Since most office-based workers spend more than half their time on focus work and on the telephone, speech privacy and noise control are vital to their ability to concentrate and their satisfaction with their workplaces. The work environment should support these activities; instead, workplace design trends—open plan, higher-density office spaces—are steadily eroding many means of controlling acoustics. Partitions are getting lower and lower, absorptive finishes are being replaced with hard, exposed surfaces, and closed rooms are being built with less sound–absorptive demountable walls.
After reading this article, you should be able to:
+ EXPLAIN sound masking’s role in achieving effective acoustics.
+ DIFFERENTIATE between sound masking, white noise, and pink noise.
+ IDENTIFY the three main types of masking architecture: centralized, decentralized, and networked.
+ DESCRIBE the importance of achieving spatial uniformity in the masking sound in order to improve occupant privacy, concentration, and comfort.
More Courses
Interior design/Interior architecture
6 steps to designing a modern wine display
Design-focused wine displays are becoming increasingly popular in amazing residential and commercial properties throughout the world. Top design/…
course credit: 1.0 AIA LU
Classroom Sponsor - PROVIDED BY: VintageView Wine Storage Systems
Exterior
Design guide for parapets: Safety, continuity, and the building code
Originally designed to protect against enemy attack, the parapet in modern construction is far removed from its antiquated roots. Though the word…
course credit: 1.0 AIA LU/HSW, 1.0 PDH
Campus Sponsor - PROVIDED BY: BD+C
Structural
Designing smarter places of learning
Steel building systems provide unique advantages in the construction of education facilities. This introductory course explains these benefits can be…
course credit: 1.0 AIA LU/HSW, 1.0 PDH
Campus Sponsor - PROVIDED BY: New Millennium Building Systems
Structural
Choosing the right paver system for rooftop amenity spaces
Since the industrial revolution, the United States has been rapidly urbanizing. The most recent census data shows that approximately 80% of Americans…
course credit: 1.0 AIA LU/HSW
Campus Sponsor - PROVIDED BY: BD+C
Exterior
Designing with architectural insulated metal wall panels
Insulated metal wall panels (IMPs) offer a sleek, modern, and lightweight envelope system that is highly customizable. This continuing education…
course credit: 1.0 AIA LU/HSW, 1.0 PDH
Classroom Sponsor - PROVIDED BY: Metl-Span
Land Development
Planning for hospital campus access that works for people
Well-functioning hospitals and medical centers are no accident that a team of healthcare professionals bandaged and fixed up in the emergency room.…
course credit: 1.0 AIA LU
Campus Sponsor - PROVIDED BY: BD+C
1.0 AIA LU/HSW
For glass openings, how big is too big?
Advances in glazing materials and glass building systems offer a seemingly unlimited horizon for not only glass performance, but also for the size…
course credit: 1.0 AIA LU/HSW
Campus Sponsor - PROVIDED BY: BD+C
Exterior
New ideas in glass curtain walls, window walls, and storefronts
Driven by two distinct influences, a new generation of glass building enclosures has a unique trajectory—toward higher performance and sustainability…
course credit: 1.0 AIA LU/HSW
Campus Sponsor - PROVIDED BY: Azon
1.0 AIA LU
12 factors to consider in evaluating tankless water heaters for multifamily housing projects
Tankless water heaters have come a long way in the last 10 years or so. One-third of respondents (33.2%) to our exclusive 2019 Multifamily Design+…
course credit: 1.0 AIA LU
Campus Sponsor - PROVIDED BY: BD+C
1.0 AIA LU/HSW
Multifamily security design tips from four certified security professionals
We asked four top experts—all members of the International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC)—for their advice on securing…