BCO 2016: Sound expert Julian Treasure says productivity can plummet without proper design

The number one complaint in modern offices is noise, a sound expert told delegates at the BCO conference in Amsterdam this week.

Julian Treasure, founder of the Sound Agency said that productivity in open plan offices can plummet by 66% if they are not properly designed.

"Open plan has become the de facto of office design. Offices are designed for appearance but they should be designed for experience."

He added that other people's conversations and phones ringing are be two most distracting sounds in open plan offices: "things we have no control over that make us stressed, angry and less productive."

Avoiding parallel hard surfaces by installing wall panels, rubber slides on the feet of chairs on hard surfaces, sound absorbing carpets and mixing collaborative space with more enclosed, private areas are all ways to counteract the problem.

Treasure added that an overly quiet office can be just as disruptive to productivity as silence can be a stressful environment to work in.

He said that flexibility and a mixture of different work spaces to create a gentle buzz is the best way to create the optimum level of noise."