Problems and impacts associated with the acoustic environment of open-plan offices from the perspective of healthy environment

Abstract

<p indent=0mm>The environmental healthfulness of office spaces can ensure the physical and mental health of office workers. The acoustic environment, in particular, influences the emotional health and work performance of them significantly. In the past decades, continuous and in-depth research conducted by the academic community has achieved abundant helpful results based on the extensive application of open-plan offices and the unique acoustic problems associated with the openness of space. This study used the Web of Science^TM core collection as the data source and employed the visual profiling tools of CiteSpace to analyse domestic and international literatures on environmental and architectural acoustics, psychoacoustics, environmental psychology, ergonomics, human factors and other related fields and then summarise research hotspots and outcomes as well as critical health-related problems and their impacts. Previous studies have reported that the influence of indoor noises is greater than that of outdoor noises. The primary source of noise in an open-plan office is “irrelevant speech”, which is a background conversation sound between other colleagues; further, “speech privacy” is the most critical problem associated with the acoustic environment of the open-plan office. The language transmission index (STI) can appropriately characterise the speech privacy of a space. Additionally, based on the research results of “Speech Prediction Method” and “STI-Ergonomic Model”, the International Organization for Standardization has formulated ISO3382-3, an acoustic environment measurement standard for open-plan offices. By utilising an appropriate translation method, China has developed and formulated the national standard GB/T36075.3. The adverse effects of the acoustic environment problems can be summarised into “psychological interference” and “cognitive interference”. The former results in “sound annoyance” and strengthens negative emotions, including fatigue, stress, and irritability, whereas the latter reduces cognitive performance and increases the cognitive load of the workers. Thus, the office workers’ acoustic environment experience and its health impact are related to the space type, work type, language type, and individual differences; however, the conclusions are insufficient. Acoustic masking is an effective methodology to improve the speech privacy in a space, but it can cause acoustic comfort problems. Exploration of the types and sound pressure levels of masking sounds, their spatial presentation, workers’ comfort experience, masking performance and efficiency, and the relationship between these factors has become a research hotspot in recent years. To ensure the healthfulness and comfort of the acoustic environment of open-plan office, further promotion at the level of theoretical research as well as technical inquiry and management should be conducted. This includes establishing an evaluation criterion that fits the characteristics of China’s office space and the Chinese language environment as soon as possible because it forms the basis for occupational health management, office building design, and acoustic environment transformation. Meanwhile, the academic investigation and application exploration of the technical methods, such as acoustic masking, is being promoted to enhance the acoustic performance of the open-plan office to obtain a technical solution that can be promoted and applied. In addition, the exploration of the sound-related environmental health issues associated with the open-plan office using advanced technologies, such as the physiological measurement technology, eye-tracking technology, and virtual reality presentations, is expected to obtain considerably significant academic benefits.