Noise pollution at the office
Noises at the office is the biggest source of irritation. Think of the sound of talking colleauges or ringing telephones. Study has pointed this out.
Noise pollution is not only irritating, it can cause loss of productivity (30%) and mental and physical complaints, think of a high blood pressure and stress. These complaints are often the cause of sickness leave.
How can it be that in the design fase one pay so little attention to the acoustic part?
How to create a comfortable sound environment?
Which steps do you have to take to create a soundfriendly environment? First, it’s important to make an inventory of the building. Which activities will be done in which room or office? This way, the acoustics can be adjust to the work. When the acoustic adjustments are directly a part of the design plans, this will lower the cost.
Nowadays, people often work in open offices. This is a good way to create transparancy but it can be very distractive. Offer employees who has to do tasks which asks a lot of concentration a quiet workingspace.
Sound absorption
ROoms which are furnished with solid materials like glass and steel are not very sound absorptive. Therefor,e create a room with also soft materials and acoustic objects. This is an investment which will be paid back for sure!