Issue 1/2 Vol. 38 1996

Analysis and subjective evaluation of reverberation times in the office and suggestions for the improvement of room acoustics

STRASSER, H.

Members of the design department in a medium-sized company were complaining to the management about the acoustic situation in new offices which adversely affected their personal well-being and their work performance. As a consequence, a work-scientific field study was conducted to analyze and evaluate the acoustic working conditions and, if necessary, to develop improvement suggestions. Objective criteria for the evaluation of communication disturbances, e.g. during meetings or telephone conversations, were gained from measuring the reverberation time in several rooms. Structured questioning via a specially developed questionnaire with unipolar or bipolar 4-step scales allowed a differentiated judgement of the current acoustic situation and its effects on the subjective condition. Furthermore, after recording the actual situation, suggestions for the improvement of the acoustics were developed and cost-utility-prognoses were made. Finally, the potential solutions were discussed with the management; their prospective acceptance rate among the employees was assessed before they were realized.

Keywords: reverberation time in the office, acoustics working conditions, subjective evaluation via questionnaire, improvement suggestions, cost-utility-prognose

Short Title: Strasser, H. (1996) PsyBeit 1-2:22

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