From thunderclaps to crying children: sound waves have a large variety of physical, physiological, and psychological effects on people. These effects, rather than the actual sound wave, affect acoustic comfort. In room-acoustic design, it is often not enough to measure how to achieve the best possible technical parameters. In addition to this, one should always […]
Offices
5 quality studies on the effects of noise on office workers
Being an editor on Acoustic Bulletin brings with it a fair bit of research. We often try to be a more accessible source of information on acoustics, but we also know that many of our readers are academics. In this post we test a new format where we recommend high quality studies to our readers. […]
How to improve acoustic privacy in open offices with screens
When it comes to designing offices with top-of-the-line acoustics, screens are an invaluable tool. If you are new to the basic principles of acoustic design with screens, this post is for you. Below you will learn how to improve acoustic privacy in open offices with screens. Why use acoustic screens? – The paradox of open […]
Basic principles of acoustic design from ISO 22955
’ISO 22955: Acoustic Quality of Open Offices’ was released earlier this year. It specifics clear guidelines for what constitutes acoustic quality in open offices. The task of designing open offices with satisfactory acoustics conditions can be quite complex. ISO 22955 reduces this complexity in several ways. One of them is by clearly defining the most […]
Design dive: Open offices, part 2 – Geometry
Designing good office acoustics is notoriously hard. We give you the exact guidance you need for this task in this blog post series. What are the primary factors for acoustic design you should consider when working with open offices? How should you approach the task of designing or improving the sound environment in an open-plan […]
Study interview: The effect of absorbers and screens on the decay of speech in offices
What exactly can you expect from different kinds of acoustic treatment? Which types of treatment should be prioritised and how does one treatment affect the other? In this post we interview Dr. Valtteri Hongisto about a unique and comprehensive study that provides new insights into effective acoustic design of offices. Researchers Valtteri Hongisto, Jukka Keränen […]
ISO 22955: Acoustic quality of open offices
A new international standard was recently released focusing on one of the most complex indoor sound environments, the open office. Delivering you clear instructions for creating great acoustics in demanding environments is one of our main objectives, so we are happy to update you on the new ISO 22955. So what is its scope and […]
New standard for open-plan offices released
ISO 22955:2021 Acoustics — Acoustic quality of open office spaces This newly released international standard focuses on open office spaces. Office spaces are notoriously difficult to design from an acoustic standpoint. ISO 22955 will provide much needed clarity and guidance for acoustic designers. By dividing the activities of office work into subcategories and detailing all […]
Irrelevant speech is a risk for your health
In offices, noise control should be a priority as unwanted sound causes stress. Continuously elevated stress levels are a health risk. Turku University of Applied Sciences and University of Turku have conducted the first Finnish medical study on the physiological, psychological, and performance effects of irrelevant speech. Office noise consists primarily of this kind of […]
Design Dive: Open Offices – Part 1
Is the open office a thing of the past? How can verbal communication be the main reason for its existence and simultaneously its biggest acoustic problem? We give you the answers and the solutions in this series on acoustic design of open offices. In this three-part Design Dive series, we, as always, bring you both […]
