NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE

Is noise a nuisance in your office? If you can answer yes to any of these questions you may be suffering the effects of unwanted noise… and you’re not alone. Studies show that many people are affected by workplace noise and that it can seriously reduce worker effectiveness.

acousticcomfort ™ NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE Reduce noise disruptions Maintain speech privacy Improve productivity Enjoy acoustic comfort 2 ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE Do you find yourself distracted by vocal colleagues? Are you worried about confidentiality breaches? Do you often mishear conversations? Is noise a nuisance in your office? If you can answer yes to any of these questions you may be suffering the effects of unwanted noise… and you’re not alone. Studies show that many people are affected by workplace noise and that it can seriously reduce worker effectiveness. 72 % 64 % 59 % of workers are dissatisfied with their speech privacy. University of California at Berkeley study of office workers are interrupted up to 20 times a day. Brother research of employee time is spent trying to do quiet, focused work in one’s own workspace. BOSTI research ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE 3 70 % of workers said they could be more productive in a less noisy office environment. ASID study 4 Bring noise control to your office 6 Make yourself comfortable 8 Noise management makes sound financial sense 10 Why has noise become an issue? 12 Sounds bad, what’s the solution? 14 The ABC of acoustics 16 Test results that speak for themselves 18 The LogiSon ® Acoustic Network 20 LogiSon ® Acoustic Network set up 22 Reduce noise and reverberation 24 Example areas of application 28 A background to sound 30 Installation and guarantees 32 Our partners 33 Market sector experience 34 FAQs 35 Glossary Contents 4 ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE Bring noise control to your office 10 reasons to use Acou stic Comfort 1 Regain speech privacy 2 Eliminate noisy distractions 3 Maintain client confidentiality 4 Improve concentration 5 Enhance employee performance 6 Lower stress levels 7 Mask out vocal colleagues 8 Silence loud office equipment 9 Create a welcoming atmosphere 10 Boost job satisfaction Since the 1960s a desire for greater efficiency and lower costs within corporations has resulted in an open plan working environment. Whilst this has made communication easier and allowed teamwork to flourish, such large spaces can suffer badly from echo and reverberation. By blending advanced technology with specialist knowledge extraneous noise will be effectively controlled. We guarantee the result will be a more comfortable working environment that allows employees to concentrate on scheduled tasks, reduces stress and increases productivity. Acoustic Comfort is a specialist consultancy service. We provide managed, noise control that helps eliminate common noise related problems in the workplace; reducing distractions, maintaining privacy and improving clarity. ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE 5 Maintain privacy Regain speech privacy in areas where any breach of sensitive or classified information would be potentially damaging. Improve intelligibility Simultaneously enhance communication between colleagues and improve clarity between staff and customer’s telephone conversations by eliminating background interruptions. Increase concentration Create a balanced background sound level to reduce any distracting spikes in noise. Lower stress levels Reduce high level noise to improve concentration, increase performance and productivity levels, in turn decreasing stress and leading to greater job satisfaction. Suit any business Acquire a flexible solution that meets the requirements in virtually any market sector. Assess your situation Determine the extent of any noise related issues you may be experiencing with a full acoustic survey. Create aesthetic, absorbing solutions Print graphics and images on the latest Reverb acoustic panels and screens, without necessarily changing the way your office looks. Designed to look discreet, no frame is visible as all fabric is wrapped and tucked in – great for architects who require a smooth finish. Use the latest advanced technology Enjoy advanced, fully digital sound masking provided by the LogiSon ® Acoustic Network, a system unique in providing control of addressable speakers from a central control panel or a laptop. Guarantee success We guarantee to improve the acoustic landscape within any enclosed space and to achieve this with minimum disruption to the business. Acoustic Comfort employs a consultative approach that enables us to identify all acoustic issues, providing a balanced overall solution that improves privacy, clarity and comfort. Key features of Acoustic Comfort 6 ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE In