For many people, the sound environment can cause disturbances and difficulty concentrating. Above all, it is the employees' chatter that is perceived to be the biggest source of noise disturbance. There is also an inherent, vicious circle where disturbing noise leads to stress, which in turn increases sound sensitivity even more.
Designing sounds
A broader perspective on the sound environment
When a new office is being designed, the sound environment often comes relatively late in the process. At the same time, the sound environment is something that affects employees the most – both if it's too loud and too quiet. Ludvig Svensson has taken a look at common situations today and what we think people should talk more about.
How we work and where we do it is constantly changing. This is often reflected in the office environments that are emerging, today with spaces that are increasingly becoming open-plan offices. Recurring justifications for these open solutions are greater opportunities for spontaneous meetings, natural collaborations, and increased knowledge sharing.
However, there is not as much discussion about one of the biggest challenges that open-plan solutions bring, namely the sound environment. The fact is that poor sound environments are one of the most common workplace problems today.
Problems and solutions in the sound environment
So far, the most common solutions to sound environment problems have been to reduce disruptive noise using acoustic room design and sound absorbers. In other words, measures focused on removing noise and creating environments as quiet as possible.
Reading between the lines, we can see that noise in the workplace is considered inherently negative, and should be combated. This, in many cases, has led to offices becoming too quiet.
What often happens then is that acousticians (or similar professionals) have to introduce sound to give employees' conversations less "empty space" to travel freely in. The quieter the office, the more clearly we hear our colleagues, which in turn increases the risk of being disturbed.
A complex interaction
How we are affected by a sound environment is both individually and emotionally conditioned, and the acoustic environment is just part of a larger whole. The sound environment arises particularly from an interaction between people, the place, and the context. Among the factors that shape the experience are both how we get along with our colleagues and the workplace itself, as well as how our various senses are interconnected and "cooperate." Visual impressions, tactile impressions - even scents - influence how we perceive and are affected by the sound environment.To create spaces where people feel good, work well, and thrive, a holistic perspective on the sound environment is required. This means that the creator or designer works with the acoustic and physical room design together with visual, ergonomic, and social factors, as all of them will impact how the sound environment is perceived.
Sustainable work environments
Therefore, we want to encourage considering and thinking about the sound environment in a broader perspective. Where different angles are explored to pave the way for sustainable work environments and increased well-being. Where the sound environment has both practical and aesthetic functions, and it's not only about dampening, reducing, and removing.
A sustainable sound environment is adapted to the activities taking place on site and doesn't necessarily have to be completely silent. Rather, it should provide space to better satisfy individual needs. Designing a work environment simply requires an even better integration of all senses, and an understanding that the design of sound environments cannot be separated from what has to do with visual or ergonomic design.
We must start seeing, listening, and feeling to understand if it sounds good.
The article is written by Martin Ljungdahl Eriksson, PhD in informatics with a focus on work-integrated learning, who researches using sound as a design element to influence experiences and behaviours.
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