914 mm, or is simply known by the laboratory users to produce

objectionable noises, should be considered a significant noise

source.

For adequate speech intelligibility at a distance of 1.8 m, with

normal voice effort, the background noise level should not exceed
50 dB(A) or NC-45. In addition, the background noise spectrum
should not interfere with speech intelligibility. Since the bulk of
speech intelligibility is in the 500 to 4000 Hz octave bands, sound
levels should be lower in that area. A goal of NC-45 is equal to 53
dB(A) and has been designed to account for the frequency
distribution of speech intelligibility. NC-45 should be used as a
maximum design goal for occupied research areas in NIH
buildings.

As noted previously, refrigerators and other scientific equipment

are frequently removed from occupied areas and placed in
corridors. In many cases, this alone can cause fairly high noise
levels. Because of this, noise levels of NC-45 in corridors and
support areas are recommended.

D.8.4 Background Noise for Open Offices

Most office workers have difficulty concentrating when distracted

by conversations and intruding noises. In open-plan offices, voices
and the sounds of other activities are easily transmitted between
work stations because there are no full-height partitions or barriers.
Even with the most effective acoustical treatment on the partial-
height partitions and ceilings, the intruding sounds will be clearly
audible unless they are masked by other sounds. For this reason,
providing such masking sound is essential in the design of any
open-plan office where speech privacy or the ability to concentrate
is important.

Even in buildings with conventional enclosed offices, full-height

partitions may not provide adequate acoustical isolation for
confidential speech privacy if the background sound levels are too
low. Installation of a sound-masking system can be the least
expensive, simplest way to achieve satisfactory privacy.

For satisfactory performance, a sound-masking system must

provide an even blanket of sound throughout the office. The
masking sound must be free of annoying spatial or temporal
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Mechanical D-18