Ecophon Acoustic Bulletin

Ecophon co-organised yesterday with AFNOR, the French standardization body, a seminar called “Office Acoustics” (see invitation). A broad representation from various stakeholders of the office sector confirmed the interest for tools to support the acoustic planning of offices. NF S31-080 is definitely one.

A few highlights, illustrated by some quotes from participants:
- “Thanks for the standard. That was a need”
- The standard is a voluntary document, not a regulation. "Its spreading depends on the efforts made by those who created it or use it to promote it".
- There is a growing demand for acoustics in offices (open plan solutions, comfort/well being and performance are taken seriously). There are tools. There are solutions. “Let’s do it!”

Posted by Pierre Chigot at 11:46 AM | Permalink

Experiencing spaces by listening is the theme of the website "Spaces Speak, Are You Listening”, by Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter. You’ll find interesting stories from the past and present on aural architecture. It links acoustics and buildings with human beings. You can find a glossary; you can listen to an inspiring lecture on aural architecture (mp3), read articles etc.

Posted by Carsten Svensson at 10:41 AM | Permalink

A Canadian guide defines best practice in sustainable, public financed office buildings. In section 2.9.1, named "Flanking and Isolation", performance criteria and methods are addressed:

(...)
The integrity of acoustical partitioning can be maintained by:

* Extending partitions above the suspended ceiling;
* Eliminating holes for ducts, pipes, conduits, cables etc.;
* Providing appropriate acoustical treatment on doors, sidelights, etc.;
* Minimizing or eliminating break-in and break-out sound transmission through air ducts passing through the partition.

Other studies support the fact that lighweight walls going through the suspended ceiling, and thereby sectionning the plenum is necessary to achieve the "true isolation performance", i.e. the site performance actually expected by the end-users of the office building.

In the above picture, meeting room adjacent to a cellular office, the result expecte by the user is confidential privacy. This can be translated into a site value (R'w) of at least 44-45 dB.

Guide de l'architecte pour la Conception d'immeubles de bureaux en fonction du développement durable

Posted by Pierre Chigot at 10:42 PM | Permalink

As previously announced, here, French standard NF S31-080 on acoustic quality of offices was published in January 2006.

Under several weeks, a short article has been published on the AFNOR main website, in order to announce the publication of the standard. The amount of unique visitors who clicked on the link is the fourth largest since statistics have been compiled on the site activity.
In other words, three standards only have generated more traffic, such as NF EN ISO 9001 on quality management.

Confirming that interest, NF S31-080 sales were doubled under the second half of 2006.

Posted by Pierre Chigot at 6:00 PM | Permalink

An International Symposium on Room Acoustics, ISRA 2007, will be arranged as a satellite symposium to ICA 2007. It will take place in Sevilla, Spain, on September 10-12.
Deadline for submission of abstracts is May 15th. For further information, see http://www.congreso.us.es/isra2007/sevilla/index.php

Posted by Nils-Åke Andersson at 8:01 PM | Permalink

The International Congress on Acoustics, ICA, will take place in Madrid, Spain, on September 2-7. The theme of the congress is "Acoustics for the 21st century".
Deadline for submitting abstracts is April 1st. For more details, see http://www.ica2007madrid.org

Posted by Nils-Åke Andersson at 7:50 PM | Permalink

Inter-noise 2007 will take place in Istanbul in Turkey on August 28-31. The main theme for the conference is "Global Approaches to Noise Control".
Abstracts have to be submitted before March 19, but maybe a shorter extension will be offered.
For more information, see http://www.internoise2007.org.tr/default.asp

Posted by Nils-Åke Andersson at 4:27 PM | Permalink

The company Digital Recordings offers a variety of hearing test products. Test it yourself, the only you need is a computer and a pair of headphones or earphones. Free software is avalable at http://www.digital-recordings.com/hearing-test/ht-products.html

Posted by Nils-Åke Andersson at 4:00 PM | Permalink

In an ongoing project partly financed by Nordic Innovation Centre and Saint-Gobain Ecophon AB the acoustical conditions in open-plan offices (OPO) is investigated. The aim of the project is to define acoustical parameters with relevance for the subjective impression of the acoustical environment in these premises. It is also the intention that these parameters will be useful in the acoustical design process. Measurements are carried out in real-life conditions and followed up by questionnaires among the personal.

So far three offices have been investigated and two more are in the pipeline. After an intervention program additional measurements and questionnaires will follow. The project is a Nordic collaboration with delegates from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Hopefully, this work will also be an important input for future standardization.

For more information contact: Erling Nilsson

Posted by Erling Nilsson at 9:02 AM | Permalink

The city of Lille in France will be hosting the first European Forum on Effective Solutions for Managing Occupational Noise Risks from the 3rd till the 5th of July 2007. The Forum intends to contribute to increasing the dissemination of existing knowledge in all sectors affected by occupational noise. In other words, the Forum aims at reducing the gap between solution providers and potential users.

This event is organized by the Institute of Noise Control Engineering of Europe (INCE/Europe), the French Information Centre on Noise (CIDB) and the Organization for Prevention and Control of Industrial and Professional Risks (AINF). In collaboration with a.o. EAA, I-INCE and SFA.
Ecophon France is member of the programme committee.
For more info and registration possibilities please check Lille Forum 2007

Posted by Marc Janssen at 11:17 AM | Permalink

Hospitals are extremely noisy, and noise levels in most hospitals far exceed recommended guidelines. The high noise levels, as well as peak noise levels in hospitals, have serious impacts on patient and staff outcomes.

Research suggests that environmental interventions may be effective in reducing the noise levels in hospitals and improving the acoustical environment. Key interventions include a.o. installing high-performance sound-absorbing ceiling tiles.

These are just some of the conclusions from the recent paper called "Sound Control for Improved Outcomes in Healthcare Settings" by Anjali Joseph and Roger Ulrich (both Center for Health Systems and Design). If you want to read more about noise control through absorbing ceiling systems and other measures please read the full article