Cognitive performance and sound in a healthy building interior
The Biofilico team explore the risks and opportunities of appropriate acoustic conditions in an indoor environment, from unwanted noise to sound wellness therapies such as biophilic soundscapes designed to foster calm and concentration.
What is the connection between sound and wellness in healthy buildings?
All of the body’s senses can be used one way or another in order to alter a person’s physical and mental wellbeing but hearing is a main sense that is often targeted first because of the many benefits that can arise from minimal intervention.
A healthy building concept on the rise is that of sound wellness - using soundscapes or acoustic environments such as nature sounds. These can be played through apps or streamed via a website or software platform.
Mental health benefits of nature sounds or ‘biophilic sounds’
What is meant by a sound “working” or not can be seen through physiological and behavioral changes. For example, listening to sounds of nature (biophilic sounds) has been proven to increase mood, improve focus, promote sleep, help relaxation, and just overall ensure a boost in mental wellbeing.
Natural sounds can alter the brain connections that trigger fight or flight response and therefore calm our systems down, implicating that no perceived threats are around. The mellow birdsongs or serene waves tell the body that things are fine and there is no immediate threat which, in turn, reduces stress and the cognitive load that is associated with a heightened alertness.
Even though there are different types of nature sounds that range from rustling of trees to crashing of waves, the nature (no pun intended) of the sounds does not seem to matter but rather varies from person to person based on familiarity.
For instance, rusting trees may cause more benefits for someone who grew up surrounded by trees than they would for someone who grew up by the ocean. There appears to be a level of familiarity or nostalgia that goes into the effectiveness of certain sounds.
So even though initiatives such as Quiet Parks International are popping up and showing improvements in people’s moods it also seems that beaches and other settings will be just as effective for the right individual. There is no one size fits all solution in other words.
What type of biophilic nature sounds work best?
Studies have shown that the more variety of nature sounds are experienced at once, the more a person can feel immersed in the environment and trigger healthy patterns such as calm mood and regulated circadian rhythm. This biological clock helps us to get better acclimated to our surroundings and fall into a comfortable routine.
The more biodiversity in an audio soundscape in other words , the more likely an individual’s brain is to experience something akin to being outside in actual nature.
how does sound therapy promote mental wellbeing?
Another useful aspect of sound wellness is the role music can have, specifically with therapeutic processes. Music therapy is a newer practice that has also shown promising health and wellness benefits. The key difference between the two practices being the applications.
Sound wellness is often a means to treat the symptoms of a bad mood and music therapy is primarily seen in hospitals and other treatment facilitates to aid in reversing or correcting some undesirable behavior.
Music therapy is usually used alongside other affirmative actions in order to touch upon one of five beneficial categories: emotional, physical, spiritual, social, or cognitive. The emotional benefits can help reduce anxiety and encourage self-expression.
The physical benefits are most seen in pain reduction through distraction, relaxation, improved motor development, etc. They can also include motivational factors that reflect the task at hand by providing the energy needed in order to get things done and do them well.
Spiritual and social benefits can bring people together through shared interests or a common goal. Lastly, the cognitive aspect can advocate for better coping skills, increased sense of control, and better focused attention for the task at hand.
Whether a company or individual user wants to become better a task, improve their mood, or become more equip to deal with life’s challenges, sound wellness can apply in a multitude of different ways.
Can music positively impact task performance?
Studies have shown that music can reduce anxiety levels and decrease the time required to complete a complex task such as surgery in a hospital. Music in operating rooms can make communication moderately more difficult but is generally not considered a hazard, in fact it is a positive influence on the person carrying out the procedure.
Equally, noise (unpleasant, unwanted sound) will elevate cortisol levels, a hormone in regulating blood pressure and responding to stress. This is particularly a risk in work environments where productivity in the workplace is closely linked to indoor environmental quality factors such as generally acceptable acoustic working conditions.
REFERENCES:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6901841/
Benefits of Listening to Nature Sounds: Mental Health and Biophilic Wellness Design Consultants
Here we explore the science behind natural soundscapes and biophilic sounds via their impact on mental wellbeing. As more and more apps promote the concept of listening to nature as a way to reduce stress, boost productivity and improve mood, we look at the evidence behind and ask how it works. Biofilico Healthy Building consultants, London and Barcelona.
Health Benefits of listening to Pre Recorded Nature Sounds vs. Music
All of the body’s senses can be used one way or another in order to alter a person’s physical and mental wellbeing but hearing is a primary sense often targeted first because of the bang for buck - multiple benefits from minimal intervention.
This is the foundation of the acoustic comfort concept present in healthy building standards such as WELL (acoustic comfort chapter here), partly as a way to balance any negative aspects of distracting noise present in an indoor environment that can in turn create a negative mood state.
A practice that is on the rise in the world of acoustic comfort in healthy buildings and wellness design is a sub-segment of the sound wellness trend focused specifically on natural soundscapes and biophilic sounds - acoustic environments that taken directly from or inspired by natural environments.
Such biophilic sounds and natural soundscapes are being deployed in apps / software programs such as SWELL by Open Ear Music. These apps often use pre-recorded nature sounds to enhance relaxation and well-being.
the science behind biophilic sounds and mental wellbeing benefits
Even though the science behind listening to nature sounds does not necessarily have concrete benefits, there have been many studies conducted and theories created as to why listening to these types of sounds work, and work they do!
What is meant by the notion that a sound is “working” can be seen through physiological and behavioral changes. For example, listening to sounds of nature has been proven to increase mood, improve focus, promote sleep, help relaxation, and overall ensure a boost in mental wellbeing. Additionally, exposure to natural soundscapes can lead to enhanced cognitive function, improving cognitive performance, alertness, memory, and problem-solving skills.
