Conference_programme: 18.4 - Office noise : psychological effects and room acoustic design
Lecture: Effect of room acoustics, temperature and ventilation rate on work performance in open-plan offices
Author(s): Hongisto Valtteri, Maula Henna, Koskela Hannu, Haapakangas Annu, Hakala Jarkko
Summary:
The aim of our study was to investigate how office noise (irrelevant speech), temperature, and ventilation rate together affect cognitive performance and subjective perception of the open-plan office. Sixty-five subjects participated in the experiment involving two experimental conditions. In condition A, the temperature was neutral (23.5˚C), the intelligibility of irrelevant speech was low, and the fresh air flow rate was high (30 l/s per person). In condition B, the room temperature was high (29.5˚C), the intelligibility of irrelevant speech was high, and the fresh air flow rate was low (2 l/s per person). Performance was lower in condition B than in condition A in four out of six tasks. Distraction of environmental factors and symptoms were higher and environmental satisfaction was lower in condition B. Our study supports the view that special care should be paid to the holistic design of indoor environment in open-plan offices.
Corresponding author
Name: Dr Valtteri Hongisto
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Country: Finland
