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 Office Acoustic Standards 2022 is a set of guidelines that provides guidance on how best to reduce and control these acoustic issues. The standards focus on desired minimum sound levels, appropriate reverberation times, sound absorption materials and proper sound masking.
Firstly, the guidelines recommend a maximum sound level of 45 dBA in any given space at any one time. This should be achieved through acoustic treatments such as absorptive wall or ceiling panels which absorb unwanted reflections and reduce echo in the room. Furthermore, it is advised that acoustic materials such as carpets, wall coverings and furniture should have a Noise Reduction Coefficient rating of at least 0.5 for best results.
The Sound Masking standard outlines the necessary level of background sound in an open plan office space to provide privacy and reduce distractions from other conversations. It recommends a minimum noise masking level of 40 dBA for any given space, achieved by using dedicated sound masking systems which emit ambient noise into the environment. Click here to learn more about our sound masking solution.
The Reverberation Times guideline states that the reverberation time in an open plan office should be kept below 1 second ( 500 milliseconds) to create optimal listening conditions. This can be achieved through using absorptive materials on walls, floors and ceilings or installing acoustic baffles to absorb and reduce sound reflections.
