Spaces treated with Lencore sound masking provide people with comfort, privacy, and a better overall environment.

Transforming an office into a purposeful, productive environment is what Lencore does with its sound masking systems every day. By creating environments that support both heads down work and collaborative efforts, Lencore Sound Masking improves productivity, comfort, reduces employee turnover, and can save thousands of dollars in construction costs while providing an awe-inspiring return on investment.

Acoustics has become a critical issue to the productivity, privacy, and comfort of employees. In corporate environments, sound masking has become a crucial component that addresses the speech privacy needs of employees in the open plan and private offices. Also, privacy legislation such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and GLBA (Gramm Leach Bliley Act) have created mandates within the healthcare and financial industries to provide adequate levels of oral privacy.

Furthermore, LEED interiors and green design are contributing to a growing need for sound masking as some green design practices bring about additional acoustical challenges.

The tremendous growth in the sound masking market has been brought about by a variety of factors. Among them are the many significant changes in the way we design and build spaces today. Improvements in building systems such as quieter HVAC systems and higher performing ceiling tiles, as well as other design choices, have reduced the ambient background sound and have limited some of the absorbing and blocking properties found in the space; this has created additional speech privacy issues and an increased need for sound masking.

Meanwhile, the noise levels in our work environments continue to grow as we move more people into the open plan and increase floor densities. Cell phone and speakerphone use mean that people are walking and talking in our spaces, and this creates traveling conversations and noise. Even some of our technological advancements, such as voice-activated equipment, contribute to the level of distraction in our spaces. Still, more design changes, such as the lowering of workstation panel heights to improve the daylight in the workspace, results in reduced sound blocking.

Increasing privacy and productivity with sound masking reduces distractions and creates several positive effects such as improved efficiency, reduced stress, and more comfortable spaces in which to work; this is good news for all companies that must balance the need to concentrate, collaborate, and communicate in the same working environment.

Lencore’s Spectra i.Net® Networked Sound Masking treats the entire environment with the introduction of a subtle, uniform background sound that masks speech and provides acoustical comfort, control, and sound quality.

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