Designing Workplaces You Can Hear: The Science and ROI of Adaptive Soundscaping

When the first Moodsonic zones went live at GSK’s Melbourne HQ, something subtle but remarkable happened. The space itself seemed to relax. Conversation softened, focus settled in, and the noise that once dominated open areas became a balanced, living backdrop.

What was once sound masking had evolved into something far more intelligent: a generative soundscape that listens, learns, and adapts to the rhythm of the workplace.

This is the future of acoustics, and it is transforming how people experience buildings across APAC.

From Quiet to Intelligent

Noise remains the number-one complaint in offices. But solving it isn’t about silence; it’s about designing sound intentionally.

Traditional acoustics were passive: install panels, set fixed masking noise, and hope for balance. Adaptive soundscaping flips that model. It uses real-time data to continuously tune the environment, delivering just enough natural sound to support focus, collaboration, and comfort.

At its core is Moodsonic’s generative sound engine, a biophilic audio system that responds to human activity. Sensors measure ambient noise, and algorithms adjust frequency, amplitude, and composition to match the moment.

Unlike traditional systems that simply add background noise, adaptive soundscaping layers carefully designed acoustic and focus-enhancing frequencies with biophilic natural sounds.

The result is not just comfort but cognitive optimisation: a sound environment that subconsciously supports concentration, privacy, and calm. In other words, it doesn’t just sound natural; it feels natural.

Where traditional masking systems create a static layer of filtered noise, Moodsonic’s generative platform continuously composes sound in real time, using algorithms that respond to occupancy, activity, and acoustic data.

Think that sounds cool? It is, and it’s years ahead of anything else on the market. And just wait until you see (and hear) what’s around the corner as this platform evolves.

How Adaptive Soundscaping Works

As Evan Benway, CEO of Moodsonic, explains:

“Not all nature sounds are created equal. Birdsong or water can be calming in the right context but distracting in the wrong one. Successful soundscaping means designing with intent, delivering the right sounds at the right time, in the right place.”

That philosophy underpins every project Valeo Technology has delivered across APAC. Working with architects, acoustic consultants, and facility teams, Valeo maps each zone not just by decibel level, but by purpose.

Focus areas get slower, lower-frequency profiles that enhance concentration. Collaboration zones use more dynamic compositions that encourage interaction. Restorative spaces draw on softer, organic layers inspired by forest or shoreline environments.

Each soundscape shifts subtly through the day to mirror natural circadian patterns and real-time activity.

What We’ve Learned from APAC Projects

At GSK’s Melbourne headquarters, Valeo Technology worked alongside M Moser Associates to design and deliver an adaptive soundscape using Moodsonic. The system played a key role in supporting the project’s progression from WELL Gold to WELL Platinum certification, as highlighted in the International WELL Building Institute’s latest report.

The soundscaping design not only enhanced acoustic comfort and speech privacy but also contributed measurable improvements in focus and wellbeing across open-plan areas.

1️⃣ Cognitive Load Drops Dramatically

Post-installation feedback from GSK Melbourne showed a sharp reduction in “auditory fatigue.” Employees reported that “the office feels calmer, even when it’s busy.” The Moodsonic zoning was designed to match the neurodiverse zoning design implemented by M Moser.

2️⃣ Data Confirms the Difference

Measured Speech Transmission Index (STI) scores typically fall from 0.75 to 0.45 in open areas, meaning conversations became roughly 90 % less intelligible to nearby desks. That’s a tangible reduction in distraction and a measurable productivity gain.

3️⃣ Neurodiversity and Inclusion Improve

At Sydney Catholic Schools HQ, soundscaping was paired with lighting, scent, and neurodiversity-informed design. Staff with sensory sensitivities described the space as “comfortable and less tiring,” validating research that adaptive environments reduce cognitive strain for neurodivergent occupants.

4️⃣ Hybrid Work Brings New Acoustic Challenges

At CBRE’s 'Award Winning' Singapore Innovation Hub, Moodsonic soundscaping helps define flexible neighbourhoods and support hybrid work patterns, aligning with CBRE’s WELL Enterprise Provider commitment to healthier, high-performance workplaces.

And in Landcom’s Sydney office, soundscaping complements the organisation’s focus on social sustainability, creating a calm, inclusive environment that reflects Landcom’s broader mission to build healthier communities across NSW.

The ROI Equation: Reducing Cost While Adding Value

Soundscaping doesn’t just add a wellbeing layer; it can also make the base build more cost-efficient. When integrated early, adaptive sound systems often allow designers to simplify acoustic and partition specifications while achieving the same (or better) privacy and comfort outcomes.

Where the Savings Appear

• Walls and partitions: Controlled background sound in adjacent areas lets designers meet privacy goals with standard wall assemblies instead of multi-layer, high-STC builds.

• Glazing: Meeting rooms can use standard laminated glass rather than premium acoustic glazing, since elevated background levels outside reduce speech intelligibility.

• Ceiling treatments: When adaptive soundscaping forms part of the acoustic strategy, the quantity of high-NRC ceiling or wall absorption can be reduced.

• Retrofits: Installing a digital sound environment is typically far less disruptive and less material-intensive than architectural rework.