The theory behind why nature sounds work well has to do with the biological appeal that being exposed to nature, provides. Natural sounds can alter the brain connections that trigger fight or flight response and therefore calm our systems down when we don’t perceive a threat.
The mellow birdsongs or serene waves tell the body that things are fine and there is no immediate threat which, in turn, reduces stress and the cognitive load that is associated with a heightened alertness. Nature sounds also have an immediate calming effect, providing a respite from the distractions of modern life and contributing to mental and physical wellbeing.
This high-level of stress has also been seen through listening to artificial sounds by causing an increase in inward thinking that is associated with ruminating, and over-thinking which lead to depressive and anxiety disorders.
Even though there are different types of nature sounds that range from rustling of trees to crashing of waves, the nature (no pun intended) of the sounds does not seem to matter but rather varies from person to person based on familiarity.
For instance, rustling trees may cause more benefits for someone who grew up surrounded by trees than they would for someone who grew up by the ocean.
There appears to be a level of familiarity or nostalgia that goes into the effectiveness of certain sounds. So even though places such as Quiet Parks are popping up and showing improvements in people’s moods conversely, beaches and other settings will be just as effective for the right individual.
Going back to the idea of Quiet Parks brings up an important piece of the puzzle which is, how connected do you feel to nature?
Nature sounds and circadian rhythm
An equally important notion is how submerged in the environment you feel. Studies have shown that the more variety in nature sounds, at once, the more a person can feel immersed in the environment and trigger bodily patterns such as circadian rhythm.
Nature sounds act as a powerful sleep aid by creating a tranquil environment that masks disruptive noises and promotes restorative sleep.
This biological clock helps us to get better acclimated to our surroundings and fall into a comfortable routine. The more biodiversity in a soundscape, the more likely an individual is to really believe they are there and better be able to connect with the natural processes required to sustain a happy, comfortable state of mind.
Another useful aspect of sound wellness is the role music can have, specifically with therapeutic processes. Music therapy is a newer practice that has also shown promising health and wellness benefits. The key difference between the two practices being the applications.
Sound wellness is usually a means to treat the symptoms of a bad mood and music therapy is primarily seen in hospitals and other treatment facilitates to aid in reversing or correcting some undesirable behavior.
Music therapy is usually used alongside other affirmative actions in order to touch upon one of five beneficial categories: emotional, physical, spiritual, social, or cognitive. The emotional benefits can help reduce anxiety and encourage self-expression.
The physical benefits are most seen in pain reduction through distraction, relaxation, improved motor development, etc. Physical benefits can also include motivational factors that reflect the task at hand by providing the energy needed in order to get things done and do them well.
Spiritual and social benefits can bring people together through shared interests or a common goal. Lastly, the cognitive aspect can advocate for better coping skills, increased sense of control, and better focused attention for the task at hand.
Whether a company or individual user wants to become better a task, improve their mood, or become more equip to deal with life’s challenges, sound wellness can apply in a multitude of different ways.
Both nature sounds and music can produce a wide range of results that show positive results so when asking the question of “how can I better help myself?” It all depends on context and desired results.
Additional research notes and links:
Nature sounds alter brain connections and reduce fight or flight reflex
https://www.health.com/condition/stress/why-nature-sounds-are-relaxing –> brain scans, heart rate monitors, behavioral experiments
Artificial sounds linked to more inward focus while nature sounds focused on outward focus
Inward = worrying, over-thinking; linked to conditions such as depression/ anxiety disorders; slower reaction times (means less sustained focus)
Natural sounds improve focus
Familiarity makes a difference—dif. Nature sounds might help one but not other person
Parks are key relaxation places less human-made noise and nature sounds together
Improved health: decreased pain, lower stress, increased mood /cognitive performance
anthropogenic sounds = especially in marine life, is noise pollution (high intensity; opposite of relaxing)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479717307193 Acoustic environments matter: Synergistic benefits to humans and ecological communities
Protected areas key for biodiversity, which provides a more realistic, immersive experience
“Your Wellbeing Garden” by Alistair Griffiths, Matt Keightley, Annie Gatti, Zia Allaway- Birdsong; better to have multiple diff kinds
Thought to be parallel btwn how birdsong develops, and humans speak that can account for why birdsong is more appealing
https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/61/3/203/238162?login=true
Nature sounds linked to environmental quality
“no coherent theory regarding the ecological significance of all sounds emanating from a landscape exists”
Soundscape ecology landscape and composition of sound
Geographical context, recognizing anthropogenic/ biological processes, temporal/ spectral patterns and how a break in pattern can alter configuration of landscapes (lack of biodiversity creates less connection with nature) provide info about surroundings
“The rhythms of nature;” ex. Singing of birds strongly correlates to sunrise and sunset
Music Therapy
helpful distraction from painful procedures
helps decrease sedative needed
music modulates mood, if paired with action, release hormones that reduce perception of strain; good distraction
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/8817-music-therapy
Listening, singing, playing or composing
Enhanced communication/ social skills to manage thoughts
Increased motivation
Pain managing
Behavior disorders
Emotional benefits—self expression, anxiety reduction
Physical benefits – changing heart rate/ lowering bp, improved motor development, pain management/ distraction, relaxation
Spiritual benefits
Cognitive—coping skills, increased sense of control
Social—bring people together
Sound therapy focuses on controlling symptoms and music therapy relatively new and primarily used in hospital type facilities
https://www.verywellmind.com/benefits-of-music-therapy-89829
May not work on its own; more medically based than sound therapy
Goal-oriented
Accesses shared brain systems: cognitive, motor, speech centers
https://www.biausa.org/public-affairs/media/neurologic-music-therapy-in-neurorehabilitation
How music is processed/ perceived in the brain
Being actively or passively engaged simulates multiple parts of the brain
Neurologic Music Therapy
Improving Sleep Quality with Nature Sounds
Listening to nature sounds before bed can significantly improve sleep quality by creating a calming atmosphere. Research has shown that exposure to natural sounds, such as ocean waves or rain, can reduce stress and anxiety, making it easier to fall asleep. These soothing sounds can also help mask disruptive noises that can disturb sleep, such as traffic or snoring.
