The Open Plan Office Acoustic Standards 2022 Open plan offices have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their cost effectiveness and convenience. However, the large open spaces can lead to many acoustic issues including noise distraction, reverberation and poor speech intelligibility. The Open Plan… Read More »The Open Plan Office Acoustic Standards 2022
Why Neurodiversity in Workspace Design is so important? There’s been a lot of talk lately about neurodiversity in the workplace. Everyone’s brain is different and these differences should be celebrated and accommodated – this is particularly relevant when it comes to workspace design because our… Read More »Why Neurodiversity in Workspace Design is so important?
We often get asked about acoustic ceiling slat systems made from timber, and our response is always the same – they simply do not work. A bold claim? Not really – it’s about scientific fact…
What makes Tempo the most effective sound absorbing slat system on the market? Well, it works by trapping sound within the cavity in-between the separate panels, helping to reduce reverberation.
Sound absorption properties are measured by the sound absorption coefficient, α, (alpha), as a function of the frequency. Alpha (α) ranges from 0 to 1.00 (from total reflection to total absorption).
Reverberation Time (RT) is the time required for the average sound pressure in a room to decrease 60 decibels after a source stops generating sound. This approximates to the time taken for a signal to decay to a level imperceptible to the human ear.
One of the biggest challenges in workspaces of today is controlling noise transfer across and between spaces. It would seem obvious that open-plan space is a perfect place for noise to travel and, whilst this is true, meeting rooms are also an acoustic challenge.
There are many regulations and standards covering acoustics in non-residential buildings. In this Knowledge Base article, we briefly introduce the most commonly referred to documents.
Sound insulation is concerned with slowing or stopping sound waves by physically blocking their travel from one room to another. Success in achieving effective sound insulation – or attenuation – in the workspace is reliant on the usage of the space, the building structure, the type of ceilings and partitions, and attention to detail. We focus here on office space.
When designing an optimal acoustic environment, architects consider a variety of elements to address noise control and speech privacy. All of the ABC’s of acoustic design can be used together or individually to achieve the desired acoustic environment.