Stilla: sustainable acoustic panels

Acoustic solutions: what is the difference between good and poor acoustics?

A calling manager, colleagues quickly discussing something, or even the printer doing its job. In poor acoustics, this normal workplace noise is easily amplified, leading to sound disturbance. Did you know that noise disturbance is a widespread issue affecting as many as 70% of employees?

To help your employees work and perform at their best in the office, as an employer you should prioritise investing in an acoustically healthy environment.

It benefits both your people and your business.

What is acoustics?

To understand acoustics, we first need to look at sound. Sound is created by vibrations in the air. These vibrations are produced by, for example, our voice, the coffee machine, or a colleague’s smartphone, and they generate sound and reverberation.

Acoustics is the science of sound and how it behaves and spreads within a space. It focuses on the relationship between sound absorption and sound reflection.

Sound absorption measures how well a material or surface absorbs sound waves. The better the absorption, the more the sound is dampened, and the better the acoustics in the space.

With sound reflection, sound waves bounce back instead of being absorbed. This causes sound to spread throughout the room. Excessive reflection leads to echo and poor speech intelligibility.

Reverberation time is the time it takes for sound to fade after the original sound has stopped. It is an important parameter to assess sound quality in an office or any other space. A long reverberation time means sound lingers in the room before disappearing completely, while a short reverberation time means the sound fades quickly.

Good acoustics in the office

Whether office acoustics are good or poor depends on several objective parameters, such as sound absorption and reflection. However, the experience of good acoustics is never entirely objective. Subjective factors such as culture, habit, stress levels, and personal sensitivity always play a role.

Good acoustics are generally described as pleasant. The sound in the space does not interfere with its function. In other words, the sound fits the purpose and the people in the room. Even in a well acoustically designed office, it is never completely silent, and there is always some level of background conversation and noise.

An office with good acoustics has little echo or reverberation. The sound feels natural and comfortable and contributes to a healthy and pleasant working environment.

What is poor acoustics?

When too much reverberation is present in a space, we speak of poor acoustics. In offices with long reverberation times, sound tends to accumulate. When reverberation is too long, it also becomes harder to understand one another clearly. This affects communication between colleagues and can lead to fatigue, concentration problems, stress, and even hearing issues.

Poor acoustics are often caused by the amount of hard materials in an interior design. Think of concrete, glass, metal, painted brick, or modern plaster finishes. In today’s open plan offices, many of these materials are commonly used. Desks are often grouped in islands, combined with metal storage units and bare walls, creating the perfect storm.

In such environments, sound is barely absorbed and reflection is high. As a result, people tend to speak louder to make themselves heard. Add roles that involve frequent phone calls and constant interaction, and noise disturbance quickly becomes an issue.

Improve office acoustics today

Fortunately, acoustics can be significantly improved. This also brings many benefits. Good office acoustics not only create a more pleasant environment, they also improve performance.

The four main benefits of good office acoustics are:

• Better concentration and higher productivity (up to 30 percent improvement)
• Less stress and lower absenteeism
• Improved speech intelligibility and more speech privacy
• Higher levels of satisfaction and motivation

As you know, several factors contribute to acoustics in a space. Sound absorption is one of them. A good and pleasant acoustic environment is created by using sufficient furniture, accessories, and elements with high sound absorption. Think of curtains, plants, carpets, desk partitions, and acoustic wall panels.

Acoustic panels are an ideal sound solution for offices. They can easily be installed on walls or ceilings. In both office spaces and meeting rooms, these sound absorbing panels enhance employee wellbeing and productivity.

Looking to significantly improve the acoustics in your office spaces? Stilla is here to help. Get in touch and we will explore the possibilities of your acoustic project together.