Acoustic Comfort in Workspaces: Health in Call Centers

International audienceThe research aims to design and to develop a system of active reduction of the background noise as it is perceived by the operators of call centers, with a headset similar to the ones usually used in the team workspaces. The proposed environmental study will make it possible to grasp the global context of the functioning of the call centers. For that, this study brings together researchers of different laboratories, the one as specialist in the physical approach of the noise environment, the other as specialist in environmental psychology. Indeed, noise represents a major nuisance in many occupations. In certain cases it even can cause, in the long run, an irreversible deafness. Among all the techniques aiming at reducing the noise level in the workspaces, the active noise control is an innovating method which can prove to be effective, in particular when the low frequencies prevail. For making this method efficient, it is essential to study the acoustic comfort. The definition of acoustic comfort on the workplace, as well as its ways of implementation, require to take both, the sound reality and the perception of the noise by the users of these spaces, into account. Thus, if our subject is really the noise environment of workspaces, it is nevertheless necessary for its study, to approach it at the same time recontextualized and articulated with the different aspects of the physical and social environment of the place concerned. We prepared two standardized questionnaires, the first addressed to the operators, the second to the supervisors. The survey among the operators allows us to collect all the data relating to their opinions, representations and expectations as for their work environment. It gives us the opportunity of collecting, in an accurate way, the perceptions and evaluations of topics concerning the different parameters of this acoustic dimension as well as the adopted behaviors towards these sound characteristics. Additionally, the data provided by the supervisors concern the objective aspects of the work environment and as such, allow us to put the subjective data into perspective. It is a question of studying several call centers which are rather representative for the different existing centers. In the choice of the centers, we applied two predominant criteria: - Type of service (externalized or internalized), - Density of operators per team space (high, average, low). The so collected data processing will allow a fine and detailed analysis of the specific work environment of each center. The sample study will provide a base of information which will be useful for the work of our partners in this project, but also for the call centers themselves as it gives a global vision of their occupational work environments

ACI ABRUPT Rapport final Décembre 2006 GRECAU-Bx

Cette étude vise à appréhender l’environnement de travail des centres d’appels téléphoniquesdans sa complexité, afin de concevoir un casque doté d’un système de contrôle actif du bruitambiant qui réponde au mieux aux pratiques et attentes des opérateurs. Les résultats montrentque toutes les conditions sont réunies pour proposer une système de contrôle actif : le type desources entendues et gênantes (voix des collègues proches), le type de matériel préféré (casque àdeux oreillettes) et l’importance de l’aspect acoustique dans le confort pour les opérateurs. Laparticipation des six centres à cette étude nous a ainsi permis de confirmer la pertinence dudéveloppement d’un tel matériel dans les centres d’appels téléphoniques

Social Representations of Mass Timber and Prefabricated Light-Frame Wood Construction for Multi-Story Housing: The Vision of Users in Quebec

The increased use of wood and prefabrication are solutions that are helping to address current and future challenges in the construction sector. However, these practices are slow to become widespread due to the conservative nature of this industry. The objective of this study is to characterize the social representations of Province of Quebec (Canada) individuals with regard to these construction methods in order to determine the motivations and barriers to their use in the construction of multi-story housing. The social representations of a representative panel of the Quebec population were collected through standardized surveys. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results indicate that the use of wood in the construction of high-rise multi-story housing is not part of the representations of a majority of Quebecers. The motivations identified are the aesthetics of wood and the environmental aspect, although forestry exploitation remains an important concern for respondents. The main barriers are the safety aspect and lifespan because they tend to dominate the other themes in decision making. The results suggest that the acceptance and adoption of these construction methods by users can be improved by adapting the transfer of knowledge towards the negatively perceived themes and the identified social groups

Perceptions et représentations des habitants d'un quartier en réhabilitation : le quartier MALAKOFF à Nantes

National audiencePartie intégrante du projet de recherche-action « Hyperpaysages : pour le développement urbain participatif» (HPU), l'objectif de cette étude était d’expérimenter une démarche dynamique d'observationet d’appropriation des paysages dans une perspective de développement social et urbain coopératifet durable des territoires. Une campagne d’enquêtes menée en 2007/2008 a permis de recueillir lesperceptions et représentations des habitants concernant leur espace de vie à différents momentsclés de l'évolution du quartier, les changements réalisés et à venir, les actions participatives menées.Un « instantané » des perceptions et représentations d'un échantillon diversifié de la population duquartier de Malakoff a été ainsi produit. Visant à interroger les effets de la dynamique participative vis-à-vis de la gouvernance locale de proximité, les résultats obtenus permettent d’évaluer les processusde concertation et de décision notamment du point de vue des motivations personnelles et del’implication collective dans le but de faire émerger une connaissance spécifique des enjeux du développementdurable pour le territoire de Malakoff

Bordeaux, la fabrique du patrimoine. Paysages d'une cité historique vivante

International audienc

Perceptive Evaluation Procedures for Diffuse Reflexion Listening

International audienceArchitectural morphology is an important factor for the prediction of soundscapes and noise propagation in urban areas. As in room acoustics, the sound field in a street is characterized by the building façades irregularities, in such a way that two similar streets (in size) can produce two different sound fields for two different building frontages. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate how the soundfield and urban soundscapes perception are influenced by building façades. This paper is a part of the national land transport research and innovation program (PREDIT) and is supported by the French ministry for ecology and sustainable development

EFFECTS OF DIFFUSE REFLECTION BY BUILDING FAÇADES ON THE SOUND PROPAGATION AND SOUNDSCAPES IN URBAN AREAS

International audienceArchitectural morphology is an important factor for the prediction of soundscapes and noise propagation in urban areas. As in room acoustics, the sound field in a street is characterized by the building façades irregularities, in such a way that two similar streets (in size) can produce two different sound fields for two different building façades. However, most of the existing softwares and models take only the specular reflection into account implying a significant uncertainty in the sound prediction. The main purpose of this paper is, first, to investigate how the sound field and urban soundscape perception are influenced by building façades, and secondly, to characterize several urban façade by typical reflection laws. Then, a coupling morphological and acoustical database will be built up and introduced in an urban acoustics simulation software, in order to be used by town planners and architects in urban projects. This paper is a part of the national land transport research and innovation program (PREDIT) and is supported by the French ministry for ecology and sustainable development

ASTUCE Research Project : one way to evaluate urban soundscapes

International audienceASTUCE, “Ambiances Sonores, Transports Urbains, Cœur de ville et Environnement” (Sound Ambiences, Urban Transport, City centre and Environment), is a research project aiming to provide a relevant methodology to improve the environmental quality of city centres by considering the concept of soundscape

Elaboration of a methodological guide of sound ambiences to evaluate urban soundscapes : the ASTUCE research Project

International audienceThe goal of the project is to develop a global approach that helps local authorities, decisions makers, urban planners and town designers in the decision making process. By collecting information about the urban sound environment, identifying those that satisfy the city dwellers’ expectations and those that have to disappear or be modified, short- and long-term strategies will then be validated in complement of the noise action plans in line with the European Environmental Noise Directive