If you ever want to learn about design psychology, go no further than an interior designer. He or she will tell you that their designs integrate psychological principles—specifically environmental psychology—to maximise the wellbeing of those how use the space. Designing a sound masking system is no different. Indeed human psychology plays a significant role in…

There’s nothing quite like sitting in a doctor’s office and hearing the patient before you at the medical reception recount all of their personal details. Or worse, hearing the person in with the doctor discuss their medical condition. Indeed, we have a promotional video about exactly that! This was the issue that Southport Anaesthetic Specialists…

It is widely accepted that environmental noise impacts in-patient recovery times. Indeed there is extensive research that confirms that noise in hospitals: However, the mechanism between noise and recovery is not yet fully known. External noise pollution We previously published a three-part blog series mostly focussed upon internal hospital noise. That is, ventilator noise and…

The philosophy of sound masking sounds like a made up term, doesn’t it? But can become surprisingly topical when a client doesn’t understand it. Recently, a client wanted to integrate our system into the control panels within each room. In the end, we explained our philosophy and installed our system just the way it should…

Excellent design is one of the unsung heroes of our lives. Without excellent—or even just adequate—design, we all suffer. Whether it’s a poorly designed kitchen layout or a door that inexplicably hinges the wrong way, design disasters cause a lot of heartache. The same is true with a poorly designed sound masking system. Normally, I’d…

It’s not often that health privacy is a problem in a public library. Usually, online privacy would be more pertinent. But in this case study, the public library was located on the ground level of a council building. Libraries are usual quiet spaces, so any talking is obvious. The problem In the middle of the…

There are hundreds of studies relating to noise and office productivity. Specifically relating to open plan offices. Indeed, open plan offices have a reputation for being the worst possible environments for worker productivity. Or do they? What does the research say? One recent study found a causal link between open plan office noise and both…

According to research from this next paper in our Acoustics in the Sun blog series, including sound masking in your building design for the purposes of speech privacy indeed reduces your carbon footprint. If that is something that interests you, then read on. The paper, titled Balancing Speech Privacy and Embodied Carbon Reduction in Building…

White, pink, brown, blue… These are just some of the rainbow of colours that are used to describe particular shades of noise. But why colours? And what is the difference between a pink noise and a white noise? Does it even matter? These are all questions that clients have asked us, especially when coming to…

The Study Melbourne Student Centre (or “Hub”) is designed for students to access free support, information and contacts to help them enjoy living and studying in Victoria. The friendly Hub staff are experts in international education and can provide help and advice to students with a range of enquiries including financial hardship, accommodation, wellbeing and…