Incorporating Acoustics into Corporate STEM Spaces
What to Consider Acoustically Within These Spaces | November 15, 2024
In the constantly changing landscape of corporate STEM spaces, acoustics play a critical role.
As organizations work to create environments that encourage innovation and collaboration, managing sound is becoming increasingly important.
Poor acoustics can lead to decreased productivity, hindered communication, and a compromised work experience.
Certain scientific equipment, like microscopes and imaging devices, needs to be carefully placed for optimal performance. This often means locating them in basements or lower levels of buildings, where external vibrations can be minimized.
Vibrations can interfere with sensitive measurements and observations, so it’s essential for laboratory design to account for equipment placement.
But beyond just vibration control, the auditory environment in a STEM space can significantly affect researchers’ and scientists’ ability to focus and do their work effectively.
Sound can travel through structures, and unwanted noise can disrupt delicate experiments or conversations.
When designing laboratories, it’s crucial to consider acoustics from the outset. Using sound-absorbing materials in walls and ceiling designs helps reduce sound reflection and reverberation.
Acoustic panels, carpets, and specialized ceiling tiles all contribute to a quieter environment. Strategically zoning different areas of a facility is also important for separating noisy lab activities from quieter spaces.
For example, placing high-noise labs away from offices and common areas can help minimize disturbances. STEM labs often house noise-generating equipment like lab exhaust fans, fume hoods, power tools, large printers, and oversized cooling equipment.
Achieving structural vibration limits requires close coordination between the acoustic consultant, architect, structural engineers, and MEP engineers.
All this equipment needs to be addressed to control noise and vibration throughout the building.
Designing labs with sound isolation in mind is essential. This may include using soundproof barriers and double-glazed windows to contain noise within specific areas, preventing it from leaking into adjacent spaces.
It’s also important to consider mechanical systems, which can be significant sources of noise. Quieter HVAC systems and sound-absorbing ductwork can help maintain a more peaceful atmosphere.
Sensitive equipment like robotics, computers, and imaging devices often have strict vibration tolerances to ensure accurate calibration and proper function.
Noise management in STEM facilities goes beyond just the labs themselves. It’s also important to contain sounds that might spill over from one lab to another, or from neighboring offices and common areas.
This separation is key to reducing distractions, as even minor interruptions in high-stakes research settings can lead to costly errors. Ensuring the right acoustic environment can boost focus, collaboration, and productivity, ultimately enhancing job satisfaction.
With various innovative room types within a building, each with unique occupancy needs, creative solutions are necessary to meet the client’s expectations for privacy while minimizing outside distractions.
Ultimately, integrating acoustic design principles thoughtfully into corporate STEM spaces isn’t just about reducing noise, it’s about creating environments where innovation can thrive.
By prioritizing acoustics in the design process, organizations can set their teams up for success, ensuring that the next big breakthrough happens in a space that fosters both concentration and collaboration. Spaces are used for many activities—individual focus work, group presentations, and collaborative learning.
As technology evolves, lab equipment and layouts will change, but the acoustics must support all current and future uses without interfering with the lab’s functionality. It’s also crucial that occupants can hear and understand safety warnings, audible alarms, and instructions; good communication is vital to learning and research.
Designing spaces with good speech intelligibility involves minimizing background noise, isolating distracting sounds from neighboring spaces, and controlling reverberating noise buildup.
For more on acoustics design and consulting that BrightTree Studios offers, check out our article titled A Closer Look at BrightTree Studios’ Acoustic Offerings.
