Continuing Education


We offer two courses online courses via Hanley Wood University.

In Pursuit of Acoustical Equity


Effective acoustics are key to healthy buildings. After all, noise is known to provoke physiological stress responses that can negatively impact occupants. The World Health Organization describes it as an “underestimated threat” that contributes to stress, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and diabetes. Hence, WELL, Fitwel and other building standards take acoustics into consideration; however, it remains a poorly understood indoor environmental quality (IEQ) parameter, and the lowest rated.

Amongst the architecture and design community, there is growing conviction these goals must be achieved through concern with ‘equity’—and applied to ‘real-world’ needs such as acoustical privacy, rather than amenities like pool tables, private chefs, and other perks; in other words, it is more a matter of how employees are treated than what they are being treated to. But what is ‘acoustical equity’? And how does one achieve it?

The first part of this course introduces the concept of acoustical equity and establishes speech privacy as a psychoacoustic metric that can be used to illustrate the concept of acoustical equity, set expectations during design, and estimate occupants’ subjective impression of the built space. The second part explains the key role the ‘C’ in the ‘ABC Rule’ plays in providing beneficial acoustical conditions, by controlling the temporal, spectral and spatial properties of background sound within the built environment. By tuning minimum background sound to meet a masking spectrum rather than leaving it in question, one can more cost-effectively and reliably design buildings to function acoustically for their users.

This course is a Registered Program of AIA/CES and qualifies for 1 LU/HSW.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Introduce the concept of acoustical equity
  • Discuss the role that acoustical privacy plays in achieving acoustical equity
  • Describe the need to control the temporal, spatial and spectral qualities of background sound within the built environment
  • Explain the importance of tuning minimum background sound to meet a masking spectrum

Use the learning objectives to focus your study as you read this article. For details on the learning units or credit information, and to earn credit and obtain a certificate of completion, visit Hanley Wood University to view the entire CEU and complete the quiz. If you are new to Hanley Wood University, CEU courses are free of charge once you create a new learner account; returning users log in as usual.

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Rethinking Acoustics


Acoustics is a vital part of our everyday experience of the built environment; however, the role background sound plays in making these environments more comfortable for occupants is often overlooked. As a result, the misconception persists that acoustical dissatisfaction and lack of speech privacy can be resolved merely by limiting noise levels or blocking transmission.

Given today’s focus on health and wellness, it seems prudent to revisit our acoustical lexicon with the intention of developing deeper awareness of the differences between background sound and noise, as well as their implications for our experience within facilities.

Refining our understanding of “noise” and “sound,” as well as terms such as “silence” and “quiet,” allows for a more nuanced discussion of occupants’ needs and expectations, and fosters opportunities to improve building design practices. Indeed, it is only by controlling background sound—in contrast to limiting background noise—that one can realize certain benefits, such as increased speech privacy and improved specification of construction requirements, as well as the associated labor and cost savings.

This course is a Registered Program of AIA/CES and qualifies for 1 LU/HSW.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Establish a common language when discussing acoustical issues
  • Explain the role minimum background sound plays in human perception of acoustics
  • Capitalize on the ways in which sound masking can be used as an architectural design tool
  • Address concerns regarding sound masking and the Lombard effect

Use the learning objectives to focus your study as you read this article. For details on the learning units or credit information, and to earn credit and obtain a certificate of completion, visit Hanley Wood University to view the entire CEU and complete the quiz. If you are new to Hanley Wood University, CEU courses are free of charge once you create a new learner account; returning users log in as usual.

View Article