Consideration of "Adaptive acoustic comfort" in Office with surveying current office

Abstract

Recently, some companies would like to have outdoor space or natural ventilation system in their office to save energy and prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Sometimes it is difficult to achieve the traditional target noise level in such spaces. However, it is very valuable for employees to be able to breathe fresh air, feel the breeze, and feel that the air is clean. Several surveys have shown that factors other than noise sometimes have a greater impact on space satisfaction. To design a comfortable space, we need to consider several factors while keeping the noise level acceptable in the building design. One of the factors that influence satisfaction is human adaptability. In the field of thermal comfort, thermal comfort in outdoor or semi-outdoor spaces is called "adaptive (thermal comfort) model". It is defined in EN152513 and ASHRAE 55-2013. This paper proposes to apply the idea of an adaptive (thermal comfort) model to acoustic comfort and consider an "adaptive (acoustic comfort) model" in an open-plan office.