On a recent visit to Auckland I caught up with Ian Cooper from The WorkTools Company. I took the opportunity to discuss acoustics, in particularly Sabine’s, with him.

You may recall a recent blog I published called Acoustics – The Final Frontier. Well apparently it was not the final frontier but the beginning of another discussion about acoustics in the modern office.

Sabine’s Law

Wallace Clement Sabine conducted experiments (in the late 19th century) about the impact of absorption. He found that the reverberation time multiplied by the total absorptivity of the room is comparative to the volume of the room.

The content of the room alters the reverberation time. As the number of occupants, whether it be people or items, increases the reverberation time decreases.

Architects and engineers can use Sabine’s Law when creating spaces to achieve the best reverberation time for that space. These acoustics will enable quieter and more productive spaces.

When I asked Ian if he thought Sabine should be used more he said “Yes. Absorption & reverberation are the key issues. A Sabine helps to validate this.”

He went on to say “Good room acoustics are seldom noticeable and each interior activity has its own challenges. Consideration needs to be given to reflection, absorption & the scattering of sound time. Most objects include elements of all three. A glass surface has little absorption & scattering where as a sofa has absorption and scattering. Sabine’s can help provide guidance in product selection. Glass surfaces and concrete floors will naturally create problems in say a cafe so from an interiors perspective you need to find a means to balance this – a sofa may help but may not suit the environment. An acoustical pendant, like the IQ Commercial BIP, will help to reduce the reverberation.”

Ideally, one should seek the help of an acoustics expert to validate the overall impact. They will take into consideration the layout, flooring materials, walls, ceiling and the furniture.

The clever people over at IQ Commercial have worked with NANO fibre upholstery to enhance their ABW range of acoustic work POD solutions. This fabric has a distinct advantage over traditional upholstery by utilising its incredibly tight weave to achieve superior acoustic ratings thus increasing its Sabine efficiency.

New ways of working is here and studies show agile workspaces enhance collaboration, innovation and productivity, however they are also proven to be noisy, disruptive and often lack solo space for concentrated work tasks. According to a study in the Wall Street Journal, the average time for a worker to regain concentration on a task after being distracted is 23 minutes!

The workplace evolution fascinates me and often prompts more questions than answers about how do designers design space that meet all human centred requirements to work productively?

Your questions or comments are always welcome.