1、Designation: E1374 181Standard Guide forOffice Acoustics and Applicable ASTM Standards1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1374; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number i
2、n parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon () indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1NOTETitle editorially corrected in February 2018.INTRODUCTIONOffice environments include open and closed spaces with varying acoustical performancerequire
3、ments depending on space function and occupant needs. Sound control tools and methods areidentified which combine to provide appropriate amounts of speech privacy, freedom from distractionand acoustic comfort whether in focus, private, collaborative or other office areas.1. Scope1.1 This guide discu
4、sses the principles and interactions thataffect the acoustical performance of open and closed offices. Itdescribes the application and use of the relevant series ofASTM standards.1.2 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical
5、conversions to SI units that are provided for information onlyand are not considered standard.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety, health, and e
6、nvironmental practices and deter-mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.1.4 This international standard was developed in accor-dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-ization established in the Decision on Principles for theDevelopment of International Sta
7、ndards, Guides and Recom-mendations issued by the World Trade Organization TechnicalBarriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2C423 Test Method for SoundAbsorption and SoundAbsorp-tion Coefficients by the Reverberation Room MethodE90 Test Method for Laboratory Measu
8、rement of AirborneSound Transmission Loss of Building Partitions andElementsE336 Test Method for Measurement of Airborne SoundAttenuation between Rooms in BuildingsE795 Practices for Mounting Test Specimens During SoundAbsorption TestsE1007 Test Method for Field Measurement of TappingMachine Impact
9、Sound Transmission Through Floor-Ceiling Assemblies and Associated Support StructuresE1110 Classification for Determination of Articulation ClassE1111 Test Method for Measuring the Interzone Attenuationof Open Office ComponentsE1130 Test Method for Objective Measurement of SpeechPrivacy in Open Plan
10、 Spaces Using Articulation IndexE1179 Specification for Sound Sources Used for TestingOpen Office Components and SystemsE1414 Test Method for Airborne Sound Attenuation Be-tween Rooms Sharing a Common Ceiling PlenumE1573 Test Method for Measurement and Reporting ofMasking Sound Levels UsingA-Weighte
11、d and One-Third-Octave-Band Sound Pressure LevelsE2638 Test Method for Objective Measurement of theSpeech Privacy Provided by a Closed RoomE2964 Test Method for Measurement of the NormalizedInsertion Loss of Doors3. Summary of Guide3.1 Acoustical PerformanceAcoustics in open and closedoffice spaces
12、must be considered during the design stage inorder to provide occupants with an appropriate degree ofspeech intelligibility and speech privacy while minimizingnoise distraction as appropriate for the space usage. Speechprivacy and distraction are controlled by the ratio of intrudingvoice level to ba
13、ckground sound. In the open plan, a degree ofspeech privacy, noise control and comfort can be achieved if1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E33 on Building andEnvironmentalAcoustics and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E33.02 onSpeech Privacy.Current edition approved
14、 Jan. 1, 2018. Published February 2018. Originallyapproved in 1990. Last previous edition approved in 2011 as E1374 06 (2011).DOI: 10.1520/E1374-18E01.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStan
15、dards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United StatesThis international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principle
16、s on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for theDevelopment of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.1component selection and interaction are understood.Asuccess-ful open plan offic
17、e is the result of careful coordination ofmany components, including those which influence the trans-mission of sound, such as the ceiling, furniture and furnishings,flooring, wall treatments and lighting; the heating, ventilatingand air-conditioning system which limits maximum back-ground noise lev
18、els and the sound masking system whichcontrols minimum background sound levels. (See Section 6.)In closed plan offices, many of the same considerations aretaken into account with the important addition of partitionconstruction methods.3.2 This guide delineates the role and interaction of thesecompon
