In the “old world” of office design, office managers relied on a hidden allies: the crowd and background sound like air conditioning. When a floor plate was consistently occupied at 80% or 90% capacity, and the aircon wasn’t attenuated, the environment generated its own sound masking. In these busy environments, your private conversation was shielded…

Optimising user experience is one of the most important factors in a sound masking installation. This is because achieving a comfortable acoustic environment is entirely dependent upon how the people working within that environment experience it. If workers feel they do not have control over acoustic stimuli that cause distraction, this can cause significant dissatisfaction…

Biophilic design, where nature is integrated into the office environment, is another imperative for the modern office space. Biophilic design is a design strategy that enhances employee well-being in the office environment. It may include physical plants within the office. But it can also include windows that look out onto trees or other greenery surrounding…

Responsive, landscaped floor plans integrate worker requirements for flexibility. This is generally achieved through zoning. Best practice interior design principles include the following recommendations:  Spaces need to be zoned in such way that do not clash in terms of tasks performed. The layout should be reconfigurable in at least some parts to allow zones to…

While many clients have one specific space that needs masking, others require more flexibility. Indeed, scalability is increasingly important in a hybrid working environment where workers have the option of working from home all or part of the time. This flexibility may be required by large businesses scaling up, or small businesses using co-working spaces…

Open plan offices, including activity-based, agile offices, have a mixed reputation. There are many benefits. For example, the open plan office provides floorplan flexibility and collaboration, which is important to workers and employers alike. Agile offices are also cost effective. With an increasing number of employees working from home at least part of the time, the…

Acoustic measurements are generally quantified using decibels. But decibels measure sound levels or the perception of sound by the human ear. They don’t measure privacy. Similarly, there are other qualities that clients might want measured. For example, the efficacy of our system, or the measurable quantity of improvement for speech privacy. Quantifying sound masking performance…

Shell Australia has its head office over multiple levels in Brisbane, Australia. It is green star rated and considered a very comfortable and modern place to work. We had previously installed a Soundmask system on one of the levels. So when it came time for the business to refurbish its premises, they knew that they’d…

CBUS super is the industry superannuation fund for the construction, building, infrastructure and allied industries. CBUS’ Trustee approached Soundmask seeking a solution to speech privacy and noise problems in its head office. The problem The original issue that brought CBUS super to Soundmask was the boardroom. The boardroom was lined with wood panelling and located…

Back in 2011, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia built a new head office in Sydney. To achieve both Green Star and NABERS rating requirements, the installation needed a certain background sound level. As with most modern buildings with efficient air conditioning and other improvements, an outside sound had to be included. The problem Consisting of…