B4P – Booth for People
Project Duration
Source of Funding
Business Finland Oy
Turku University of Applied Sciences, Ltd.
Octacell Oy
Taiga Concept Oy
Vetrospace Oy
Office booths are used in offices, hospitals, and factories for a wide variety of work tasks. The main reason for their use is acoustic privacy. However, indoor air conditions must also be good for long-term use to be comfortable. Our project creates new research data on how the sound insulation and ventilation of cubicles should be measured and designed.
The Market for Mobile Workspaces and Development Needs
Mobile, soundproof workspaces (also: booths) are increasingly used in offices, educational institutions and healthcare centres, among others. The aim is to make the booths well soundproofed so that concentration-demanding work or confidential discussions can be carried out in them without disturbing the environment, or without being disturbed by the sounds of the environment. The booth business has grown systematically since 2010. The share of exports in sales is high compared to other furniture manufacturing, because Finnish booths are of high quality and more sophisticated. Therefore, the growth expectations for the sector’s export business are high.
Project Objectives and Implementation
Improving the competitiveness of products requires research, especially among SMEs. The aim of the project is to create public research data that will help Finnish companies develop the physical ergonomics of booths (sound insulation, indoor acoustics, noise level, thermal conditions, air purity) cost-effectively and communicate about product properties in an expert manner. The project is being implemented in close cooperation with companies.
The project begins with a survey of the physical ergonomics of booths on the market. Thereafter, in-depth sub-studies will be carried out, with which product features can be improved cost-effectively. User well-being is central to all sub-studies. In addition, a customer and user satisfaction interview will be carried out to identify the challenges and future uses of current products.
Results and Funding
The project will produce both scientific research results and practical design guidelines. The results will finally be shared with companies in the industry. The project is implemented by the Turku University of Applied Sciences (acoustics, air conditioning, environmental psychology), which has developed the international ISO 23351 standards regulating booth sound insulation measurements.
The project duration is 2026-2028. Project is funded by Business Finland and three Finnish SMEs manufacturing booths.
Contact Us
Partners
- Octacell Oy
- Taiga Concept Oy
- Vetrospace Oy
- Vetrom Oy
- Module Solutions Oy
- Studio Antti E Oy
Learn more about the research group
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Research Groups
Air, Sound and Perception
Previous
international
publications
under the topic
Hongisto, V., Caradonna, R., Keränen, J., Hakala, J., Alakoivu, R., Astolfi, A. (2025). Measurement uncertainty of ISO CD 23351-2: The acoustic performance of furniture ensembles and enclosures in situ. Applied Acoustics 110773. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2025.110773.
Hongisto, V., Keränen, J., Hakala, J. (2020). Accuracy experiment of ISO DIS 23351-1 – speech level reduction of furniture ensembles and enclosures. Applied Acoustics 164 107249. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2020.107249.
Hongisto, V., Keränen, J., Virjonen, P., Hakala, J. (2016). A New Method for Determining the Sound Reduction of Furniture Ensembles. Open access: Acta Acustica united with Acustica 102(1) 67–79. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3813/AAA.918925.
Pitkänen, S., Radun, J., Hongisto, V. (2026). How did employees perceive the addition of sound-insulating booths in the office? 15th ICBEN Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem, June 14–18, 2026, Copenhagen, Denmark. Open access: https://www.icben.org/proceedings.html.
Hongisto, V., Keränen, J., Rantanen, E., Radun, J. (2025). Class A booths reduce stress caused by office noise. Forum Acusticum 2025, paper 203, 3801–3804,11th Convention of the European Acoustics Association, June 23–26, Málaga, Spain. Open access: https://dael.euracoustics.org/confs/fa2025/data/articles/000203.pdf.
Keränen, J., Hakala, J., Laukka, J., Hongisto, V. (2023). Alternative measurement methods for speech level reduction in booths under field conditions. Forum Acusticum 2023, September 11–15, Turin, Italy. Open access: https://appfa2023.silsystem.solutions/atti/000392.pdf.
Keränen, J., Hakala, J., Hongisto, V. (2023). Comparison of the ASTM E596-96 and ISO 23351-1 methods for measuring sound reduction in work booths. Forum Acusticum 2023, September 11–15, Turin, Italy. Open access: https://appfa2023.silsystem.solutions/atti/000391.pdf.
Hongisto, V., Hakala, J., Keränen, J. (2022). Interlaboratory comparison of ISO 23351-1: speech level reduction of furniture ensembles. Proc. of Internoise 2022, paper 961, 5 pp., Aug. 21–24, Glasgow, UK. ISBN 978-1-906913-42-7. Open access: https://internoise2022.org/.
Keränen, J., Hongisto, V. (2021). Measurement and Prediction of Speech Level Reduction in a Phone Booth in Three Different Open-Plan Offices. Euronoise 2021, pp. 1194–1202, Oct. 25–27, Madeira, Portugal. Open access: http://www.sea-acustica.es/fileadmin/Madeira21/ID15.pdf.
Hongisto, V., Keränen, J. (2020). Acoustic performance of eleven commercial phone booths according to ISO 23351-1. Research Reports from Turku University of Applied Sciences 51, 20 pp., Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku, Finland. Open access: https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/818514.
Hongisto V, Keränen J, Virjonen P, “Acoustic Testing of Office Workstations and Booths,” Internoise 2016, 6226–6231, August 21–24, 2016, Hamburg, Germany.
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