Studies have found that listening to nature sounds before bed can lead to improved sleep quality, increased sleep duration, and better overall well-being. The calming effect of nature sounds can also help reduce symptoms of insomnia and other sleep disorders. Incorporating nature sounds into your bedtime routine can be as simple as playing a recording of ocean waves or rain on a phone app or sound machine.
By improving sleep quality, nature sounds can also have a positive impact on physical and mental health, including reduced blood pressure and improved cognitive function. The simple act of listening to nature sounds can transform your sleep experience, leading to a more restful and rejuvenating night.
Reducing Stress and Anxiety through Biophilic Sounds
Biophilic sounds, such as bird songs and water sounds, can have a profound impact on reducing stress and anxiety. Research has shown that exposure to natural sounds can lower cortisol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure, all indicators of stress. Nature sounds can also have a positive impact on mental health, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The calming effect of biophilic sounds can be attributed to the way they interact with the brain’s default mode network, which is responsible for relaxation and stress reduction. Incorporating biophilic sounds into your daily routine can be as simple as taking a walk in a park or forest, or listening to a recording of nature sounds on a phone app.
By reducing stress and anxiety, biophilic sounds can also have a positive impact on physical health, including reduced blood pressure and improved immune function. The positive effects of biophilic sounds can also be seen in the workplace, where they can improve productivity and overall well-being. Embracing the natural world through sound can be a simple yet powerful way to enhance your mental and physical health.
Boosting Cognitive Function with Natural Acoustics
Natural acoustics, such as the sounds of ocean waves or wind, can have a profound impact on cognitive function. Research has shown that exposure to natural sounds can improve attention, memory, and creativity. The calming effect of natural acoustics can also reduce distractions and improve focus, leading to enhanced cognitive performance.
Nature sounds can also have a positive impact on mood, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Incorporating natural acoustics into your daily routine can be as simple as taking a walk in a park or forest, or listening to a recording of nature sounds on a phone app.
By improving cognitive function, natural acoustics can also have a positive impact on overall well-being, including improved sleep quality and reduced stress. The positive effects of natural acoustics can also be seen in the workplace, where they can improve productivity and overall well-being. Embracing the soothing sounds of the natural world can be a simple yet effective way to boost your cognitive performance and enhance your quality of life.
Top 5 Sound Therapy App for Mental Wellbeing — Biofilico Wellness Interiors
What is sound wellness?
Sound wellness is leveraging the physiological process behind the act of listening, which produces specific chemical signals sent to the brain that in turn promote certain mental states such as enhanced mood and reduced anxiety.
Merely focusing in a mindful way on the sensation and experience of hearing can be an important way to tap into various biological processes that control human mental and physical wellbeing. Sound therapy apps can be particularly beneficial for individuals with hearing loss and can be used in conjunction with hearing aids to provide tinnitus relief. These apps are available on the App Store for iOS devices, ensuring compatibility and ease of access for users.
For instance, certain brainwaves can influence our circadian rhythm, promoting even a greater mental alertness or indeed relaxation. Similarly, they can also influence blood pressure and reduce anxiety, based on certain the inputs.
What are brainwaves and how do they relate to mental wellbeing?
There are 5 different types of brainwaves that all vary in intensity. From descending order of frequency: Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.
The most important ones to think about when controlling mood are Alpha and Theta that both involve relaxation and reflection.
The self regulation of brainwaves (neurofeedback) has become increasingly popular among wellness professionals because of its observable benefits. Sound therapy apps often include options like pink noise and brown noise, which can help in relaxation and managing tinnitus symptoms.
These benefits have been seen to tap into the frequencies of certain brainwaves and propagate signals to connect our external body to our internal body by focusing on manipulating brain patterns to affect everything from stress reduction, to sleep promotion, to muscle relaxation and everything in between.
Sound wellness and biophilia (natural sounds)
In the example of sound wellness, biophilic soundscapes are now being utilized in offices and personal spaces with the goal of providing mental clarity, enhancing relaxation, boosting attention span and reducing anxiety levels.
As humans continue to evolve, arguably enlarging the distance between us and nature in the process, the amount of unnatural noise we produce grows with it and yet, our natural body processes don’t seem to be keeping up.
Sound therapy, specifically the new concept (but actually nothing new at all!) of biophilic sounds of nature, have been trying to hack our indoor environments to promote all of these biological processes described above. Natural sounds, such as water running or crickets chirping, are often used in sound therapy apps to provide relief for tinnitus patients. Nature sounds play a crucial role in relaxation and coping, particularly for tinnitus relief and better sleep, with many apps offering high-quality and customizable nature soundscapes.
A range of new apps and software are available providing individuals and brands access to this new frontier in sound therapy, below we outline the top five to watch.
Moodsonic - biophilic soundscapes
Moodsonic uses sonic engineering and the science of psychoacoustics in order to construct biophilic soundscapes to promote healthier work places, school settings, and overall productivity environments.
This algorithm uses sound technology to create soundscapes that react and adapt to targeted users to promote better productivity and overall mental wellbeing.
These soundscapes are designed around the body’s circadian rhythms in order to help people feel more awake during the daytime, and better fall asleep during night. Additionally, soothing sounds can help users relax and improve their mental wellbeing by providing relief from tinnitus and aiding in sleep.
The brand announced its launch in early 2020 and is owned by The Sound Company.
OpenEar's SWELL - sound therapy for tinnitus relief
Open Ear is a company run by international DJ Brian D’Souza and a team of music professionals. Their main business is to curate personalized playlists for businesses such as hotels, restaurants, retail stores and spas.
