CBRE Singapore enhances workplace wellbeing with soundscaping from Moodsonic and Bluesound Professional.
With more than 140,000 employees in over 100 countries, CBRE supports businesses and investors across all aspects of commercial real estate. Renowned for designing efficient and effective workplaces, CBRE brings this same commitment to excellence into the environments it creates for its own people.
At the company’s recently relocated office in central Singapore, Simon Long, Senior Director of Client Technology at CBRE, envisioned a workspace where wellbeing and focus take priority, shaping the atmosphere through the integration of Moodsonic’s innovative soundscaping technology.
Simon aimed to implement a fully networked audio system; however, initial budget and time constraints raised questions about feasibility. Despite these challenges, his vision was realised with the help of Valeo Technology, a specialist provider of wellbeing-led technologies. The company led the design and implementation of the Moodsonic solution, working alongside local installation partner ESCO and Hewshott consultants.
This collaboration led to detailed discussions with Bluesound Professional, with whom a tailored audio system was designed using 120 BCS300 PoE speakers, most in pendant configuration with the addition of the pendant kit.
The system now provides coverage throughout the office, supporting 14 distinct zones including front-of-house and back-of-house areas, focus rooms, wellness spaces, quiet zones, bathrooms and café areas, creating a cohesive sound environment across the workplace.
It sounded amazing from the very first moment we turned the speakers on – crystal clear. From the moment employees step out of the lifts, soundscaping is immediately present, setting the tone for the workplace experience, recalls Marcus Rose, Owner and Director at Valeo Technology.
The space has been designed in an immersive way, guiding movement and behaviour through sound as much as through architecture and visual design. The office has been deliberately divided into different areas to support various ways of working, communicating and interacting, encouraging choice and autonomy rather than simply sitting at a desk all day.
“The sound solution delivered exactly what the workplace required: flexibility, scalability and a future-ready approach to audio”, adds Rose. If the office layout changes over time, there is no need for invasive work such as accessing ceilings or rerouting cabling; zones can be easily reconfigured by decoupling and regrouping speakers through BluOS software.
The decentralised nature of the system also simplifies control, allowing each speaker to be individually configured to suit the needs of different spaces or occupants. While Moodsonic soundscaping operates as the default setting throughout the office, the system also allows flexible use. For example, if teams want to change the music in certain areas on a Friday afternoon, they can temporarily switch to their preferred streaming service via the BluOS app and revert to Moodsonic whenever needed.
The project goes far beyond audio alone. By analysing multiple data sets — including occupancy sensors, air quality, lighting levels and Moodsonic acoustic data — the team can gain real-time insight into how the office is performing at any given moment.
If an area is consistently underused, is it too bright, too noisy or uncomfortable? Are focus rooms and meeting spaces being used as intended, or is there a need to reconfigure layouts or provide additional rooms? This data-driven approach enables continuous optimisation of the workplace environment.
As organisations seek to encourage people back into the office, the experience of the space has become critical. Sound plays a major role in this process, influencing mood, behaviour and comfort in ways that are often subconscious yet deeply impactful.
The result at CBRE is an award-winning workplace, recognised as Best Corporate Office at the InAvate APAC Awards. As Marcus Rose explains: “It’s a real-world example of how scalable, smart audio and soundscaping can elevate these types of buildings”.
Reflecting on the project delivery, he concludes: Despite the tight deadline and limited budget, everyone involved came together to deliver an incredible multi-zone Moodsonic soundscaping experience powered by Bluesound Professional speakers. It has been wonderful.