• Embodied carbon: Fewer heavy-mass materials and less insulation mean a smaller carbon footprint while still meeting acoustic and wellbeing goals.

Quantifying the Offset

Independent acoustic and cost consultant data (RLB, WT Partnership, JASA 2024) show that integrating adaptive soundscaping can yield 10–25 % savings across acoustic materials and partitions by achieving the same privacy factor with lighter construction.

On a 1,000 m² fit-out valued at approximately AUD $3 million, that translates to AUD $50K to $80K in potential offset, effectively covering the full cost of a Moodsonic deployment.

In other words, soundscaping can pay for itself through smarter acoustic design, even before productivity or wellbeing gains are considered.

The Acoustic Principle

Speech privacy depends on two variables:

1️⃣ Blocking (wall and glass sound transmission, STC)

2️⃣ Covering (background sound level, NC)

If you can control NC electronically, you don’t need to buy as much STC through costly construction.

This trade-off is validated in AS2107, WELL v2 Sound Guidelines, and research published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America and the Australian Acoustical Society Conference (2024), both of which highlight that elevating controlled ambient sound can maintain privacy with lighter assemblies, reducing cost and embodied carbon.

Validated by the Data: IWBI’s Latest Findings

The International WELL Building Institute’s 2024 report, Investing in Health Pays Back (Second Edition), quantified what forward-thinking organisations have been experiencing firsthand.

According to the IWBI, biophilic workplaces can drive productivity gains worth up to USD $36,000 per employee per year, while improvements to acoustics and sound environments can reduce distraction-related productivity loss by over 50%.

For a 100-person organisation, that translates into potential annual value exceeding USD $200,000 from enhanced focus alone.

At Valeo, we’ve been designing for these outcomes for years, and our early adopters including GSK, SAP, CBRE and Sheldon are already seeing the returns. The IWBI’s findings simply put numbers behind what good design has long proven: investing in human experience delivers measurable business performance.

Value by Design

Recent data from JLL, CBRE, and Cushman & Wakefield shows that average Australian fit-out costs now range between AUD $2,600 – $3,200 per m² for modern, tech-enabled workplaces, and those figures already include AV, data, and lighting systems.

Within that context, adding a full Moodsonic adaptive soundscape represents less than 2–3 % of total project cost.

In typical office environments, fully designed, installed, and commissioned systems can start from around AUD $50 per m². When deployed as part of a broader AV or electrical package, installation efficiencies can dramatically reduce this figure further, making adaptive soundscaping one of the most cost-effective wellbeing upgrades in modern workplace design.

Reallocation Through Efficiency and Synergy

Today’s building technologies are leaner and more integrated, naturally freeing up budget for sensory-wellbeing systems without changing the overall spend.

Lighting systems: The shift to LED and PoE-based controls has reduced infrastructure costs by 20–30% since 2019 (AECOM Lighting Cost Index 2024). Circadian and daylight logic are now standard, meaning fewer fixtures and lower energy use deliver better outcomes.

Meeting-room technology: Hybrid-ready AV systems have replaced multi-component setups, often saving $30–50K per 1,000 m² floorplate while increasing capability.

Acoustic synergy: Independent studies (AAS 2024; JASA 2024) show that controlled ambient sound can maintain speech privacy with lighter walls and ceilings, reducing cost and embodied carbon by up to 25%. When integrated early, this creates measurable savings across partitions and acoustic finishes, validated by cost consultants such as RLB and WT Partnership.

This isn’t about cutting design quality; it’s about expanding design freedom. Architects retain aesthetic intent while achieving WELL-aligned acoustic comfort more efficiently.

In short, the cost of adding adaptive soundscaping doesn’t come from doing less; it comes from doing smarter.

As lighting, AV, and building systems become more efficient, budgets are shifting from static materials to intelligent sensory infrastructure that continually enhances human performance.

Soundscaping fits perfectly within that evolution.

Designing for the Ear and the Future

As Kay Sargent of HOK notes:

“When we design for the extreme, everyone benefits.”

Designing for the ear is one of those “extreme” considerations that elevates the entire workplace experience. It supports neurodiversity, builds emotional resilience, and helps people feel in sync with their environment.

The next frontier is integration: connecting sound with lighting, temperature, and occupancy data to create truly responsive, self-learning spaces.

At Valeo Technology, this is already underway. In partnership with Moodsonic and design leaders across APAC, we’re building workplaces that listen back: environments that adapt in real time to support focus, comfort, and wellbeing.

Closing Thought

Sound is no longer the forgotten sense in workplace design. It’s the invisible infrastructure of wellbeing: subtle, adaptive, and deeply human.

The science is clear. The value is proven. And for organisations ready to invest in how their workplaces feel, the results speak for themselves. 

But we are still only scratching the surface. The next evolution of soundscaping is already taking shape............one that will integrate even more seamlessly with data, design, and emotion to create workplaces that truly listen and respond.

As the philosopher Heraclitus once wrote, “There is nothing permanent except change.” The spaces of tomorrow will not simply contain us; they will evolve with us.

Want to learn more about how soundscaping can transform your next workplace project?

Connect with us at Valeo Technology or reach out directly to explore how we can support your WELL and sensory design goals.