The Muhlack acoustic picture absorbs noise.

For a start, working processes in an office are no longer continuous; generally an employee is working on several tasks simultaneously. This means that there is a continuous stopping and starting of tasks. According to REFA (a German working practice organisation), there is a so-called saw-tooth effect. Because of noise, distracting speech from other people, and then finally the resulting irritation, the reprise of the task becomes more difficult and takes longer. Many people are familiar with the problem that several attempts are often necessary to read one's way into a complicated text when there is exposure to a high level of acoustic distraction. It is difficult even to memorise short sequences of numbers when someone interjects random sequences of figures. Measurements and trials confirm a loss in performance of up to 30 percent because of noise. But worse still are mistakes such as incorrect recording and calculation, and lack of concentration during a telephone conversation with an important customer.

Acoustically beneficial working surroundings reduce the frequency and intensity of acoustic disturbances and distractions, and thus create the circumstances for smoother workflows. As well as the other issues involved in workplace design, this is a significant factor for effectiveness at work. Many investigations have proven that when acoustic disturbances are reduced, increased working efficiency and improved ability to concentrate are the result.

Meetings with customers are indeed often also sales discussions; it is necessary to clarify and sell ideas or actual services. This is the more difficult, the less that the customers understand the idea or service, e.g. because they have not yet familiarised themselves with the topic, or they come from a completely different professional area. If there are then also problems of understanding of a linguistic nature (e.g. foreign language, room acoustics), understanding of the content becomes especially difficult, and so does the sales discussion.
From the age of 40, many people start to have age-related hearing problems. The ability to hear high frequency ranges becomes poorer and poorer. However, for understanding speech, the consonants are particularly important, and these are found in the higher frequency ranges. In a strongly reverberating room, the consonants become overlaid by the vowels, and this automatically results in poorer speech comprehensibility. Everyone is familiar with this phenomenon, e.g. in restaurants. This is obviously undesirable in a meeting room.

As well as suitably styled architecture, the spatial acoustics must also be right. Visitors waiting in the area should not overhear the content of every telephone discussion. Calls should be taken in a relaxed and attentive manner. In addition, written work is often carried out. In a reception area, there are often as many telephone calls as in a call centre. If the question arises of being able to concentrate on callers when there are already problems understanding them easily because of insufficient spatial acoustics and a high level of background noise, then it is necessary to be conscious of the importance of noise development.

It is said that the first impression counts. By means of good spatial acoustics, it is possible to significantly reduce encumbrances and signs of fatigue for people working in the area. This is a prerequisite for giving your customers a decisively good first impression. Any reception arrangement can be improved by measures such as the creation of islands of calm by means of screening, and the targeted use of wall or ceiling surfaces to avoid sound reflection, in addition to a general reduction in the reverberation time.

But if you offer your guests facilities whose acoustic comfort is equivalent to a railway station concourse, then this will not result in long-term success. Older guests in particular find it difficult to conduct conversation in noisy and loudly reverberating spaces. Companions can often be understood only through an increased level of concentration, and instead, an anticipated pleasant evening becomes stressful.

Additionally, in echoing spaces, the levels of noise can exceed those found in some manufacturing plants. And this noise is a stress. The question arises: which guest really wants to expose himself to these exertions and stresses, when really all he wanted was to enjoy a pleasant evening and a good meal? And when you remember that by age 40 at the latest, people anyway start to feel a curtailment in their hearing, then you can imagine how many guests there are who have to suffer under poor spatial acoustics.

And so it makes business sense for every single company that its staff can obtain the maximum benefit from these breaks.

However, in break and canteen areas where the noise level is sometimes actually much greater than in the workplace itself, this recuperation often cannot take place at all. Often the creation of beneficial spatial acoustics for these areas requires very little additional expense, as long as this matter is taken into account in the spatial design. But even retro-fitting often pays for itself, just from the improved efficiency of the staff.

Parquet, laminate, or stone floors are found in many households, as are large glazed surface openings and smooth plastered walls.

But the problems created for spatial acoustics were not taken into account. And so, in an environment of clear, open design, situations are often experienced where the spaces can be used to a limited extent only. The coffee table where you cannot hear yourself think, the television which rumbles in the living room instead of providing the promised cinematic acoustics, or the children who supply an incredible backdrop of sound with their friends.

These are all phenomena which you come across unexpectedly, and are mainly caused by insufficient spatial acoustics. Instead of a private relaxation space for you and your family, you find yourself in pleasant but noisy surroundings. But here too there are solutions for improvement of the spatial acoustics without completely abandoning the originally desired style concept.