19、ents and the application of relevant ASTM Standards.4. Significance and Use4.1 This guide is intended for the use of architects,engineers, office managers, and others interested in designing,specifying, or operating office environments.4.2 It is not intended to be applied to other environments,for e
20、xample, open plan schools.4.3 While this guide attempts to clarify the many interactingvariables that influence acoustical performance, it is notintended to supplant the experience and judgment of experts inthe field of acoustics. Competent technical advice should besought for success in the design
21、of offices, including compari-sons of test results carried out according to ASTM standards.5. General Office Acoustical Considerations5.1 Signal to Noise RatioNoise intrusion and the level ofacoustical privacy between work spaces, in either open orclosed plan, is determined by the degree to which th
22、e soundsfrom a nearby work space exceed the background sound levels.It is essential that both the spread of sound from voices andother sources and the background sound are carefully con-trolled. The following attributes apply regardless of the sourceof the intruding sound.5.1.1 The sound source ampl
23、itude, directivity, and orienta-tion.5.1.2 The total attenuation of the sound due to a combina-tion of distance and shielding by intervening barriers andattenuation due to sound absorptive surfaces.5.1.2.1 AbsorptionIn the open plan office, the goal is tomaximize attenuation with distance in order t
24、o improve soundisolation. This may require a highly absorptive ceiling, someabsorption on the floor, and careful treatment of some verticalsurfaces. Where the highest level of sound attenuation isrequired, the ideal is to approach the conditions of theoutdoors, where there are no reflecting surfaces
25、. In both openand closed spaces, absorption reduces sound reflection andreverberation which contributes to acoustic comfort.5.1.2.2 Sound BarriersSounds passing through, over oraround a physical barrier will be reduced in level. Barriers,such as walls, windows, doors and workstation partitions are a
26、nessential part of both open and closed plan acoustical design.The acoustical performance of each will depend on their designand construction.5.1.3 The strengthened spread of sound due to reflectionsfrom office surfaces such as the ceiling, furniture panels, lightfixtures, walls, and windows.5.1.4 T
27、he level and spectrum of background sound at thelisteners ear generated by sources other than speech. To ensurepredictable levels of speech privacy where insufficient levels ofcontinuous minimum background sound exist, electronic soundmasking systems offer the best means of raising the ambientsound
28、level in a tunable (optimized) manner.5.2 DensityOccupant density affects both the number andproximity of people in a given space. Higher density results inboth greater noise and distraction from increased quantity ofconversation and activity.5.3 LayoutThe open office layout must consider needs fori
29、solation and concentration or collaboration and ease of com-munication between workstations as appropriate. Where theneed for concentration is of higher importance, the layout canbe designed to assist in minimizing noise intrusion. Forexample, individual work stations should be positioned relativeto
30、 columns, walls, and each other to avoid uninterrupted soundpaths between contiguous work stations. Occupant orientationis also important, because there is a significant difference in thesound level when a talker faces a listener versus the talkerfacing away from the listener, of the order of 9 dBA.
31、 In aclosed plan space, door openings on either side of a corridorshould be staggered.5.4 Undivided WorkspacesCollaborative open office de-sign has all but eliminated vertical barriers in order to fostercommunication and interaction between coworkers. For jobfunctions requiring freedom from distract
32、ion in the open plan,it may be achieved with the inclusion of appropriate soundbarriers. In open spaces with workstation partitions belowseated head height, acoustical performance may be improvedby the addition of acoustical absorption and sound masking,but an expectation of speech privacy or signif
33、icant noiseisolation is unrealistic in this circumstance.5.5 Intrusive NoisesDistraction caused by raised voices ornoisy equipment may not be sufficiently controlled by openoffice constructions. Spaces requiring increased speech privacyand noise isolation such as conference rooms should bedesigned u
34、sing appropriately higher sound isolation criteria.Noise generating devices and occupant functions should belocated in isolated enclosed rooms or areas to minimize noiseintrusion into other work spaces. For example, speaker phonesand call centers can generate high sound levels. These shouldbe contai