Swell is a sub-division of OpenEar that focuses specifically on spas, gyms and other wellness venues, with the aim of promoting overall levels of health and wellbeing by positively impacting mood.
Swell combines bespoke playlists and compositions with sounds of nature and other calming music as a form of sound therapy. The SWELL app includes options like white noise, which can be beneficial for providing tinnitus relief. The app also offers various tinnitus sounds such as pink noise, natural water sounds, crickets chirping, and specific tinnitus relief sounds, which can be adjusted and personalized for effective tinnitus sound therapy.
Based in London, the Swell app was made in order to be more accessible and affordable for people on either an individual basis or as a playlist solution for coffee shops, gyms, even co-working spaces.
https://openearmusic.com/soundwellness/
Mindbreaks - mindfulness sounds
Mindbreaks is a mindfulness app aimed at improving mental wellbeing and mood to increase energy, focus, and reduce user stress.
Delos, the company responsible for this app, focuses on the innate need for humans to be exposed to nature to better feel connected to the natural world. They are also the connected to / behind the WELL Healthy Building Standard and the International Well Building Institute (IWBI), making them a major player in the healthy building and wellness real estate space.
Mindbreaks, like other tinnitus apps, offers features such as sound masking and guided meditation to help manage tinnitus symptoms. Additionally, Mindbreaks offers a web app with unique features and comprehensive sound therapy options. Delos creates a “wellness sanctuary” with Mindbreaks, evidence based products, immersive experiences and other audio content to promote mental wellbeing– for a variety of environments from personal to commercial and everything in between.
https://delos.com/products/mindbreaks/
Endel - wellness soundscapes
Founded by a collection of artists and creatives in 2018, Endel uses AI to create personalized soundscapes to use the body’s circadian rhythm to reduce stress, increase productivity, and improve sleep quality.
Endel uses pentatonic scale and sound masking to make soundscapes that get in touch with various aspects of user’s motion tracking, heart rate, light exposure, blood pressure, and other nervous system responses. Endel also employs techniques like threshold sound conditioning to strengthen hearing and improve overall auditory health.
The main goal of this app is to take internal and external cues from the participants and use AI to create optimal environments without any conscious effort from the user.
Myndstream - wellness music
Myndstream is a wellness music company that partners with other music companies to circumvent licensing issues, reducing cost of audio privileges in the process.
A main issue that this company tries to avoid is that organizations, such as spas, pay big prices for a whole catalog of music while they only really use a small percentage of the music.
Thus, Myndstream provides spas specifically with a catalog of wellness music that takes away the need to pay for unnecessary playlists not geared towards mindfulness and mental wellbeing in particular. Myndstream also offers specific tinnitus treatment options, including various tinnitus sounds to help manage and alleviate symptoms.
sound wellness biophilic soundscapes with brian d’souza
sound therapy’s mental health benefits, how music can be a window into our soul, urban noise levels and the role of nature sounds in restoring a sense of calm amidst the chaos, deep or active listening vs passive, and how to re-create the sonic experience of forest bathing.
soundscapes / sound wellness / acoustic comfort / biophilic sounds
Welcome to episode 49 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we discuss the themes of wellbeing, sustainability and social impact in real estate today.
In this episode I’m in London talking to Brian D’Souza, a.k.a DJ Auntie Flo, founder of Open Ear Music and Swell sound wellness.
We discuss sound therapy’s mental health benefits, how music can be a window into our soul, urban noise levels and the role of nature sounds or ‘biophilic sounds’ in restoring a sense of calm amidst the chaos, how he creates sonic identities for hotels, restaurants and gyms, deep or active listening vs passive, and how to re-create the sonic experience of forest bathing.
Brian is erudite, dynamic and just the kind of guy you want on your team for a musical adventure one Saturday night I suspect.
Sound wellness conversation highlights
Sound therapy was for me an exercise in trying to discover the inner workings of a soul.
Sound therapy is triggering different emotions, brainwaves and elements of the nervous system, to put people in a place of relaxation, where they can experience more mental clarity, calm and an objective perspective on life, away from the stresses of their day.
One thing that's going to come to bear post industrial revolution is the amount of noise that we as human beings have created, which takes us away from that natural environment and into this noisy urban environment. We lose touch with the sounds, the beauty and the essence of nature in cities and that's potentially problematic for our mental health. his latest initiative crafting biophilic sounds for interior spaces
If you're able to find time and space to consciously listen, then you will receive added health benefits in the same way that you might from meditation practice for example.
Full transcription courtesy of Otter AI (excuse typos)
Brian, thanks for joining us on the podcast today. sound therapy is a hot topic, but it's also something that has an element of mystique around it. So I just wanted to get your thoughts on how music can affect us via our senses?
Brian D'Souza
Yeah, well, thanks for having me to join you in the podcast. I think you've touched on two distinct concepts there: music and you mentioned sound therapy.
music for wellbeing
Since as early as I can remember, I've been a fan of music, I think most of us know that music can affect us in many different ways, we've probably all had music as a soundtrack to our lives to some extent. We are all in essence expert listeners, we are listening to music, our worlds are filled with music, we're always receiving as our ears are always open.
music curation with technology
We're all DJs now in a sense, we can select music for our dinner party, or for our gym session or whatever with the new technologies we have greater access to all forms of music than we've ever had before. So music is at our fingertips, we innately know how to curate that music for different activities.
Health benefits of sound therapy
As far as sound therapy and its effects. For me, it was just trying to unpick what music is, the building blocks towards the soul, and how that song, or those frequencies, in essence would affect your brain and body in different ways.
So sound therapy was for me an exercise in trying to discover the inner workings of a soul.