every office there is an acceptable level of acoustic comfort, just as there is with more familiar ergonomic concerns such as light, temperature and humidity. The affects of getting it wrong are well known. Setting the thermostat too high or too low will lead to discomfort. Incorrect lighting can cause eye strain and headaches. An awkward posture at a workstation is literally a pain in the neck which could result in weeks off work. Good acoustics are an essential element in the ergonomic mix. Ensuring correct levels of privacy, speech intelligibility and sound quality are maintained will result in improved personal well being and a more productive workforce. And it needn’t be complicated. Our advanced technology enables us to manage sound levels as easily as adjusting a thermostat. Studies show disruptive noise and lack of speech privacy are leading problems in today’s buildings. The intrusion of colleagues conversations is now the most distracting noise for office workers, closely followed by noise generated from telecommunication equipment. Noise is a very powerful distracting force that draws attention away from these tasks. It can take up to four times as long as the interruption itself to return to the task in hand. On average this equals 15 minutes before the person regains concentration. Additionally, overheard conversations can lead to confidentiality breaches in sensitive areas. Make yourself comfortable 21.0 ºC TEMPERATURE 50 % HUMIDITY 500 Lx LIGHTING ?? dB NOISE FLOOR The noise floor The noise floor is the level of continuous sound that characterizes a space at any given time. To be heard, other sounds must rise above this floor. If the floor is too high, the environment will be irritating and tiring. If the floor is too low, conversations and noises can easily be overheard and become disruptive. In open plan offices, the noise floor is usually so low that conversations are intelligible from up to 50 feet (15.2 meters) away. Noticeable rises and falls in sound over time, and across the workplace, make it even more difficult to ‘block out’ the distractions caused by noise. Only a sound masking system can attain a proper noise floor, which is generally between 42dB(A) and 48dB(A). The masking sound decreases disruptions due to noise, increases speech privacy, and reduces the variation in sound over time and across the space, making the office more comfortable. Businesses invest a lot of time and money creating the ideal environment for their staff. Lighting, climate control and ergonomically designed furniture are all commonplace, so why leave acoustics out of the equation? The benefits for staff efficiency © 2012 K.R. Moeller Associates Ltd ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE 7 Reducing office noise levels will enhance communication between colleagues and improve call clarity between staff and customers, making concentration far easier. Sweating your assets doesn’t work In an increasingly value orientated climate, many businesses try ‘sweating their assets’. By looking at their existing assets and trying to make them work harder it’s reasonable to assume, for example, that increasing the number of people in an open plan office by 20% will achieve a 20% increase in productivity. However, cramming as many people in to as small a space as possible rarely works because of one important overlooked fact; people are not machines. A highly populated office inevitably leads to a high build up of noise. As more people converse the space soon fills with large numbers trying to speak and listen at the same time. Eventually a volume level is reached where no one can hear properly due to the high background noise level created by all the conversations. This significantly reduces work output and leads to declining job satisfaction. Of course, the choice of materials and construction methods are also of paramount importance to a cost- effective build or fit-out. Acoustic Comfort has the knowledge and expertise to significantly reduce these costs, whilst also improving the acoustic environment. Silence is not the answer Too quiet or too loud? Disruptive noise causes distractions and makes it difficult to concentrate – an issue for any employee engaged in normal, everyday activities. Just as bad is an acoustic environment resembling a library, with voices carrying further and seeming louder. A balanced background noise floor is often the best answer. Most evaluations of the acoustic environment focus only on the quantity, or volume, of sound. In so doing, noise control strategies are often pursued in the “Quest for Silence” – the notion that good acoustics are achieved when the sound levels in a space are as low as possible, with zero being the best. However, just as with ergonomic factors such as light, temperature and humidity, there is a comfort zone for the volume of sound, and it is not zero. © 2012 K.R. Moeller Associates Ltd 8 ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE