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.