Sound therapy works by using particular instruments, typically known as healing instruments, it doesn't always have to be made with those instruments, but those seem to be the most effective in terms of triggering a particular state of mind in the listener who, in effect receives those sounds normally lying down and going through some kind of a ritual, helping them to get to a place where they're open to receiving those sounds for full health benefit.
Sound and the nervous system
In fact, what it's doing is it's triggering different emotions and brainwaves, different elements of the nervous system, to put people hopefully in a place of relaxation, where they can experience more mental clarity, calm and an objective perspective on life, away from the stresses of their day. So, we've been able to bring people out of the present moment and put them into a safe space where they can delve deeper into different realms of consciousness, which I find really fascinating.
The distinction between sound and music
Matt Morley
You've made a an important distinction there between sound as a concept and music, which introduces the idea of sounds of nature that are, in some ways, the baseline from an evolutionary perspective, we were surrounded by that, as we evolved over hundreds of 1000s of years. So how do you see that relationship between, a connection to nature and our mood state? Perhaps even how our brain functions, cognitive performance or memory?
An evolutionary perspective on sound wellness
Brian D'Souza
Yeah, absolutely. I think the evolutionary perspective is important here. You know, from the earliest forms of man, music perhaps predates language, we're listening to music before we're even born in the womb, the rhythm of our mother's heartbeat, we're hearing the musicality of our mother's speech.
So inherently, we're open as human beings to receiving music and to understand the musicality within speech. When we're born, we immediately are immersed in a world of sound.
sounds of the natural environment and human health
From an evolutionary perspective, in terms of the natural environment, birds singing is a signal of safety - all is well, if they stopped singing, you know, perhaps as a predator lurking around the corner. Alternatively, they might change, you know, their types of calls to warn other birds of their species about a predator, or danger or whatever.
It starts to activate the sympathetic nervous system - fight or flight - that's something that has been with us since the earliest days of the universe, it's intrinsic to who we are as people.
I think the natural environment is something that innately we feel an attachment to, you know, and I think that one thing that's going to come to bear, I guess, post industrial revolution is the amount of noise that we as human beings have created, which takes us away from that natural state and into this noisy urban environment. We lose touch with the sounds, the beauty and the essence of nature in cities and that's potentially problematic for our mental health.
Matt Morley
So we've introduced the third concept around noise, which I think has an inherently negative connotation. And if we bring it back to neutral, at least within the perspective of our evolutionary past, then you get to something close to what you're trying to do with the Ambient Flo project, so talk to us a little bit about that and how it connects with mental health and wellbeing.
soundscapes for mental health and wellbeing
Brian D'Souza
Ambient Flo began life as a live stream DJ set-up in my garden, it was the first days of lockdown, the sun was shining, we were entering into territory unknown. I think there's a lot of people, myself included, that were quite stressed at what the outcomes might be. Obviously, there was this real risk and danger to our health in terms of COVID-19. And a lot of people in my community of DJs and musicians were started to do live streams, trying to bring the club or the live experience into the home that way.
To me, that felt really alien, as a DJ I need to perform to a crowd and be there in the room with people. It's the interaction between myself, picking the tunes and the people dancing and responding to that really makes some sort of sense.
So what I decided to do instead was set up a live stream of ambient music where people could, in essence, receive the music early on a Saturday morning. So people were in essence just waking up. And with my very rudimentary technical setup on Instagram Live my phone would pick up the sounds of birdsong from my garden. And all of a sudden, the combination of music and birds in fact became the sonic experience that people were listening to.
I got so many comments from listeners saying this is brilliant, love the music, but actually really drawn to the birdsong and the natural environment. It made me think I'm very privileged to have a garden in London. And to be able to listen to birdsong. as frequently as I can do.
Studies showed the pandemic affected the noise levels in cities dropped because of less traffic. So the Birdsong, although it didn't actually get louder, the birds were perceived as singing louder due to a reduction in the ambient traffic noise.
Nature sounds and music combined for wellness
Anyway, the main takeaway was that the birdsong and the natural sounds were a precious feature for all the listenership. So when I eventually turned it into a radio station, I said, well, we need to try and recreate this.
So on the radio you have two channels, you have the music channel, and you have the birdsong recording channel, and it's your choice, you can just listen to music, or to Birdsong, or you can blend the two, which I think is a nice touch. We've now been running the station for a year and a half, and continually gets great feedback from people.
Anxiety-reducing sounds for calm mood states
Going back to your point around, you know, the health aspects of this. I wanted to put together a selection of songs, that really helped me lower my stress levels, and feel calm, and give myself this sort of safe space in amongst this terrible situation that the planet was enduring at that time.
At the same time, I was studying psychotherapy, learning about how sound can trigger different mood states, you know, bring yourself to that sense of relaxation. I thought, well, this music is, in my opinion, perfect for that. And it seems like the listenership agreed.
Matt Morley
I had it on for an hour yesterday, and definitely once I figured out that I could have both tracks playing at the same time, so that the ambient stuff and the birdsong that took it to the next level. So ambientflo.com
You mentioned ambient music, which I think may or may not appeal to everyone, but it does seem to have a very calming effect. There's that immediate sense of it bringing things down in tempo and encouraging a sense of rest and relaxation. But it is clearly distinct from muzak, which is just the poor quality background noise that we often end up hearing in commercial spaces.
Your Open Ear Music business is is all about counterbalancing that and taking a more conscious approach to the music that is associated with brands, particularly in physical spaces. So when you're thinking about creating an acoustic identity, or filling a space with sounds, and presumably music primarily, that connects with that brand, how do you go about that process?
