Open Office Plans - Sound Masking is Important

Open office environments, like almost any other human space, suffer from an acoustical conflict.

On the one hand, we require an environment where we can effectively communicate with our coworkers. This means we must allow for clear vocal transmission between individuals. On the other hand, we only want our vocalizations to reach their intended target, rather than to the office at large. Unintended noise transmission is distracting and ultimately leads to low worker productivity, among other things.

Open office plans have the potential to be an acoustician's nightmare, but with proper planning and foresight they can become successful acoustic environments. Appropriate building materials, furniture, and partitions play a critical role in acoustic quality. Sound masking is an equally important, but frequently overlooked, element of successful acoustical design:

"Sometimes overlooked by facility executives, a sound masking system is invaluable in an open office space... No matter how acoustically well-planned a space's floor, ceiling, furniture panels and finishes are, a correctly configured sound masking system will always improve speech
privacy." ("Sound Decisions," Building Operating Management, January 2007)

Also important to note is the necessity of professional tuning and calibration of a sound masking system:

"One of the biggest mistakes... facility executives make is installing and tuning a sound masking system themselves... People buy canned units and don't take time to address the whole open plan space. Masking needs to be something that's thought out and planned carefully."

Office of the Future?

What does the "office of the future" hold in store for us? Will it be bright and colorful, sleek and shiny, or modern and sterile? What will our work flow and work patterns be like? Will we work more independently, or will we tend towards collaboration?

Popular Science attempts to answer these questions ( "The Future of Work," March 2007) with an article chock full of gizmos and gadgets that may make an appearance in the office landscape some time soon. Included in this list of gadgets is the new "Babble" device, which "scrambles the sound of your voice and transmits it over a speaker to render your words nonsensical to eavesdroppers." This hardly sounds like something to look forward to, considering the already high levels of distracting noise in most office environments, and the trend towards fewer traditional sound barriers.

The article then goes on to mention the benefits of sound masking in this new environment:

"Less distracting is a ceiling-mounted noise generator... a system of small speakers that issue a sound-masking whoosh not unlike the sound of an air conditioner."

Technology will certainly be evolving along with the workplace, but I think the real question is: will it make work more productive, enjoyable, or rewarding? What will be the human benefits of these new technologies?

Personal Sound Masking - Not a Magic Wand

Everyone who has worked in an office environment has experienced problems with chatty neighbors, noisy hallways, or annoying cell phones. Some employees may find these situations more distracting than others. Cambridge Sound Management's newest device, the Sonet Qt, proposes to treat these problems on an individual basis, using spot acoustical treatment. The device seems to be appropriate for situations in which one particular individual is having difficulty with acoustics, rather than as a broad spectrum, facility-wide treatment.

Synopsis of product review of the Sonet Qt in Buildings magazine:

"It's ideal for 'spot treatment' in situations where one individual is distracted by voices, outside traffic, or other noises... [The] Sonet Qt is not a facility-wide system. Instead, it provides soundmasking on an as-needed basis to a select number of individuals who may want (or need) it."