Office Acoustics: Analyzing Reverberation Time and Subjective Evaluation

Members of the design department in a medium-sized company were complaining to the management about the acoustic situation in new offices which adversely affected their personal well-being and their work performance. Therefore, a field study was conducted to analyze and evaluate the acoustic working conditions in the new offices and to develop improvements where necessary. Objective criteria for the evaluation of communication disturbances during meetings or telephone conversations were obtained by measuring the reverberation time in several offices. Questionnaires with unipolar or bipolar 4-step scales allowed a differentiated judgement of the current acoustic situation and its effects on the person or individual. Improvements of the acoustics were developed and cost-utility prognoses were made. The proposed solutions and their prospective acceptance rate among the employees were assessed before they were implemented.