Noise is one of the top causes of dissatisfaction and loss of productivity in the workplace. In today’s varied and diverse office environments, it is more important more than ever to create spaces that are acoustically appropriate and supportive of the people who work there. Unwanted noise can result in annoyance, heightened stress levels and reduced performance; therefore it is critical that we understand not only how people perceive sound in the workplace but also how this affects their health, wellbeing and performance.
Many architectural acousticians have a physics or engineering background, and their approach to mitigating noise is mostly, but not entirely, focused on purely physical solutions. The demands of 21st-century workplaces often calls for a more rounded approach, with experts working together to offer a combined psychological, physiological and physical solution to acoustic problems.