A pilot study on acoustic regulations for office buildings—Comparison between selected countries in Europe

Abstract

Acoustic regulations or guidelines for office buildings are found in several countries in Europe. The main reason is to ensure satisfactory acoustic working conditions for the various tasks and activities taking place in the many different kinds of rooms in such buildings. Examples of room types are offices, meeting rooms, open-plan offices, corridors, reception areas, dining areas, all with different acoustic needs. Some countries specify a few acoustic limit values only, while others define several different criteria, guidelines only, or a combination of requirements and guidelines. As a pilot study, comparison between requirements in selected countries in Europe has been carried out. The findings show a diversity of limit values for acoustic requirements. The paper includes examples of requirements for reverberation time, airborne and impact sound insulation, noise from traffic and from service equipment. Examples of guidelines will also be presented. The discrepancies between countries are being discussed, and some priorities for adjusting acoustic regulations will be given. In addition to a set of regulations or guidelines, some countries have office buildings included in national acoustic classification standards with different acoustic quality levels. The paper will indicate examples of such classification criteria for comparison with acoustic regulations.