Marcia Jenneth Epstein, Ph.D. has once again contributed to Acoustic Bulletin with this guest blog post. We appreciate your work, Marcia! Read more about our guest blogger and find her other post here. Hearing is our ”second sense”. Phrases used in Western culture to demonstrate understanding – at least in English – are often visual: […]
A new international standard has recently been released focusing on one of the most complex indoor sound environments, the open office. For this very same reason this is one of our favourite subjects and therefore we are happy to update you on the new ISO 22955. So what is its scope and how can it […]
In offices, noise control should be a priority as unwanted sound causes stress. Continuously elevated stress levels are a health risk. Turku University of Applied Sciences and University of Turku have conducted the first Finnish medical study on the physiological, psychological, and performance effects of irrelevant speech. Office noise consists primarily of this kind of […]
How we perceive the sounds around us is dependent upon their inherent acoustic characteristics but also their associated meanings, context and our experience. We individuals shape the frame of reference. Exposure to unwanted, negative sounds (noise!) impacts our quality of life. Until now, our primary goal in acoustics has been to solely reduce the negative […]
The Nordic Acoustic Association and the Norwegian Acoustical Society invited scientists and engineers to attend the Baltic-Nordic Acoustic Meeting for 2021 this week and despite an online set-up the program consisted of keynote lectures, invited and contributed papers in structured parallel sessions. Some of the really interesting presentations are described here but you can find […]
Is the open office a thing of the past? How can verbal communication be the main reason for its existence and simultaneously its biggest acoustic problem? We give you the answers and the solutions in this series on acoustic design of open offices. In this three-part Design Dive series, we, as always, bring you both […]
The nature of work has changed, and with it, the way we design offices. But how will this change the sound environment of future offices and what does it mean for the acoustic design of workplaces? By far the space layout with the highest risk of infection in the modern office is the various […]
There is ever increasing acknowledgement of the need for diversity of thought within all spheres of society. When it comes to the workplace, understanding more about this topic and how people on the edges of the spectrum can be better supported within workplaces, will contribute to evolving organisations into more inclusive environments. “Neurodiversity” refers […]
It has been predicted again and again that video conferencing would become a ubiquitous part of professional life. Now, it seems it is here to stay, but there are still work to be done before this technology can live up to its full potential. Never before have so much professional interaction taken place remotely, through […]
Three of our editors have kicked off a podcast in their local language – Swedish! Maria Quinn, Ida Cederlund and Johan Gross discuss the nature of sound and why we are affected by it in so many ways in healthcare, education and offices. The first two episodes are available and more will come in the […]