Noise, in most simple terms, is the presence of unwanted sound. Noise has been known to impact human health by causing, stress, annoyance, reduced immune response and even heart diseases in extreme cases [1]. As people spend about 90% of their time indoors [2], noise inside a building can lead to dire impacts on the health and wellbeing of the occupants. The inability of built environments to provide satisfactory acoustic comfort is also known to impact employee productivity, retention and turnover rate. According to a recent study conducted by Oxford Economics [3], 89 % of the surveyed employees (312) in Australia reported a lack of quiet working space which affect their productivity, satisfaction and well-being.[iii]

In collaboration with Acustico Lighting, we conducted real life testing of the habitats we occupy most commonly. The sound level measurements were done on an 1/3 octave band to analyse the performance of the absorptive lighting product on various frequencies based on Australian Standards AS/NZS 2107:2016 [4] and WELL Building Performance Standards [5].

The preliminary study shows considerable absorption by the innovative lighting products in all the buildings. The sound levels are often described as low frequency, medium and high frequency depending on the frequency levels on which frequency the source is produced. Overall, some amount of sound attenuation was achieved in all the measured frequencies. B4i recommends further testing of the products to for more conclusive evidence.

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References

  1. WorkSafe Victoria, Compliance code- Noise, 2018. https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/218085/ISBN-noise-compliance-code-2018-03.pdf
  2. Australian Government, Department of Environment and Energy. Indoor air. http://www.environment.gov.au/protection/air-quality/indoor-air
  3. Oxford Economics and Plantronics, Managing Noise: Hear, be heard and focus Survey Results- Australia, 2017   
  4. AS/NZS 2107, Acoustics—Recommended design sound levels and reverberation times for building interiors, in AS/NZS. 2016, Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand, SAI Global: Sydney.
  5. IWBI, WELL Performance Verification Guidebook. 2016, International WELL Building Institute: New York.