Acoustics in offices and workspaces

-

Acoustics in offices and workspaces




Good Acoustics At The Office Contributes To The Perfect Balance Between Communication, Creativity and Concentration

Communication is more important than anything else at the office. That is all very well, but a constant whirr of voices, chats among colleagues or loud phone calls can also be really frustrating. Where you have a lot of people working in a relatively small space, disruptive noises are bound to arise. In the long run, poor acoustics within the office can strongly impair employees’ performance and even damage their health. When seen in that light, acoustics in the office becomes a genuine competitive factor; particularly as acoustic disruptions are a distraction in office spaces and put a great strain on the ability to concentrate. A number of sources of sound influences speech intelligibility and quality of the acoustics in the office. Keyboards rattle, air-conditioning units whirr, phones ring, printers clatter, computer fans hum – day after day from morning till night. The continuing trend away from individual office spaces towards teamwork in an open office landscape has immensely amplified noise pollution in the office. Especially in open-plan offices, the multitude of different sound and noise sources demands carefully planned office acoustics, so that employees can work at their desks in peace.



Improving room acoustics with sound absorbers

The acoustics in offices and work spaces have a big impact on employee well being and productivity. For this reason, it is necessary to follow some basic rules when planning and designing offices. The room acoustics, i.e. the audibility in a room, are significantly influenced by the employed surfaces. To obtain pleasant acoustics in a room, the used materials need to be equipped with sound absorption. The ability to absorb sound or the conversion of incident sound energy into other forms of energy is referred to as sound absorption. It can be achieved, for example, by using sound baffles, perforated plates with mats, foams, or acoustic plasters.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Inspiring Office Meeting Rooms Design

-
Image
Creating a pleasant meeting environment and having an office design that makes everyone feel comfortable has a lot to do with the way a meeting goes and how it is perceived. Some offices have decided to give a playful twist to this particular area and the designs they now feature are some of the most inspiring you can find. The informal quick meeting We know that a high table with high chairs encourages a short meeting. One can also leave out the chairs and just stand up, which quite clearly indicates that it is only going to be a quick chat. One can certainly drink a cup of coffee or iced water while chatting. Perhaps a bit loosely and informally about a coming project, relaxed, one leans slightly over the table or in a Activity-based Working style which may even be located in an open-plan room where others are working at the same time. Meeting room or Modern Workplace? A round table in the meeting room will encourage a discussion. The round table ...
Read more

5 Office Lounge area ideas that work

-
Image
If the concept of an office lounge area makes you shudder, thinking of all the work that could be piling up as employees socialize, relax! Lounge areas in the modern office are more about giving your employees the variety and choice in which to do their best work than any real lounging. Workstyle The school of thought for years was that employees needed a quiet, distraction free, and most often, separate workspace to work effectively. While it’s true that too much distraction and lack of privacy can be a barrier, employees work most effectively in a number of ways depending on their role, their individual preferences, and even their industry. In fact, that same Gensler study found that the best workplaces “provide a balanced environment that supports both collaboration and focus effectively.” What’s more, team building and collaboration are some of the highest ranked aspects in the office, ahead of individual values. In short, the 9 to 5 desk scenario can be stiflin...
Read more

Merging Tech and Design for Workplace Wellness

-
Image
Long gone are the days when employees sit all day in inflexible workspaces, adjusting themselves - and their needs -  to the physical conditions of the workplace. The new model for the workplace no longer fits employees into a predesigned worksite but, using technology, redesigns the worksite to fit the needs of the employee. Just like our smartphones and smartwatches, our workplaces are being reinvented to be just as smart. Smart buildings leverage big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and intelligent Building Management Systems (iBMS) to assess the physical conditions of the workplace and adjust them to meet employee needs. These tech systems facilitate and improve employee wellbeing and performance by modifying objects connected to the internet, such as light bulbs, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, office chairs and desks, coffee machines, and even whole office spaces. Smart technology collects data from these objects and generates automated and ...
Read more