ROOM ACOUSTICS IN OPEN PLAN OFFICES AND LARGE SPACES IN GENERAL

摘要

Nowadays architects often like to create large and open spaces like atria, voids and open plan offices. This is part of a vision of transparency and spaciousness. In parallel, the tendency grows towards using more and more sustainable energy techniques like for example thermoactive ceilings. The combination of these two factors can produce difficulties when the room acoustics needs to be optimized. Sabine's formula is used all over the world to predict reverberation times, but the preconditions of using this formula are not often met in these large spaces, resulting in false predictions. Another problem rises when open spaces are designed for one purpose but actually used in a multifunctional way, combining for example a reception, a recreational area, a kitchen and a restaurant all in one space. In these cases room acoustical measures cannot be averaged throughout the space, but need to be designed on the spot. Here as well, using Sabine's formula will result in wrongful predictions. In this paper some points of interest are discussed and some interesting case studies are presented in which the known and straightforward solutions for room acoustical design could not be applied and more inventive measures had to be used.