Echoes and the Sound of Silence

No we are not trying to sing along to Simon and Garfunkel, this is just two of the many facts we picked up from the highly passionate Daniel Verlooven, Buzzispace’s Acoustic Ambassador.

At the end of February we decided to hold an event at our very own place in Gateshead, entering into the mystical world of acoustics, followed by Scream for Pizza and Havn Gin (just to get everyone in the mood). Generally speaking, Buzzispace’s focus is around improving workplace acoustics and providing design driven acoustic products. We guessed that so many people will have experienced acoustic problems in the workplace, so why not address it, share our ideas and learn from the very best?

So what did we learn? Well for a start, the absence of sound and silence is not a luxury and can actually cause more disturbance than we expect. Even the quietest of spaces have sound, ventilation, air flow or even our own breathing. One parallel example from the event was drawn against a woodland, if this suddenly became silent it immediately insinuates danger. Equally, the sound of a baby crying, dog barking, people shouting or sirens can bring on heightened anxiety. 

Using these examples, think now of a typical work place, where unwanted sounds are penetrating our privacy, a constant bing of notifications, interruptions from colleagues and  over exuberant people taking phone calls. All of these sounds leave us in a cortisol-drenched state for increased periods of time, which simply is not good for us. It’s little wonder that the modern workplace for all its advantages and better coffee are not allowing us to be more productive, and in extreme cases, contributing to stress and burning out.

Conversely, the natural sounds of the wind, an open fire, water and nature bring us a sense of calm, comfort and happiness. But the only way to get a true solution to any acoustic problem is that every workspace needs to be properly analysed. Reverberation, echoes, privacy, background noise and acoustic solution products can all make up for our problems and solutions because different activities require different solutions. 

We have specialists in the right places, that is where BuzziSpace are here to help.