35、ned in special work areas affording adequate noiseisolation from the surrounding spaces. Care should be exer-cised in eliminating or minimizing the noise generation as-pects. Open office etiquette guidelines should be establishedand enforced.5.6 Component TestingASTM test methods exist for test-ing
36、components and systems for open plan offices. Theseinclude measuring the attenuation between work stations by theceiling path, the effect of barriers such as furniture panels, theeffect of flanking or reflections from vertical surfaces (see TestMethod E1111), measurement of masking sound in the open
37、office (see Test Method E1573), and the determination of theE1374 1812articulation class (see Classification E1110) that is a singlenumber rating of system component performance. Articulationclass does not account for the effect of masking sound.5.7 Objective Measurement of Speech PrivacyTestMethod
38、E1130 describes a method of objectively measuringthe speech privacy in open plan offices, using the articulationindex (AI). Test Method E2638 describes a method of objec-tively measuring the speech privacy in enclosed rooms, usingthe speech privacy class (SPC). AI and SPC results areapplicable only
39、between the two measurement positions andcannot be used to generalize over wide areas as there are manyfactors which will affect the speech privacy levels from onelocation to the next.6. Components of Open Office and Closed OfficeAcoustical Environment6.1 Ceiling Systems, Open Plenum Systems, and In
40、tegratedDevices:6.1.1 General GoalsAcoustical ceiling finishes for open-plan and closed offices should be selected to achieve the chosenoffice acoustics design requirements, including maximum lim-its for reverberation times. Ceiling finish material options caninclude suspended acoustic tile ceiling
41、systems, baffles,banners, and clouds. Acoustical ceiling finishes for open-planoffices are additionally chosen to reduce noise levels generatedby activities, and to improve speech privacy between workstations by reducing direct and reflected sound propagation.Goals for designs of ceiling finishes in
42、 closed offices, meetingrooms, training rooms, and conference rooms include theoptimizing of speech intelligibility within the space. Furthergoals of the design of a continuous suspended ceiling systemcan be to attenuate sound emitted from plenum-installed ductsand mechanical components, and to atte
43、nuate airborne andimpact sound generated on the building floor above.6.1.2 Sound Absorption RatingThe sound absorption rat-ings of acoustical ceiling finishes are measured in a laboratoryusing Test Method C423, which determines a single numberrating, the sound absorption average (SAA). Test Method E
44、795describes how these various materials are to be mounted duringthe absorption testing. For ceiling panels used in open officeareas, the preferred laboratory absorption test method is TestMethod E1111. It is a component test and is restricted tomeasurement with a fixed-height space divider, fixed s
45、oundsource height, and microphone positions. A single numberrating, articulation class, is obtained using ClassificationE1110. Specification E1179 defines the directional character-istics of loudspeakers used in this and similar tests.6.1.3 Sound Isolation RatingThe airborne sound attenua-tion betwe
46、en closed offices is an important office design factor.Optimal sound isolation is achieved when demising partitionsare designed to extend to the deck above. Closed offices aresometimes designed with partitions that extend only to theinstalled suspended acoustic tile ceiling system, which pro-vides a
47、 common ceiling plenum over the rooms. The soundattenuation between rooms with a ceiling system over ademising partition and a common plenum can be measured ina laboratory using Test Method E1414, which determines asingle-number rating, the ceiling attenuation class.6.1.4 LightingLight fixtures must
48、 be chosen with care.Flat lensed fixtures reflect sound and therefore should beminimized and (if used) not located directly above dividers inopen office areas. Suspended light fixtures are an ideal choice,as they allow for a higher percentage of acoustic material to beused in the ceiling, do not deg
49、rade the ceiling sound attenua-tion and provide the opportunity to use open plenum systemssuch as baffles and clouds.6.1.5 Air Distribution SystemWhen a contiguous plenumexists above a ceiling system, it is often used as a return airplenum. The return air grilles in the ceiling can createsignificant flanking sound paths that can allow sound transmis-sion between rooms through the ceiling and plenum. Air returnbaffles (or “boots”) can help to maintain the acoustical integrityof the ceiling system.6.1.6 Isolation StrategyWhen rooms are enclosed, in partto provide
