Sound Off: Acoustics in the Office Environment

Overview:
Workspace office design has gone through a revolution with the advent of flexible-modular open office plans that promote collaboration and communication.

This trend towards “office-hoteling” often includes open ceilings and hard surfaces as the accepted norm.
An unintended byproduct of these spaces is reverberation and unwanted noise causing disruption & distractions which may lead to lower productivity and dissatisfaction in the workspace environment, ultimately costing employers the value of the employee.
This presentation will teach the designer fundamental vocabulary and available solutions to address such concerns in the modern workspace.

Learning objectives:

• Learning to speak sound: As with any emerging discipline, basic terminology is crucial to understanding the quantifying information and fortunately there are many similarities to the language of light. Attendees will learn the terms and measurements relative to this space in order to understand how to work with this design
• Office problems can affect the “soundness” of your bottom line: Attendees will examine how disruptions in the office take a toll on productivity & learn strategies for engendering positive experiences in the work place.
• Sensibly solving for sound: We will explore some of the current solutions to reduce sound distractions in the modern office environment. Attendees will familiarize themselves with the strength & weaknesses of various tools available and that address this issue.
• Acoustical design – Making sure your design is sound enough to resonate with your client: We will review how layouts can incorporate both lighting & acoustical metrics to ensure a more productive office environment and provide a salutary solution to ambient noise in the workspace. Attendees will learn how to interpret designs to meet the needs of their client.

Speaker:
ANDREW LINDSTROM, Cooper Lighting Solutions
Andrew works in specification sales role for Cooper Lighting Solutions and joined the Rocky Mountain chapter to continue to interact with some of the brightest people in the lighting community. Having been a member of the IES in both local and national positions for over 23 years, he is looking forward to assisting this chapter focusing on the mission of improving the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge. A Chicago transplant, Andrew enjoys the outdoor activities that are available, and is also active in the vibrant competitive soccer scene of Colorado.