In an effort to improve the comfort, the students’ cafeteria at the architectural college of Madrid, ETSAM-UPM, was acoustically treated. Dr. César Diaz and his team at ETSAM-UPM, grabbed the opportunity to make measurements before and after, to quantify the improvement. Results showed that a large reduction of the reverberation time (from 2.3s to 0.8s) and an increase […]
Education
Teachers most at risk from hearing loss
A recent American survey conducted by the EPIC Hearing Healthcare, uncovered the scope of the problem for teachers specifically. According to the report last September from EPIC Hearing Healthcare, 15 percent of teachers report a diagnosed hearing loss, compared to 12 percent of workers nationwide. That might not seem like a huge difference, but EPIC also […]
Sports lessons can have a big impact on our hearing!
Acoustics in Dutch sports halls In the Netherlands a short item was broadcasted on national TV by SBS6 Hart van Nederland it was made to demonstrate the impact sports hall acoustic have on our hearing and especially the teachers who spend much of their time there as they feel the impact on their working conditions. […]
Acoustic emergency in schools discussed in Italy
(Above) Interview (In Italian) with Ing. Anna Marchesini and Ing. Cesare Trebeschi commenting on the outcomes of the seminar and the Progetto De.C.I.So (Deaf Children: Improvement of class room Sound quality) in particular A recent study in Italy found that 90% of the schools involved do not comply with acoustic regulations. In some cases the […]
Acoustics in schools a topic in Spain
A seminar focused on the benefits of good acoustics in schools was held in Madrid. It was called “Sound Education – Acoustic design in educational spaces” and was co-hosted by Ecophon and Iberacustica. The speakers were Ricardo Canto Leyton and Ignacio Ordóñez. Ricardo held two presentations, the first one explaining basic concepts of acoustics, and […]
ECO for Sustainable Design – new Educational Environments online edition now available
The latest “ECO for Sustainable Design” is now available online and has an end-user perspective which is often missing when we look at the design process. The magazine is full of good examples about how to solve acoustic challenges in educational environments, as well as testimonials from teachers and those involved in creating and maintaining […]
Grace Academy, Darlaston – thermal mass meets sustainable acoustics
Grace Academy, Darlaston, recently completed by main contractor Kier, was recognised recently for achieving excellent acoustic standards, by a group of high profile architects from across England. The architects visited the Academy to celebrate the successful use of sustainable acoustics within a thermally activated concrete design, which complies with, and in some areas exceeds, BB93, the acoustic […]
UK government has open consultation about new school acoustic design standard
Acoustic design of schools: performance standards 2014 “The long awaited replacement to BB93, Acoustic Design of Schools, is most welcome; if you wish to respond, scroll to the end of the draft document for the 10 questions. You may consider a particular focus on the new open window natural ventilation calculation, guidance for sports halls, […]
Room acoustics and inclusion in schools – at DAGA 2014
Acoustics and inclusion: Knowledge from a British study on school acoustics and inclusion was what Holger Brokmann (Concept Developer – Education, with Ecophon in Germany) presented at DAGA 2014 in Oldenburg, Germany. The issue of “equal educational opportunities for all” is linked to the concept of inclusion, underpinned by legal requirements such as the Basic […]
Education Construction Network organise a topical school design seminar
On Thursday evening Marcel Hendricks Director of the Education Construction Network organised an evening seminar hosted at the Saint-Gobain Innovation Centre in London. The event titled, “Have we fallen out of love with Sweden & Denmark?” was provoked by recent references and discussions in the media around the influence and transfer of educational and school […]
