Acoustical privacy in the built environment: Past, present and future

Abstract

Although the need to consider acoustics in the built environment is well-accepted, an understanding of 'what' constitutes 'good acoustics' is not. The authors present posteriori-reviews of historical events and of empirical evidence-to develop an understanding of the current landscape of Standards, Guidelines, and Codes. More specifically, special attention is devoted to the development of speech privacy metrics, as well as that of auditory and non-auditory effects of noise and sound on health. With a refreshed understanding of theory, a priori-i.e., an acoustical framework for design and/or performance verification with a special interest in speech privacy-is renewed and its impacts on the ongoing development of Standards, Guidelines and Codes is discussed.