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2026 Vol.33, Issue 4 Preview Page

Research Article

A Scoping Review of Office Acoustic Environment Research: Occupant Responses, Acoustic Stimuli, and Sound Masking Control Strategies

오피스 음환경 연구에 관한 주제범위 문헌고찰: 재실자 반응, 음향 자극 및 음향 마스킹 제어 전략을 중심으로

Ming-He Bi1
,
Geon-Hee Kim2
,
Joo-Young Hong3*
필 명화1
,
김 건희2
,
홍 주영3*
1Master's Student, Department of Architectural Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea
2Ph.D. Student, Department of Architectural Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea
3Associate Professor, Department of Architectural Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea
1충남대학교 건축공학과 석사 과정
2충남대학교 건축공학과 박사과정
3충남대학교 건축공학과 부교수
*Corresponding Author
31 August 2026. pp. 477-488
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Abstract

This study systematically reviews evaluation methods, acoustic stimuli, and sound masking and control strategies in office acoustic-environment research, and identifies recent research trends and gaps. To achieve this, a scoping review was conducted on academic studies related to office acoustic environments and soundscapes published since 2000. Office acoustic environment research was classified into three categories: (1) occupant response evaluation, (2) acoustic stimulus application, and (3) sound masking and control strategies. Many previous studies primarily assessed occupant responses using subjective questionnaires and physical noise indicators. However, recent research has increasingly expanded toward integrated approaches combining cognitive tasks and physiological indicators to evaluate both work performance and acoustic comfort. In addition, early studies primarily employed speech-related sounds and artificial masking noises based on white noise, whereas recent research has increasingly incorporated natural and biophilic sounds. In terms of acoustic control strategies, fixed-condition masking approaches were dominant in earlier studies, while adaptive and user-customized control methods adjusted according to occupant characteristics and contextual conditions have increasingly been investigated. This study systematically analyzes the trends and characteristics of office acoustic environment research and is expected to provide foundational insights for future human-centered soundscape design and adaptive acoustic control studies.

Keywords
Office
Acoustic Environment
Soundscape
Masking
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Living Environmental System
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국생활환경학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of The Korean Society of Living Environmental System
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국생활환경학회
  • Volume : 33
  • No :4
  • Pages :477-488
  • Received Date : 2026-08-20
  • Revised Date : 2026-08-28
  • Accepted Date : 2026-08-29
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.21086/ksles.2026.8.33.4.477
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