Which of the following aspects of the layout should the WELL AP highlight to the architect as presenting a potential acoustic issue?

The space layout plan of a Commercial project has been provided to the design team for comment. The plan shows a combination of open plan offices, breakrooms, circulation, a kitchen and a nap room.

Which of the following aspects of the layout should the WELL AP highlight to the architect as presenting a potential acoustic issue?
A . The breakrooms are too big and the reverberation time criteria will be difficult to achieve
B . There is too much internal glazing in the circulation zone to provide the required minimum sound reducing surface area required
C . The kitchen is adjacent to the nap room, which will require enhanced sound insulation between
them to avoid noise disturbance
D . The workstations within the open plan office are too close together and employees will be disturbed from adjacent conversations

View Answer

Answer: C

Explanation:

The WELL v2 Acoustic Comfort concept aims to reduce noise levels and enhance acoustic quality in indoor environments. One of the features under this concept is Feature A03: Sound Masking and Speech Privacy, which requires that spaces with different acoustic needs are separated by sound reducing partitions or other means. The kitchen and the nap room are examples of spaces with different acoustic needs, as the kitchen is likely to generate high levels of noise from appliances, utensils, and conversations, while the nap room is intended to provide a quiet and relaxing environment for occupants to rest. Therefore, the WELL AP should highlight to the architect that these two spaces should be separated by enhanced sound insulation to avoid noise disturbance and ensure speech privacy.

Reference: [WELL v2 Feature A03: Sound Masking and Speech Privacy] [WELL v2 Acoustic Comfort Concept Guide]