Acoustic identities for brands
Brian D'Souza
It's trying to tell their story through a selection of songs. In essence, every song is a piece of communication, a piece of music is a fantastic thing it's packed with so much information. And that means that in actual fact, it can be quite complicated to think about, you know, what a song could lead to, you know, a listenership. And then when you take that song and put it in a context, that could be gyms or wherever, then you have that additional layer, where there's a certain expectation for the customer in terms of functionally what that space is set up to do if it's a gym space, if it's a restaurant or a bar. And then also their perception of of that brand, you know, what type of brand personality?
Pretty much every business plays music, the quality has gotten a lot better over the last 15 years, I think because people are slowly understanding the music they play is having an impact and can be a brand positive impact on the customer experience. And that's going to be a win win for everyone involved. It wasn't the case 15 years ago.
Music for productivity benefits
Muzak was interesting, because conceptually, it was designed around increasing productivity in factory spaces. And this was around the war time. And they would dictate quite a scientific approach with the music, it was a thing called stimulus progression.
So they didn't play music all throughout the day, they only played it in short bursts, at different times throughout the day. And that was really just as a motivational thing for the workforce, to be able to like, bring a bit of more energy, when they're kind of concentration levels kind of dwindled, or whatever.
There was this kind of inherent understanding that music had a functional purpose and benefit, unfortunately, what then it became was this kind of like, elevates, and literally kind of like wishy washy pastiche of what you know, music can be. And I think when open ears started, and certainly our mission today is to say, well, music is beautiful, we're filling our spaces, with music, it's having an impact. And again, it goes back to this paradigm of you know, is one man's music is another man's noise. Let's get it right, let's, if you get it right, it's going to be a positive is gonna be positive for the business, it's also gonna be a positive for customers, and they're gonna appreciate that.
In terms of the accessibility of music. Well, that's actually meant for the general kind of public. And the way that they listen is they're much more open minded to all forms of music, so a lot more a rich and diverse array of music. So actually, that gives brands and branded spaces a much more bigger chance to become creative with the music selections, you know, 15 years ago, it was the charts, and the classics, and not much else outside of that. No, you can really get into like the long tail of like all the independent, quite left field experiments or releases and really start to kind of tell this this story through the selection of songs functional, yes, but also like beautiful and inspiring at the same time.
Matt Morley
Let me dig into that, because I think you're absolutely right, what's happened is there's been a sense of democratization of, of music via these platforms, such as Spotify, and suddenly we're all able to dive in and out of country rock and an Afro Latino beats wherever else we want to go in the space of of an hour, right? So it's, in one sense, it's all too easy for a brand just to say, Well, okay, we're gonna follow these playlists, and that's more or less our mood, and Spotify will just keep spinning off that concept more or less. And then you know, we're good. We've got our we've got our soundscape. And I think all too often, we see that still where it's an improvement, for sure. But it's still not, there's not quite enough effort being made, and therefore, you know, this, it can still go wrong. So I think that leads you into the idea of more conscious listening, right? Because there are spaces where it's clearly background music, if it's so for example, a co working space, you don't want it to dominate, if it's a retail space, you don't want it to dominate.
When you're in a in a fitness environment, like a gym. It's a really central part and then to the Think of spinning studios, for example. I mean, it's like one of the main levers that they have to do it. But then, in a sense, like the ultimate peak of that then is this space where you're able to engage people in a conscious listening experience, right? And so how do you with the latest project with swell and the idea of a biophilic multi sensory experience, how have you integrated what we discussed previously about He sounds and that idea of really engaging with the music and what does that become in terms of this new brand that you've spun off from, from open air?
Brian D'Souza
Yeah, so Swell is a sister brand to Open Ear Music. And as we've just launched it, as you mentioned, I think open here, just back to the point around functional sound, I mean, yes, we fully understand the, you know, music for most people, in the spaces that we work with gyms, restaurants, bars, shops, etc, its periphery to, you know, the main activity. So yes, it has to be right, but you're not necessarily listening to it consciously. It might be, and this is, we do have lots of examples of this where one track, you know grab your attention, and you really want to know what that is. And that's a great thing for music discovery.
But, you know, most of the time, you're going to be just passively receiving the music, and you'll know when it's not, right. I mean, that is the thing, you know, if it doesn't feel right, you will take action by leaving that space, and tons of examples of that.
Active listening / deep listening / conscious listening
But in essence, if it fits the surroundings, and it makes some sort of sense, then you know, that's going to make you feel comfortable in that kind of space. On the other side, you have a different kind of listening, I guess, and there's different ways to describe it, you mentioned conscious listening, it can also be referred to active listening can also be referred to deep listening.
This is really based around an intention by the listener to be more conscious, or to be more active, if you were present, in terms of listening to the sounds, you know, we were very good at processing Sonic information. As well as performing an activity, whatever that might be, it's cooking, or driving or whatever, we're very good at that.
Before recorded music, we only did conscious listening, because you would go to a concert, or folk music, so recorded music really transformed music into this largely passive thing, I guess what we're seeing with Swell sound wellness is, we're trying to put forward that notion that consciousness thing is important, it's important for health.
If you're able to find time and space to consciously listen, then you will receive added health benefits in the same way that you might from meditation practice for example.
So, consciousness thing is, you know, is a way for us to just say, Look, if you were able to pay more attention to the sounds, and give yourself space to do that, then there's potential health benefits to be gained.
Biophilia and nature sounds
So the way that we deliver that, through the Swell wellness sounds project is this combination between Biophilia, nature sounds, with music through different frequencies and intervals, to be able to trigger different emotions, mental states, even feelings from the listener. Then the sound therapy part can potentially trigger an altered state of consciousness but at the least promotes a sense of deep relaxation.
Biofilico quiet room concept design for workplace wellbeing
Sound in workplace wellness and office recharge rooms
Matt Morley
So in workplace wellness we have a concept called a recharge room or a restorative space it's often an unused meeting room, we might get 30 - 50 square meters where you're given permission to rest and step away from the work that you're doing. Your Swell wellness sounds could certainly play a role in that.