Noise management makes sound financial sense Investing in Acoustic Comfort will not only provide relief for staff but also show viable return on your investment in a fairly short period of time. The biggest cost to the company may be to do nothing. Research commissioned by Brother proves that it takes an average of 15 minutes to regain concentration after being distracted from a difficult task by unwanted noise. If each person is interrupted 5 times a day and it takes up to 15 minutes to regain full concentration, this equates to a 15% reduction in productivity over an average 8 hour working day. The above example visually illustrates this 15% reduction in productivity. It shows that in a company employing 200 staff this is equivalent to 30 people effectively being paid to do nothing! The potential benefit of reducing those noise interruptions, at an average annual salary of £20,000 per person, is an increase in productivity of £600,000 per annum. Studies show that even mildly noisy workspaces can cause stress, lead to demotivation amongst employees and often reduce their productivity. As the example shows, it is not as costly an option as you may have been led to believe. The return on investment is likely to occur over a period of weeks, not years. A 15% reduction in productivity means you’re effectively paying 15% of employees to do nothing. The reality of a 15% reduction in staff productivity Working Not working ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE 9 The building is predominantly open plan with 500 staff handling hundreds of calls a day, with each operative spending 90% of their time working on their own, making concentration and low stress a priority. The interior fit out is of a very high standard, making the environment light and airy. The acoustics make the building feel calm and peaceful, telephone conversations can’t be heard clearly from 5m distance allowing the staff to give their full attention to the callers. Acoustic Comfort installed LogiSon ® sound masking throughout the building, including all open plan areas, meeting rooms, training rooms and reception. The system comprises 201 speakers largely visible in the open roof space 6 metres above the desks. The public address component allows the reception staff to address specific areas or the whole building and the system is used for emergency evacuation. Capita, B1, Birmingham CASE STUDY Capita is the UK’s leading outsourcing company. Service Birmingham at B1 is a joint venture with Birmingham City Council. The aim of the project is to provide staff with the best ITC, improve service, cut costs and increase staff job satisfaction. Noise issue Priva cy Co mfort 3 Privacy and comfort Solution Absorption Blocking Cover “The acoustics are excellent, you imagine that with so many people on the phone at the same time there would be a real din but the reality is you wonder if anyone is on the phone at all” Sonja Thomas Head of Facilities, Capita C 10 ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE Why has noise become an issue? Today’s modern workplace is now an open plan area covered with smooth, hard materials such as marble, Corrian, glass, laminates, painted plasterboard and wooden flooring. It may give a great interior aesthetic but these surfaces also provide the ideal conditions for sound to travel. 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1 kHz 2 kHz 4 kHz Carpet 0.01 0.02 0.06 0.15 0.25 0.45 Concrete floor (unpainted, rough finish) 0.01 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 Marble floor 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.02 Wood flooring on joists 0.15 0.11 0.1 0.07 0.06 0.07 Brick wall 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.07 Doors (solid wood panels) 0.1 0.07 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.04 Glass (6mm plate, large pane) 0.18 0.06 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.02 Plasterboard stud wall (12mm panelling) 0.29 0.1 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.04 Plasterboard ceiling (12mm in suspended grid) 0.15 0.11 0.04 0.04 0.07 0.08 Absorption coefficients for common materials used in construction The problem facing designers Making an office look and sound good is a particular headache for facilities managers and planning teams. Poor acoustics are often the result of a combination of factors including: • The choice of fashionable materials: glass, concrete, wood or tiled floors and metal ceilings all have poor acoustic properties and reflect virtually all noise back into the room. • The trend to build partition walls from raised floor to underside of the ceiling, which leads to poor speech privacy. • Low noise heat and ventilation and effective external glazing, which reduce the natural background sound to the level of a library. Many acoustic problems occur when all materials are poorly absorbing. Choosing softer surfaces like carpet and curtains allows much more sound energy to be absorbed, reducing room echo. Products that use advanced materials, like Reverb, now allow offices to follow the modern aesthetic trend with minimal impact on the interior design. Ultimately, planning a space with the end user in mind will go a long way to creating an acoustically comfortable environment. A materials ability to absorb or reflect sound energy is measured on the sound absorption coefficients scale from 0 to 1 (see below). If a surface were a perfect reflector it would have a coefficient of 0. If it completely absorbs sound energy it would have an absorption coefficient of 1. 