Coming up: The International Congress on Acoustics 2019

Technical program

ICA 2019 presents a full program with more than 1300 presentations in over a hundred sessions. We are delighted to contribute to it. In the session on ‘Acoustic regulations and quality classes for buildings’ Georg Schöner will analyze the state of play on acoustic regulation in hospitals across countries in Europe and how they can be improved in order to optimize the recovery of patients. Our Acoustic Ambassador, Pascal van Dort, will be present in Aachen too. Please feel free to reach out to either of them via LinkedIn in order to meet for a chat.

Other sessions that might interest you handle ‘Acoustics and noise in hospitals: experience and impact on patients, staff and community well-being’, ‘Acoustical needs for comfortable and inclusive learning spaces’, and ‘Open plan offices’.

The latest insights

In the ‘Open plan offices’ session 18 presentations share the latest insights on the impact of room acoustics on the occupants, their coping mechanisms, and qualitative & quantitative measuring methods. In this session we especially look forward to:

• The presentation of Jenni Radun, Researcher at Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland, is all about ‘Physiological, psychological and performance effects of office noise’.
  
  The background of her study was that “…not many studies have examined simultaneously physiological, performance and psychological consequences background speech has on humans”. The abstract states “…that background speech influences experience, performance, and physiological stress levels. Therefore, its influence should be minimized in offices, where work requiring concentration is needed.” It will be interesting to see at ICA 2019 what the quantitative differences between the disturbing and productive office environment test setting were. You find Jenni’s abstract here. 
• The presentation of Remy Wenmaekers, Researcher at Level Acoustics & Vibration – a spin-off of the technical University in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, handles ‘How Office Workers Cope with Distraction by Sounds in the Open Plan Office’.
  
  The reason for the study is that different types “…of sound can have a different influence on the performance or well-being of the office workers” and that “…acoustic measures such as sound absorption and screens can be used to reduce the intelligibility of speech or the sound level of noise sources. Nevertheless, office workers need to deal with the acoustic environment they work in.” … “Results show that ‘discussing the noise problem with colleagues’ is perceived as the most effective strategy when intelligible speech is the problem. Less effective, but more often applied, are so-called avoidance strategies such as ‘put work off’ and ‘interrupt work’, which is striking.” You find Remy’s abstract here.  

The 23rd International Congress on Acoustics takes place between September 9 and 13 in Aachen, Germany. This year it is organized by the German Acoustical Society on behalf of the International Commission on Acoustics. The purpose of the International Commission on Acoustics is to promote international development and collaboration in all fields of acoustics including research, development, education, and standardization.