Office acoustics: Understanding acoustic design in the workplace

While vibrant and collaborative, these ambient office acoustics can also be distracting for many professionals seeking focused solo work.

In fact, research shows over 52% of employees have trouble concentrating amid office noise pollution. This daily environment of distractions and lack of privacy takes a toll, hurting productivity and even wellbeing over time.

As open floorplans become the norm, controlling acoustics is no longer an afterthought, but a critical driver of workspace satisfaction and performance. Through proper workplace acoustics planning and design, offices can curb excess noise while enabling collaboration and communication to thrive.

In this guide, we clarify the impact of acoustics in the workplace, walk through core methodologies like sound absorption, and showcase the latest in acoustic office solutions. By grasping these key principles, office managers, designers and architects can create balanced soundscapes where ambient noise enhances rather than hinders.

For modern open floorplan offices, achieving quality acoustics is a driver of employee experience, productivity and wellbeing. Beyond the obvious disruptions to phone calls and meetings, ambient noise takes a proven toll on concentration, mental fatigue and stress levels over the workday.

And with prolonged exposure to excess noise shown to impair cognitive abilities while elevating heart rates and blood pressure, poor acoustics also multiply health risks - especially prevalent in already noisy cities. On the flip side, optimised office acoustics carries multifaceted benefits.

Noise intensity is measured in decibels (dB). Sounds under 35dB like soft music or distant chatter are unlikely to disrupt focus. But as experts suggest the ideal background level for offices is 35-40dB – around an indoor conversation – it takes planning to hit this sweet spot.

Yet, open offices can easily exceed 65dB, the level of a noisy restaurant. And with prolonged exposure to sounds above 85dB capable of permanently damaging hearing, it pays dividends to analyse and address office acoustics through design.

Beyond minimised health risks, research confirms offices with comfortable sound levels significantly boost worker satisfaction along with motivation and job performance. Considering ambient speech is the most distracting background noise, improving speech privacy also ranked among the top drivers of workplace experience in a recent survey.

For today’s open offices, achieving acoustic comfort is no longer a luxury but a basic requirement for happy, healthy and productive workplaces. As work itself grows more demanding amid digital distractions, offices should provide sanctuaries guarding focus while enabling collaboration.

By applying core acoustic design principles paired with the latest sound-dampening furnishings and adaptive sound systems, the ambient aural experience can empower rather than impede.

At the end of the day, quality work springs from tranquillity of mind – states challenged by constant audible chaos. Through balanced acoustics diminishing unwanted noise, purposeful sound can nurture creativity and flow states priming breakthrough innovations now and in the future.

Need help improving your office acoustics? Reach out to our team of experts at Office Principles. We’ll collaboratively transform your workspace vision into an inspired reality.