What are good acoustic conditions in elderly care? Recently, a new study in an elderly care home in Denmark was finalized. The motivation for this study conducted by the two Architectural Engineers Cecilie Søgaard Petersen and Stine Sonne Nautrup was that we see demographic changes all over the world and this also means that the […]
room acoustics
EIAS 2015 throwback: Four presentations on room acoustic descriptors
In anticipation of the next Ecophon International Acoustic Seminar (EIAS) we bring you these 4 presentations on acoustic descriptors from EIAS 2015. Much in the world has changed since 2015, but the need for more technical descriptors in evaluating room acoustic quality is not one of them. Technical objective descriptors provides us to more accurately […]
Optimum room acoustics in audiological research facilities
Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center Audiological Research Facilities are part of Rigshospitalet’s new North Wing which officially opened on Tuesday 14 January 2020 with optimum room acoustics. The new wing of 54,700 m2 was designed to cater to the needs of patients and their families and includes 196 private rooms and 33 high-tech operating theatres. […]
Laboratories: Open-plan offices inside healthcare environments
Laboratories as open-plan offices Since March 2020, the coronavirus disease was formally characterized as a pandemic. Since that time, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to high demand for healthcare resources. Laboratory activities surged due to the rapid increase in testing. In hospitals or clinics, laboratories operate mainly in the domain of patient-related research and analyses. […]
Hospital Soundscapes and ways to heal them
The hospital soundscapes “The soundscape of the average modern hospital is a cacophony of overlapping beeps, blats, and pings from monitors, roaring ventilation systems, raucous bursts of conversation from visitors, patients and the nursing station, carts rumbling down hallways, televisions, phones. Sleep, essential to the healing process, is available primarily through medications. Even medicated sleep […]
Better sound environments for doctors and nurses in the Czech Republic
One of our editors in the Czech Republic (CZ), Iveta Kralova, was recently part of an intervention study to create better sound in an eye clinic in Hradec Kralove. Here follows her experience in a country where acoustic standards for healthcare are lacking and where a lot of buildings are too loud to heal. Many […]
Combination of Absorbers and Diffusers – An Experimental Study in a Classroom
This study provides information on how different acoustic treatments can be used to obtain different room acoustic qualities, and can be used to improve and fine-tune the room acoustic parameters for better speech and listening conditions in classrooms. The background overview The most common acoustical treatment in ordinary classrooms is a suspended sound absorbing ceiling. […]
Our Visual Focus (part 3) – Deafly Designed
What do modern human societies sound like? Have we neglected the soundscapes of human society, and how may our cultural focus on our sense of sight have affected how we design buildings? The World Health Organization (WHO) categorizes noise as the most significant environmental health threat right after air pollution (1). This should also be […]
Great acoustics in operating rooms!
Noise in hospitals Noise levels have steadily increased in hospitals over the last >40 years, both daytime and nighttime [1]. The noise level in operating rooms can be particularly difficult and research shows that this may affect the ability of the staff to perceive proper oral instruction; it also affects their perceived stress and well-being. […]
Prevent arousals and awakenings in hospitals
In search of a noisy environment? Visit a hospital. Studies show that noise levels are high due to operational activities, communication, alarms, and noise from medical equipment, along with structural sounds from the building (such as ventilation and closing doors). Already back in 1859, nurse Florence Nightingale declared how “unnecessary noise is the cruelest abuse of […]
