Feature Green Soundscape Addressing acoustics in sustainable offices By Niklas Moeller, MBA The F or many people, the term ‘green building’ simply means wasting minimal resources. However, to be successful, these facilities must also be environments where employees can thrive and productivity can soar. For this reason, more than a quarter of the credits offered by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) are for factors affecting indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Acoustics are as important to IEQ––and to comfort and concentration––as light, temperature, and humidity. However, green buildings often perform poorly in this area. In fact, post occupancy evaluations conducted by the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) at the University of California, Berkeley, found occupants of green buildings are generally more dissatisfied with acoustics than those in traditional facilities.1 CBE’s surveys revealed the most common sources of irritation and distraction in green spaces are people talking around occupants, talking on phones, overhearing private conversations, and telephones ringing. Office equipment and outdoor noise are also concerns. When CBE asked respondents to evaluate their job performance in these noisy environments, 60 per cent declared noise inhibits their work. Others have also found acoustic problems in various green office building evaluations.2 Acoustic design goals To maximize comfort and productivity, the workplace should provide occupants with speech privacy and freedom from distracting noises, enabling them to concentrate and work without disrupting others. Many green buildings are not meeting these goals for several reasons. An explanation frequently cited is the fact LEED––arguably the best known green building rating system––only offers explicit acoustic credits for healthcare facilities and schools. Criteria have yet to be established for commercial interiors, perhaps leading this aspect of their design to be overlooked. Further, these buildings can achieve high LEED ratings by satisfying requirements that are actually detrimental to acoustics. 42 July 2010 Construction Canada CC_JulyAug2010.indd 42 6/24/10 3:07:21 PM Photo © Janet Trost Photography