 45-56 square metres of floor area.
| Seats | Recommended floor area | Typical table length |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 18-22 sqm | 2.4m - 3.0m |
| 12 | 28-34 sqm | 3.6m - 4.2m |
| 20 | 45-56 sqm | 6.0m - 7.0m |
| 30 (theatre) | 70-85 sqm | N/A - theatre seating |
Design and build sequence
- Confirm room shape, dimensions and window/glare orientation
- Set target seating capacity and table layout
- Plan acoustic treatment before finishing surfaces are installed
- Design lighting zones with camera performance in mind
- Route cabling and power before furniture placement
- Position HVAC away from microphone zones
- Install AV technology and commission with a real meeting test
Frequently asked questions
What is the ideal shape for a conference room?+
A length-to-width ratio near 1.5:1 gives most seats reasonable sightlines to a single screen. Very long, narrow rooms make the far seats strain to see the display clearly.
How do I stop echo in a conference room with glass walls?+
Add heavy curtains, acoustic film, or fabric panels to absorb reflections off the glass, and pair with carpet or a rug on the floor. Full glass rooms almost always need some soft material to control echo.
Where should the camera be positioned relative to windows?+
Windows should be to the side of the room, not directly behind the seats the camera captures. A camera facing a bright window creates silhouetted, poorly visible participants on the call.
How much floor space does a 12-person conference room need?+
Around 28-34 square metres is typical, allowing space for the table, chairs and comfortable circulation around the room without feeling cramped.
Should air conditioning vents be positioned near microphones?+
No. HVAC noise directly above a microphone position creates constant background noise that is difficult to filter. Position vents away from microphone zones wherever the room layout allows.
Can acoustic treatment be added after a room is built?+
Yes, retrofitting fabric panels, curtains and rugs is straightforward in an existing room, though built-in ceiling treatment is easier to install during initial construction or renovation.