At the recent International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV32) in Istanbul, two presentations stood out for their focus on a common challenge in healthcare: how we can create hospital sound environments that better support communication, concentration, well-being, and performance. While the speakers approached the issue from different angles, both highlighted an important shift in […]
Healthcare
Listening to the Hospital Soundscape: Two Research Perspectives from ICSV32 in Istanbul
At the International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV32) in Istanbul, several presentations highlighted a topic that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: the sound environment in healthcare facilities. While healthcare has made enormous advances in patient safety, technology and clinical outcomes, the acoustic environment often remains overlooked. Two presentations in particular caught my attention […]
Acoustics impact the quality of life when living with Memory disorder
This text was previously published on The Alzheimer Society of Finland’s blog to educate various stakeholders about the importance of a supportive environment for people with memory disorders. Memory disorder We know that hearing loss and memory problems are linked: as hearing gets harder, social interactions become more difficult, often causing people to withdraw from […]
Acoustical Consultant
Photo by Ela Fasllija
Space for Music: Elements to incorporate into Healthcare Designs
by Agostina Ferrentino, Clara Rius, and Ramón Torrents Introduction: Space for music The hospital is one of the most acoustically demanding environments that exist. Medical equipment, alarms, conversations and continuous activity generate noise levels that affect both rest and the emotional state of patients and staff. For decades, healthcare design has focused on minimising this impact […]
The many impacts of inadequate acoustic environments on neurodivergent and noise sensitive people.
Guest post by Carmen Rosas-Pérez (a PhD student at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh (UK)). Overview This post summarises the research done for my PhD Thesis ‘Disabling Acoustics: Impact of daily-life acoustic environments on neurodivergent, auraldivergent and noise sensitive people’ carried at Heriot-Watt University (UK) and funded by a James Watt scholarship. As a neurodivergent acoustic engineer […]
Patient-Centric Design: The Room Entrance as a Strategic Acoustic Filter
By Veronica Amodeo Patient-Centric Design Hospital environments have a significant influence on patient recovery, not only through clinical care but also through environmental factors that impact biological, psychological, and social well-being. Among these factors, noise remains one of the most critical and yet insufficiently controlled stressors. Excessive sound exposure in healthcare settings has been linked […]
Autism and auditory needs – An overview for accessible indoor spaces
“Ten questions concerning autism and auditory accessibility in buildings” is a recent paper which takes a deep dive into the topic The comprehensive literature study “Ten questions concerning autism and auditory accessibility in buildings” examines how autistic individuals experience sound within the built environment. The overview highlights major shortcomings in current design standards and offers […]
Vertical absorption in Healthcare
National standards in the Healthcare are lacking In many countries, national standards, regulations, and guidelines in the healthcare sector are lacking and rarely include vertical absorption. One could therefore say that in many cases, building hospitals, elderly care homes, and psychiatric wards is the ‘wild west’ regarding acoustics. We are lucky when new buildings are […]
Planning Ahead for 2026: Acoustic Conferences and Submission Deadlines
Do you know the mix of relief, happiness, and a feeling of power that comes right after submitting a conference paper at the very last minute? While last-minute submissions or trip bookings release adrenaline, planning ahead is still the better strategy – especially when 2026 is packed with excellent acoustics conferences that you might want […]