What about the Soniferous Forest project you delivered recently in London’s high-end boutique Brown’s? Also a biophilic environment, can you try and paint that picture for people so they can get a sense of what what that looks like?
Brian D'Souza
Sure, absolutely, is a really good manifestation. And as one of the first projects we've done as Swell, it's a good example of, of what we're looking to do. And the potential of this type of work. The Soniferous Forest is firstly an installation. It's based in Brown’s, which is a fashion retail store in central London and Mayfair.
They have what they call the immersive room, where they have a small space that they do a range of different pop up and partnerships throughout the year. We've currently got the installation live, and it will run to the end of of April. So if anyone's in London, and want to go and check out it's absolutely free. It's a 15 minute experience. In essence, it's inspired by by two things.
Forest Bathing sounds
One was my experience going forest bathing. So getting out into nature. Shinrin Yoku is Japanese practice of forest bathing, and really just trying to like a kind of mindful approach to being in nature, paying attention to all senses. There's plenty of studies now that have been done around how forest bathing will reduce stress levels, anxiety, reducing cortisol balance and promoting your NK / natural killer cells, etc. So that was all very interesting.
Then I guess taking what we're talking about with the Ambient Flo idea where a lot of people don't have access to nature in a dense urban environment. This was like trying to bring nature to them, but in essence creating a forest experience within this retail store with bark on the walls and grass on the floor etc.
Soundscapes and noise
The other part of the inspiration is derived from a concept of soundscapes by R. Murray Schafer a Canadian ecologist who in fact passed away last year. He wrote a book called ‘Soundscape and the tuning of the world’. looking at the rising noise levels in cities, the potentially detrimental health impacts that that's having. And he really advocated for this cultivation of significance gardens in our urban environments, or, you know, across our different spaces that we create this recovery of what he calls positive silence. Give us back space for mental, spiritual, life's energies, etc.
So the forest garden is a safe space where people can go in and listen to field recordings from local forests around London via a headphone experience. It’s a spatial audio 15 minute composition, which in essence resembles a sort of sound therapy, sound bath or Gong bath that uses acoustic instruments, instead of the traditional instruments, the gong and the singing bowl.
The reason for that was we experimented using Gong recordings, etc. and the feedback that we got was very mixed at best because we felt like we needed the gong player in the room, you needed the instrument, the physical object to kind of have authentic association. Without it, it can be a very dark and ominous and almost scary kind of sound.
Nature sounds for sound masking benefits
Matt Morley
You’re involved in the forage sounds for a restaurant called Native in London too, also at Brown’s correct?
Brian D'Souza
Yes, two separate brands. And this is a coincidence, almost the two projects came about around about the same time. But yeah, Native, the challenge was they have this outside space, which is beautiful. But unfortunately, next door to them, they have a I think it's Claridges Hotel, they're doing lots of building works. So in the daytime is lots of noise. And it's really, really intrusive.
We were tasked with creating a soundscape that will try to mask some of the noise. And actually, you mentioned office spaces. This is another project we've done with, you know, some cool workspaces. We worked with The Office Group - very similar challenge, where the noise levels would be very distracting for people trying to work or in fact many people were very self conscious in quiet areas to have work conversations, meetings, etc.
By introducing music into a cool workspace in that case, and with Native restaurant introducing a nature sound biophilic soundscape, helped to mask these unwanted sounds and make the spaces a lot more pleasant and functional.
Matt Morley
Awesome, because I feel like we can carry on for quite a while, but I'm gonna cap it there. Be respectful of your time. Thank you so much.
Brian D'Souza
Great, well if anyone's interested, they can get in touch with me and I'd be delighted to chat.
acoustical comfort in healthy buildings & interiors
Human exposure to unfavorable noises and improperly regulated acoustics has a tangible impact on mental wellbeing, concentration and focus. It’s not going to send you to an early grave perhaps but it can create a consistent, low-level anxiety and stress that accumulates over time. In other words, in the world of healthy buildings and wellbeing interiors, we want to implement a strategy upfront in order to minimize acoustic discomfort. Here is how we do it.
acoustical comfort / acoustics in interior design / healthy buildings / wellness interiors / sound mapping / acoustic materials / acoustic finishes / well building standard
What is acoustical comfort?
When due attention is given to interior acoustics as part of the design and fit-out process, unwanted sound simply should not be an issue for building occupants, meaning there are no distracting echos or noise levels beyond those that align with the primary activity taking place in that area - this can differ greatly between a buzzy restaurant for example, and a library or office.
Due to the subtleties of this zone by zone approach, ‘acoustic comfort’ is a largely qualitative concept evaluated primarily by occupant satisfaction surveys - using questions such as “is the sound level right for what you are doing?” and so on.
We also have the possible addition of quantitative data via more scientific measurements around decibel levels and a lot of planning takes place in advance of a refurbishment or fit-out to anticipate potential acoustical comfort issues before they become reality.
As we explore below, a wellness interior designer has a number of tools at his or her disposal to integrate materials that absorb sound into the space, no matter whether it be office, residential, retail or restaurant.
What are the main causes of poor acoustics in buildings and interiors?
Building issues such as loud HVAC equipment, improperly insulated spaces, or an excess of hard interior surfaces in areas with regularly high densities of occupants (and their conversations), can all contribute to poor acoustics and occupant discomfort.
Airborne noise such as the air con / HVAC system and other mechanical appliances is all too common, especially in older buildings. Then there are of course the sounds of other occupants in or outside a building, primarily via speech but also footfall, opening or closing doors and so on, all of which can cumulatively become a recurring distraction and reduce concentration.
Impact noise, for example from a gym or children playing, is an even more acute version of the same problem. Imagine operating a spa or retail space on the ground floor of a building with a first floor CrossFit gym above (without proper sound insulating flooring to absorb the sound of loaded barbells being repeatedly dropped).
