Sustainable Building Technical Manual - Etn-presco.net

CHAPTER 14Acoustics★ S I G N I F I CA N C E .Acoustics have a significant impact upon the overall indoor environmental quality ofmodern buildings and the amount of noise emission or pollution discharged to the outdoors.The levels of background noise, privacy, and separation between particular types ofspaces have important implications for the work environment of building occupants.Commercial facilities would be well served by a careful review of acoustical considerationsand their effects on occupant productivity.AuthorJohn D. LongmanIn open office spaces, for instance, background noise that is too loud or has tonal qualitiescan distract occupants and reduce productivity. Other types of office spaces such asexecutive suites, conference rooms, and boardrooms have particular privacy requirements.Machine-rooms and other noise-producing facilities should be isolated from areaswhere privacy is required. There are numerous standards for acoustic quality in traditionalbuilding spaces and in specialty areas such as sound and production rooms, whereacoustics is a high priority.At the start of a project, the design team should work with the buildings’ users to establishrequirements for background noise levels, sound isolation, and speech privacy toensure that sufficient levels are afforded to all spaces. Incorporating acoustic considerationsinto the design of a project at the planning phase can result in significant benefitsand can avert costly, and possibly difficult, corrective measures later on. For example, bycarefully locating internal spaces at the start of the project, the designer can reduce theneed for high-sound-rated construction to mitigate noise problems. In certain noise-sensitiveareas, and particularly in renovations, white noise and active noise systems may provideadditional solutions.Surface finishes are also important in the acoustic environment and can influence thecharacter of the space as significantly as color or shape. Selecting the correct balancebetween hard, acoustically reflective materials and soft, absorptive ones facilitates theprojection of speech to intended areas and prevents echoes or the excessive buildup ofunwanted sound in other areas.