HOW WILL ISO 22955 AFFECT DESIGNS FOR OPEN PLAN OFFICES?

ABSTRACT

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with consequential home working has demonstrated how so many open plan offices failed to support the needs of the occupants, noise being the biggest problem. This pilot study used semi-structured interviews to explore the causes of poor acoustic conditions, and potential to improve them using ISO 22955 - Acoustic quality of open office spaces, published May 2021. A purposive sample of leading acoustic practitioners from Europe was consulted, and thematic analysis was used. The key themes identified from the data included the lack of common narrative and knowledge held by stakeholders about the causes of poor acoustic conditions;the adverse effect of occupational density, currently unaccounted for in acoustic assessments;the acoustic risks of bringing the increased teleconference activity into existing office designs. ISO 22955 can consolidate understanding and offers methods to improve acoustic conditions in operation, although it should be expanded to include the personal and sociological drivers of acoustic satisfaction. © 2021 Institute of Acoustics. All rights reserved.