Then there is the problem of a lack of acoustical privacy between enclosed spaces and equally within open-plan spaces, with noise traveling from one of the space to another, bouncing around from wall to wall constantly.
Finally, there is the external noise source of passing transportation such as cars, buses, trains or planes, which can become intensely distracting both during the work day and at night.
What are the health risks of interiors with poor acoustics?
Human exposure to unfavorable noises and improperly regulated acoustics has a tangible impact on mental wellbeing, concentration and focus. It’s not going to send you to an early grave perhaps but it can create a consistent, low-level anxiety and stress that accumulates over time.
In other words, in the world of healthy buildings and wellbeing interiors, as consultants and advisors, we want to implement a strategy upfront in order to minimize acoustic discomfort, likely in collaboration with the Mechanical Engineer and Architects for new build construction or refurbishment projects, or solo as wellness interior designers if it’s an interior fit-out.
Consider how a lack of acoustical privacy, speech intelligibility, and general distractions can all impact our comfort in an open-plan office space for example - whether the noise source is from inside that workplace, elsewhere on the same floor or outside the building.
Typical mental wellbeing issues we encounter in such situations are a reduction in attention span, memory retention, and (in a residential context) lower quality sleep at night.
Designing with good acoustics in mind is therefore a fundamental part of any healthy building concept and wellbeing interior design strategy, so let’s look at the tools available to us.
How can a wellbeing interior design consultant improve an acoustics issue?
To combat these issues, strategies such as planned and isolated HVAC systems, reinforced facades, plenty of sound absorptive materials in the interior specifications and the introduction of consistent background noise / white noise can all be useful.
A range of solutions we might choose to deploy as part of a wellness interior design consultancy assignment would include the following:
Planning of isolated/balanced HVAC mechanical equipment sound levels (provides baseline/anticipated noise levels) in line with WELL recommendations of between 25 maximum noise criteria (NC) for enclosed offices and 40 maximum noise criteria for open-plan office spaces (Ref. WELL Building Standard)
Fortification of facades (affects exterior noise intrusion) but will require engineers and architects involvement (more suitable for full refurbishment projects rather than interiors only)
Replacing hard surfaces with sound reducing, sound absorbing surfaces, wall panels, ceiling baffles and surface finishes (ref. Noise Reduction Coefficient - NRC - an average value reflecting its acoustical sound absorbing properties - see WELL Building Standard for more)
Introducing consistent background noise levels (sound masking) for added acoustic privacy
Using non-hollow core door ways with gaskets or sweeps to block noise traveling from one side of a door way to the other
Interior partition walls with high acoustic absorption qualities, e.g. Sound Transmission Class (STC) of minimum 45 (ref WELL Building Standard)
Interior walls designed for acoustic performance with minimal air gaps and sound transmission, ‘vertical surfaces in an open workspace should have a minimum NRC of 0.8 on at least 25% of the surface area of the surrounding walls' (ref. WELL Building Standard)
Exterior windows with high acoustic absorption qualities, e.g. a Sound Transmission Class (STC) of minimum 35 (ref WELL Building Standard)
Imposing limits on music played in a space to limit distractions, e.g. “7 decibels (dBA) above the ambient sound pressure level when measured at a minimum distance of 4.5 m [15 ft] outside of the entrance to the space” (ref. WELL Building Standard)
Ceiling surfaces should have a minimum NRC of 0.9 for the entire surface area of the ceiling (excluding lights, skylights, diffusers, beams, joists and grilles) (ref. WELL Building Standard)
What does the WELL Building Standard advise on sound and acoustics?
The WELL Building Standard / Sound section aims to confront potential acoustic problems and provides various strategies to diminish negative health impacts. While it is up to the architects and wellness interior design consultants to interpret these objectives creatively through the lens of design, aligning their decisions with the desired wellbeing outcomes. In this way, health can and should become a central part of the design process from the very start of a healthy building design project.
WELL Building Standard SOUND / S01: Sound Mapping
Goal: create site zoning/acoustical plan that identifies potential noise sources that could affect a specific space. This equates to designating ‘loud’, ‘quiet’, and ‘mixed’ spaces according to zone or the programming of each space making up the floor plan or ‘sound map’.
So for example, within an office floor plate, we would create area for ‘deep work’ and solo concentration, as well as more collaborative areas for small groups and private meetings rooms, perhaps integrate some Skype cubicles for 1-2 people while on a call, and so on.
WELL Building Standard SOUND / S02: Max Noise Levels
Goal: Establish background noise levels for interior spaces to determine HVAC and façade design techniques in order to avoid speech intelligibility problems.
WELL Building Standard SOUND / S03: Sound Barriers
Goal: Increase speech privacy, highlight design constraints that may hinder acoustical comfort while including sound absorbing partitions (especially in open floor plans) as physical privacy is often mentally linked to acoustic privacy.
WELL Building Standard SOUND / S04: Sound Absorption
Goal: Design spaces that support speech intelligibility and increase focus paying particular attention to the hazards of hard surfaces that have the potential to reflect more sound and cause acoustic discomfort. By using sound insulating materials interior designers can control the sound absorption levels in any given space, for example via acoustic ceiling panels, flooring and/or wall panels, where appropriate.
WELL Building Standard SOUND / S05: Sound Masking
Goal: Increase acoustical privacy through noise suppression, where sound masking involves deliberately layering in an even noise level, for example of ‘white noise’ or nature sounds.
WELL Building Standard SOUND / S06: Impact Noise Management
Goal: Manage background noise levels between building floors, conscious that lightweight floor construction (CLT, wood truss, steel frame) emits more noise than resilient floor-ceiling construction (thick concrete slab, suspended ceiling).