Presentation

Planning for Psychoacoustics: A
Psychological Approach to Resolving Office Noise
Distraction
Presented by: Paige Hodsman, Concept Developer – Office
Contents
• Purpose of the report
• Measuring sound
• People and perceptions
• Psychoacoustics
• Worker Diversity
• Practical solutions
Purpose of the review
• Needed to better understand a v. complex subject
• Could physically measure; but couldn’t address other
factors – more well-rounded approach
• Teamed up with Nigel, lit review of nearly 200 research
papers on people and sound
• Precursor to solutions and
intervention study
Office Acoustic Measurements - UK
Regs/Stds/Guidellines
Key points
Part E Resistance to the
Passage of Sound
BS8233:2014
room acoustics when attached to a residential
dwelling, insulate and seek advice.
Concentration: 35-45dB LAeq, Exec. 35-40 dB
LAeq sound insulation Dw = 38 dB. Dw = 48 dB.
reduction between wkstn15dB to 25dB (at 2.5m-3m
distance), screens absorbent-facing and a minimum
of 1.5m. A Class A rated ceiling is recommended
on ceiling heights above 3m.
Specific target measurements for open-plan offices,
primary objective to reduce speech propagation
and increase privacy
Background noise level, STI, Absorption m3,
physical factors, material selection, insulation,
attenuation.
Primarily material content, recyclability. Points
awarded for addressing acoustics, no specific rec
BS EN 3382-3/ISO 3382-3
AIS Guide to Office
Acoustics, BCO Guide
BREEAM, LEED,
SKARating
Office Acoustic Measurements - other countries
Country
Regulation or
Standard
Key points
France
France
France
HQE Label target 9
NF S 31-080
NF S 31-199
Floor surface for the performance Level
Reverb Time and DL2
defines 4 types of activities. D2s, SPL in
activity, Attenuation, RT
RT and A/V depending on room type
Germany
DIN 18041 (Standard
under revision)
Germany
VDI 2569 (guideline
under development)
Sweden
SS25268
Netherlands DIN 18041/handboek bkk
Nen 5077-2012
NPR 3438-2007
Poland
PN-B-02151-4
D2S, LPAS4m, RT in diff. Classes depending
on Activity
RT 0.4 at 250-4000Hz
Acoustic quality in small to medium-sized
rooms
Methods for performance on sound levels
caused by technical services and RT
Determination of the amount of disturbance
of communication and concentration
Acoustic absorption of the room referred to 1m2 of
floor; 1.1 for open-plan office for general purposes
and 1.3 for call centres
Noise Causes Dissatisfaction
Noise:
•
•
Leesman Index (2014) Leesman Review

Top 10 importance
~28% satisfaction
Noise affects performance
Source: Oseland and Burton (2012) Quantifying the impact of environmental conditions on worker performance
People in the Office – WGBC
It’s about People and our Senses
Sounds
becup.com
• Physically
• Psychologically
• Physiologically
hdwallpaperscool.com
All sound clips from http://www.freesfx.co.uk/
Posted on 15 November 2009 by
admin at
http://harveysmuse.com/
Psychoacoustics is the
scientific study of the
psychological and
physiological responses
associated with sound

What is noise?
• “Noise is unwanted sound” –
psychophysical issue
• Physical sound level accounts for 25%
variance, psychological 50%
• Current focus is on physical not
psychological

Three primary areas of concern for office
workers:
• Lack of Control
• Lack of Privacy
• Disruptions from
people talking

Based on the research literature - four key non-physical
factors affecting noise perception and performance:
• Task and work activity
• Perceived control & predictability
• Context and attitude
• Personality type
Banbury, Berry, 2005– people, talking phones, unable to habituate

Exploring Diversity in the workplace…
Task & personality
Task & personality
Personality type
Nature of task
Introvert
Simple
Complex
Extrovert
Simple
Complex
Quiet
Noisy
Practical Solutions
Challenges in open plan spaces
Screen height and
absorption – if I can see
your mouth moving, I
can hear you!
We‘re a busy team
here, making lots of
noise....we‘re happy
Insulation – controls
disturbances from room
to room
Speech propagation
diminishes with distance,
ceiling absorption and
barriers…we’re happy
Dedicated quiet
areas, away from
open plan
Good acoustic design should…..
…contribute to a good working environment
which promotes both wellbeing and
performance;
– Enhance communication within teams
– Reduce disturbance/distraction from
unwanted speech
– Improve speech privacy
– Support employees working on
concentrated or complex tasks
– Aid productivity
– Ultimately sustainable
People-centred approach…
• Displace – access to separate collaboration spaces,
adequate quiet rooms, working from home, visual
cues library vs café
• Avoid – speaker phones and meeting tables in
open-plans requiring concentration. Noisy vs quiet
teams, personality map (intro vs extro)
• Reduce – control density/desk size (too many, too
noisy), good absorbing and insulating materials,
soundscape rather than sound masking
• Educate – acoustic etiquette – loud talking,
interruptions, ring tones, do not disturb signals
The Acoustic
Layer:
Adjacencies
Material
Selection
Furniture
placement
Physical Acoustics
On-line
Acoustic
Survey – Pre
and Post
Occupancy
Design and Specification
OCEAN Test
Introvert/
Extrovert
Subjective Acoustic
Psychological Profile
The Broader Acoustic Solution
Modelling
POE: ISO
3382-3
D2S and
Lp,A,S,4 m
STI
Call to Action
and
Questions
Email: paige.hodsman@ecophon.co.uk
Visit: www.ecophon.co.uk
Follow us on twitter: @ecophonuk