5 most common sources of noise 1 Vocal colleagues 2 Telecommunications equipment 3 Pri nters 4 Cooling and ventilation equipment 5 Outside noises [...]... Head of Property UK ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE 15 Test results that speak for themselves Predictive computer testing diagrams demonstrate just how effective sound management is at limiting unwanted noise Illustrations show simulated before and after scores measured from a single sound source, with affected areas shown in pink Concentration levels Before The results show speech from... as required ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE 21 © 2012 K.R Moeller Associates Ltd Keypad Cover walls and ceilings in a fully printable acoustic cladding Print your own choice of images on individually framed acoustic wall art Reduce noise and reverberation Acoustic Comfort use Reverb, a high quality sound absorber designed to significantly reduce reverberation and noise in enclosed spaces... result Acoustic Comfort use the award winning LogiSon® Acoustic Network, a fully digital sound masking system 96 88 81 74 40 20 53 0 No screen, mineral ceiling No screen + absorbing ceiling 27 W ut ho it Screen + mineral ceiling h it ng ng ki as m 14 ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE ki as m W Screen + absorbing ceiling N oi se iss ue 3 Priva cy Co mfort Priva cy an d co mfort So lutio n... privacy scores for Capital International, Geneva illustrates Measurements were taken in a corridor outside closed offices in front of sliding glass doors In the absence of sound masking the intelligibility scores exceeded 95%, that is over 95% of what was said could be understood to those outside the offices 80 60 40 20 0 0 t ou h it m ng ng ki as m 12 ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE ki as... conversational privacy is achieved Speech privacy levels Before Conversations are intelligible to listeners over a large area of the office resulting in minimal privacy After Areas of intelligible conversation are greatly reduced, resulting in increased conversational privacy ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE 17 The LogiSon® Acoustic Network Acoustic Comfort use the LogiSon Sound Masking System, a revolutionary,... it’s possible to provide a balanced overall solution that improves both privacy and comfort Option 3 Installation of sound masking manages the ambient noise level in a partitioned office, ensuring confidentiality whilst maintaining the flexibility of floor to ceiling partitions ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE 13 The ABC of acoustics The best way to achieve a properly managed acoustic environment... 2500 2000 1600 1250 1000 800 630 500 400 315 250 200 160 125 100 0.0 Frequency (Hz) 22 ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE Make a statement with suspended acoustic ceiling islands and baffles Limit noise with acoustic screens that block and absorb sound Use Reverb for superior acoustic performance in… 3 Atriums 3 Courtrooms 3 Reception 3 Boardrooms 3 Dining rooms 3 Hospital wards 3 Ballrooms... Broadcasting areas 3 Editing studios 3 Meeting rooms 3 Cinemas 3 Elevator lobbies 3 Recording studios 3 Classrooms 3 Feature walls 3 Open offices 3 Conference rooms 3 Foyers 3 Closed offices ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE 23 Example areas of application Acoustic Comfort will tailor solutions to meet the individual requirements of specific market sectors Retail banking The nature and scope of... pressure leve ls rang ing from 0 – 140dB(A) 28 ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE Eve ryd ay sou nd s in dB(A) 140 Jet eng ine at tak e-of f 130 Gun shot 120 Pop concert 110 Pne u mat ic drill 100 Trai n 90 Lawn mower 80 MP3 play er on max imu m leve l 70 Hea vy traff ic 60 Nois y office 50 Convers atio nal voice 40 Clos ed office 30 Fore st 20 Still open country 10 Recordi ng studio 0 Sile... the design work on the panelling ACOUSTIC COMFORT NOISE CONTROL FOR YOUR OFFICE 31 Our partners Acoustic Comfort has quickly established a reputation for delivering all the components of a successful acoustic environment, due largely to partnerships with specialists in the field Environment Acoustics K.R Moeller A leading acoustics practice specialising in office environments The engineers at Environment