SOLANA BEACH, CA—Privacy and distraction in open offices, along with poor sound quality due to hard surfaces reflecting sound and causing cacophonous reverberation, are some of the issues that can be addressed through better design, John Stein, president of locally based Kirei—a provider of various acoustic treatment solutions—tells GlobeSt.com.

While workplace wellness is a dominant theme in office design, amidst all the chatter of sit/stand desks, proper lighting and healthy food stocked in pantries, we sometimes forget to talk about acoustics. Problems from too much echo and a lack of privacy, to disruptive office chatter and poor division of space or flow are common in today's open-office designs. Kirei turned to a panel of acoustic consultants to create an Official Guide to Office Acoustics.

We spoke with Stein about the acoustic issues modern offices face and how they can be addressed.

GlobeSt.com: What are some of the biggest acoustic problems in today's modern offices?

Stein: Privacy and distraction are the top two issues faced in today's modern, open offices. Not far behind is poor sound quality in sleek modern spaces, due to hard surfaces reflecting sound and causing cacophonous reverberation. Phone rooms, conference rooms and lobbies can all suffer from this issue and be almost unbearable due to excessive echo. Too many offices are suffering from privacy issues due to shared “benching” and open desk configurations, and the result can be distraction from the work at hand.

GlobeSt.com: How can these issues be addressed?

Stein: Echo can be reduced through better design: awareness of high ceilings and large open spaces, as well as mitigation by use of acoustically absorbent materials in key locations to capture sound. Additionally, it can help to look at the arrangement of workers and job tasks. For example, don't put the sales team next to the coders.

GlobeSt.com: What is a “dynamic layout,” and how can developers, property owners and tenants take advantage of it?

Stein: Dynamic layout refers to the ability to change spaces during one's work day as tasks change, as well as the ability to be reconfigured as worker and company needs change throughout the day, week, month and year. New work teams can come together and then disperse as project needs change. Providing greater flexibility in space usage can result in less “wasted” space that may sit unused for large portions of the day. Dynamic layouts can bring new, changing acoustic challenges as spaces change, and noise levels and tolerances may change with new tasks, teams and personalities. This can come in the form of semi-private areas for focused work, isolated team work areas for more boisterous collaboration and formal areas for executive interactions.

GlobeSt.com: What other new office trends do you see coming down the pike?

Stein: I see the continued recognition that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to office environments. There are a range of tasks and personalities at play, and office spaces need to be flexible enough to enable employees to perform their tasks and also cater to their needs rather than the other way around. We are also seeing a continuation of the trend towards re-urbanization, with cool spaces being developed in industrial urban cores. These spaces often present acoustic challenges due to their hard surfaces (stone floors and walls, etc.) and need to address this in design. We have also seen increased use of large-format art in spaces as well to provide personality—this is often combined with acoustic treatment to kill two birds with one stone. For example, we recently launched our EchoPanel Mura Fabric that is a wallcovering (made of 60% recycled PET) that absorbs sound and adds dynamic design to nearly any flat surface.

Instant Insights /

Mitigating Acoustic Issues in Open Offices

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