Understanding acoustic annoyance and thermal perception interactions in an open-plan office across seasons

Abstract

This study investigates the interplay between thermal perception and acoustic annoyance in an open-plan office in Southern Brazil’s hot and humid climate. Using environmental measurements and subjective assessments, the research explores how the thermal and acoustic environment across seasons, and the use of thermal Personalized Environmental Control Systems (PECS) affect occupants’ acoustic and thermal perceptions. Ten noise sources were analyzed to assess their association with acoustic annoyance and the resulting coping mechanisms like the willingness to use headphones (acoustic PECS). People’s activity and colleagues’ thermal PECS were the most common sources of acoustic annoyance. Seasonal patterns showed higher annoyance by people’s activity in summer while colleagues’ thermal PECS were more disturbing in winter due to the louder operation of portable heaters. Results from linear mixed-effect models further revealed that thermal sensation was mainly described by air temperature and participants’ PECS use, while cross-modal effects emerged for thermal pleasure, which was significantly associated with acoustic annoyance from colleagues’ PECS and people’s activity. Conversely, annoyance from people’s activity was explained only by noise levels, while annoyance from colleagues’ PECS was related to both thermal and acoustic factors. These findings highlight that cross-modal interactions selectively shape comfort evaluations and emphasize the role of personal and colleagues’ adaptive behaviors in shared workspaces. However, the relatively small sample size limits the generalization of the results, and future studies should include a larger and more diverse participant group to reinforce these findings.