The use of individual offices in today's workspace are on the decline. Innovations in layout, new furniture designs and unique personnel plans are allowing office tenants to work like never before. Still, this "new way to work" faces one serious challenge: noise.

According to Acoustics.com, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) commissioned a study that showed that 70 percent of office workers believe they could work better if office noise was reduced. If you seek to design an office plan that minimizes the number of doors, you'll need to consider the affect sound will have on productivity.

Productivity can benefit from open plan, collaborative workspaces. Creative teams and sale professionals, for example, work well in such environments. Teams can come together quickly using adjustable tables and wheeled chairs and sofas. Wireless networks are making workstations somewhat archaic as company data can be pulled down from almost anywhere. Traditional phone systems are used less because of e-mail, text, and online project management tools. Filing cabinets are dwindling as a result of e-forms and cloud storage.

Even though the end of the private office may be inevitable, the open workspace has its drawbacks. The power to be trendy sometimes overwhelms what's best for the end-user. It is critical for real estate decision makers to consider the needs of each individual employee team. What works for marketing may not be be conducive to a productive accounting department. Office acoustics, for example, can significantly impact morale and productivity.

Solutions do exist, however, that effectively combine an open floor plan with design features that significantly limit the effect of excess noise. Acoustic technologies have advanced to absorb more ambient sound, but also serve an office space aesthetically. Equipment like printers and fax machines can be placed behind paneling to deflect sound. And simply increasing the availability of small meeting rooms that can be used for lively discussions, confidential conversations or the occasional private phone call can go a long way toward minimizing audible distractions.

Open space plans should place personnel needing quieter environs around corners if possible, or behind physical obstacles such as columns and partitions. This can be augmented with sound baffles and even white noise machines.

Again, like any office space usage plan, the key is to focus on the end user from the beginning and integrate a plan to minimize sound. The more decision makers understand how their employees work, the more productive their office space will be. Your tenant representative can team with a carefully selected design professional to create a plan that meshes your strategic space needs with employee work styles.