CREJ - Journal

/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / MARCH 2015

Good Workplace Acoustics Help Achieve Design Goals

fter years of evangelizing, acoustics are

now cool! Workplace trends are mandat-

ing that successful designs include acous-

tical considerations.

Today’s workplace is likely to have more open

space, lower barriers, more shared spaces for col-

laboration, fewer assigned seats and all of the dis-

tracting challenges that come along with them.

When the density of employees increases, speech

distractions increase correspondingly. Workplace

blogs are full of proclamations that these trends

are ruining productivity. In some cases, this is no

doubt true. Every organization has a different way

of working. If space is not designed to allow people

to do the specific work that they are responsible for,

then the workplace will not be a success.

But when space is designed to work for the orga-

nization, it can be a beautiful, productive workplace.

One of the common elements of successful open

workplaces is attention to acoustics. A few key

considerations need to be examined to create a

high-performing acoustical environment.

People talk. When they talk, they are little mega-

phones of sound energy. That sound travels from

the source and bounces off of every surface around

them. By adding acoustically absorptive materials,

those reflections are reduced and sound does not

have as much influence on surrounding co-workers.

Having a group of heavy phone users located un-

der a ceiling that is built with painted sheetrock,

exposed concrete or metal is a formula for distrac-

tion. Similarly, walls of glass provide a powerful re-

flector for noise. Sound energy has nowhere to go

but into the ears of the surrounding people. Add-

ing a good acoustical ceiling, acoustical baffles or

specialty acoustical treatments will reduce the re-

flected sound and allow a much more comfortable

environment.

Most commercial office buildings have a very low

level of ambient sound. HVAC systems are quieter

than ever and this leaves the space feeling creepy

quiet. When a space is this quiet, every conversation

can be overheard at great distances. When multiple

people are talking, they start to subconsciously com-

pete with each other and the sound level ratchets

up.

Very quickly, a space can become a chicken coop

of noise that prevents productive work and effec-

tive concentration.

Well-designed sound masking systems gently

raise the ambient sound level in the workplace to

cover much of the surrounding noise. The result is

Steve Johnson

Founder, ADI

Workplace

Acoustics

TRENDS

in Workplace Acoustics

The Denver

Hospice

Casper College

Music Building

DaVita World

Headquarters

P (303) 308-1190

| www.moaarch.com |

Denver CO | Casper WY

I n s p i r e .