The designer was working late in her office on a difficult hospital project. She had a tight deadline and was struggling with a tricky problem. In an attempt to concentrate, she closed her eyes, but there was no silence. The vend-ing machine in the cafeteria hummed and the fan from the A/C system produced an annoying, squeaking sound. A siren in the neighborhood shrilled and a squeaky door opened by the cleaning crew caught her attention. Someone from a floor above her flushed the toilet, and the noise resonated throughout the building. Already under stress from a long day and an impending deadline, she realized the effect of noise on her productivity.
展开▼
