Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2023 - Comsol-30A

DESIGN OPTIMIZATION
Zeugin Bauberatungen, Switzerland
HARMONIZING SOUND AND
STYLE IN OPEN-PLAN OFFICES
Workplace conversations and calls are generally a distraction in open-plan offices.
To improve the acoustical conditions of a workplace, Swiss consultancy Zeugin
Bauberatungen models how sound propagates through office building designs
and analyzes specific design modifications to find the right fit.
by ALAN PETRILLO
Acoustical engineers, like composers, can help shape the effect
that sound has on human ears. And while the sounds that
surround everyday life may not be as moving as a symphony, the
acoustics of a room can have a profound impact on the people
inside. Many modern offices are open-plan designs, meaning
there is minimal physical separation between workspaces.
Silencing every open-office conversation is neither possible nor
necessary, but attention to workplace acoustical conditions can
make other people's conversations less distracting.
To help fine-tune the composition of workday soundscapes,
Swiss consultancy Zeugin Bauberatungen uses the COMSOL
Multiphysics®
software to predict how sound will propagate
through a proposed room design. Zeugin's precise models
of acoustical effects enable the team to suggest practical
improvements that are pleasing to the ear as well as the eye.
" Large sound-absorbing barriers may contradict the
" Our simulations help us propose
optimization methods that
harmonize with the architects'
vision, along with improving
employees' acoustical work
environment. "
- THOMAS ZEUGIN, FOUNDER AND MANAGING
DIRECTOR OF ZEUGIN
30a COMSOL NEWS
interior design concept by visually cluttering the space, " said
Thomas Zeugin, founder and managing director of Zeugin.
" Our simulations help us propose optimization methods that
harmonize with the architects' vision, along with improving
employees' acoustical work environment. "
» SIMULATION-GUIDED DESIGN TO
MAKE SPEECH LESS DISTRACTING
Thoughtful interior design decisions can significantly improve
the sound quality of a room. When optimizing workplace
acoustics, improving sound quality actually involves making
speech less intelligible. A muffled murmur of voices is simply less
distracting than a clear, crisp conversation among other people.
The sound waves of comprehensible human speech occupy a
particular set of frequencies. Zeugin produced a case study on
building acoustics that explains that the fundamental frequency
of voices during a conversation typically ranges between 100 Hz
and 250 Hz. When we form words, certain movements of our
throats and mouths cause changes in frequency; for example,
consonants have their own frequency range of 250 Hz-8 kHz.
Modifying sound waves in these ranges can help make speech
less intelligible - and thereby less distracting.
The table in Figure 2 presents three indicators related to
speech intelligibility, along with ranges that correspond (from
left to right) with better overall acoustic conditions. The
Zeugin team constructs models of possible room designs using
the COMSOL®
software, which enables them to predict values
for these and other relevant metrics.
Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2023

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