Spi Speech Privacy Index
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The document discusses different acoustical solutions to privacy issues, including absorption, blocking, and sound masking. Absorption involves using sound absorbing materials to reduce echoes, blocking uses walls or partitions to physically separate spaces, and sound masking adds ambient noise to disguise speech. An ideal acoustic environment balances these approaches to reduce distractions while maintaining an open office design.
Spi Speech Privacy Index
- 3. THE ABC’S OF ACOUSTICAL SOLUTIONS What to do when: A. Absorption: Absorption is most effective at reducing echoes in areas with many hard surfaces. Absorption ceiling tiles effectively reduce reflections of speech between offices. B. Block: Blocking is typically the most difficult option in open areas due to cost and design but important for areas requiring confidentiality. C. Cover: Sound Masking is commonly the most cost-effective treatment and often effective as a stand-alone option. Ensures confidentiality in private offices and normal speech privacy / reduced distractions in open areas.
- 4. ABSORBING SOUND Absorbing sound refers to using any material or structure that absorbs sound when sound waves collide with it. This is the opposite of reflecting the sounds which is common with hard surfaces. Absorbing sound is a best practice when echo’s are a known issue. Room acoustics can be significantly improved by absorbing sound with acoustical ceiling tiles, wall treatments, and Acoustical Absorption Panels.
- 5. BLOCKING SOUND Blocking sound from traveling to unwanted areas via walls, cubicle partitions and/or demountable walls. Most acoustical technicians recommend atleast 48″ tall cubicle walls for effective blocking of sound but 60″ high partitions are ideal. A Cubicle Partition: is a common example of blocking sound.
- 6. C. COVERING SOUND Sound Masking is commonly the most cost-effective treatment and often effective as a stand-alone option. Ensures confidentiality in private offices and normal speech privacy / reduced distractions in open offices.
- 7. ADDING SOUND TO ELIMINATE SOUND? It may seem counter-intuitive but it works! A uniform, unobtrusive sound added to a space reduces the unwanted speech-to-noise ratio, making adjacent conversations more difficult to hear and therefore less distracting. The sound masking spectrum is architected to match the same spectrum as human speech. This ensure optimal privacy.
- 8. SOUND MASKING BENEFITS THE LISTENER! This is a important concept. Sound masking benefits the listener, not the talker. Sound masking should be installed where conversations should not be overheard. This creates to distinct applications. Either: Speech privacy (Sound Masking installed outside the target area) and Productivity (Sound Masking installed in the target area).
- 9. HOW TO CREATE THE IDEAL ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENT When designing an optimal acoustic environment, consultants typically consider a variety of elements referred to as the ABC’s of acoustic design. In an ideal environment, the design elements would Absorb, Block and Cover sound. Consultants balance these elements to reduce conversational distractions while designing an open, aesthetically pleasing office.
- 10. HOW EFFECTIVE IS SOUND MASKING? Increased Privacy In a laboratory study between 2006 and 2008, researchers found that the addition of sound masking increased speech privacy from 35% to 90%. Increased Performance Researchers found that study participants had a nearly 10% improvement in their ability to recollect a series of numbers and words after the addition of sound masking. Increased Productivity In a 2008 survey, researchers found that workers lost an average of 21.5 minutes each day to conversational distractions. Increased comfort 48% of survey respondents reported that conversational distractions were the leading cause of workplace discomfort.
- 11. PRODUCTS Qt Oasis - ideal for small single zone spaces of up to 3,000 square feet (278 m2). The Oasis Qt system is easily controlled from an IR remote, making volume adjustments quick and easy. Qt 600 - ideal for medium to large multi-zone spaces of up to 72,000 square feet (6,689 m2). This system is capable of covering up to 6 diverse areas in buildings needing improved speech privacy. Qt 900 is ideal for large, multi-floor buildings with exceptionally large zone spaces of up to 108,000 square feet (10,033 m2). This system is capable of covering up to three diverse areas in buildings requiring improved speech privacy.
- 12. PHILADELPHIA METRO AREA INSTALLATION Haverford Systems, Inc www.Haverford.com Cambridge Sound Management www.Csmqt.com