Commissioning the acoustical performance of an open office space following the latest healthy building standard: A case study
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Issue Date
2019-07-09
Authors
Kim, Amy
Wang, Shuoqi
McCunn, Lindsay J.
Prozuments, Aleksejs
Swanson, Troy
Lokan, Kim
License
Subject
Abstract
Healthy building design guides are cogent and necessary. While elements that contribute
to healthy buildings are multifactorial, the perception of sound versus noise is subjective and
difficult to operationalize. To inform the commissioning process, the acoustics in an open office
was examined following the first international building certification system that focuses on the
well-being of occupants. Results highlight the role facility managers play in ensuring acoustical
quality and offer suggestions to optimize healthy building rating systems. Mixed empirical evidence
concerning the advantages of open office designs exists, as does evidence that noise, and a lack
of privacy, affects workers’ levels of distraction and dissatisfaction. Sound masking systems can
lower stress levels and augment performance. However, the sound produced by these systems
can also be disruptive; conflicting information exists for facility managers to use when making
decisions. The results suggest that, although objective measurements and healthy building guidelines
for designing satisfactory indoor acoustic environments are important, changes to the physical
environment, and acoustical systems, in particular, require iterative subjective assessments within the retrofit process to bolster occupant satisfaction. Mixed-methodologies used in this study may
aid facilities managers in capturing and interpreting occupant data about physical stimuli in the
workplace and improving the commissioning process.