Event: CHILD & NOISE – INTERDISCIPLINARY SYMPOSIUM 17 March 2017 The Sound Environment Centre at Lund University in Sweden Last Friday, Frans Mossberg and Eja Pedersen of the Sound Environment Centre, organised and moderated a thought-provoking and powerful interdisciplinary symposium with a wide range of speakers from around northern Europe, focused on how a child […]
Education
Open learning landscapes – if the acoustics aren’t right, the whole educational concept fails
De Werkplaats in Bilthoven is one of the Netherlands’ first primary schools without any classrooms, where pupils and teachers work in an open learning environment. “The success of such a concept largely depends on good acoustics,” says architect Kees Willems of Teeuwisse & Willems architects. In one corner we see a group of children watching […]
Acoustic improvements lower teacher heart rate, voice levels and improve the general experience
Better acoustics in the classroom reduce the teacher’s heart rate, according to research by students at a leading technological institute in the Czech Republic. Negative stress leads to bad decisions and poorer performance. When we are under stress, our heart rate increases, which is a good measure of how stressed we are. Jana Dolejší, a […]
Back to school to improve the lives of children with hearing impairment
As many students are enjoying their midterm break, it’s time to take a seat on the school bench for others. A group of European researchers, experts and industry partners is gathering to share insight on children’s auditory rehabilitation for three days as part of iCARE’s third winter school in Linköping, Sweden. The iCARE (improving Children’s Auditory […]
Sensory Intelligence – Rethinking working, living and learning environments
Environmental noise has been identified as the second largest environmental health risk in Europe. In our modern, busy, noisy, world it’s not surprising that we can struggle to focus at work, school or in the home. Excess noise is a significant problem in many learning spaces. It is not only the children who struggle due […]
Better performance during the teacher training sessions – highlights need for good school acoustics!
Case study: How acoustics dramatically improved the teaching facilities at training centre for teachers CESIRE, Barcelona, Spain Above: dBplus Acoustics explaining acoustic improvements One good thing leading to another The idea behind the collaboration between CESIRE, dBplus Acoustics and Ecophon came about after Ecophon hosted a knowledge seminar in Barcelona which shared a local case study […]
Sound schools: the importance of good acoustics
When we speak, we push air from our lungs, which continues up through the neck via the vocal chords, which in turn vibrate and create sound. The sound continues on via the nasal cavity and oral cavity, creating sound waves that are released into the room. These sound waves are received by someone’s ears via […]
Sound and school design from three architects’ point-of-view
In this post, we have collated three architects’ views on the role of sound in designing school buildings. The listening architect Architects focus on sight, as this has been quoted by giants such as Aristotle, Vitruvius, Palladio and Corbusier as “the noblest of all arts”. In other words, sight has been perceived by many as the […]
Inclusive acoustic learning environment appreciated by the whole class!
Following a great response a few years ago after doing lectures about acoustics in learning environments at Comfort Audio’s four Academies in Denmark, Mai-Britt Beldam and Comfort Audio decided to do a project together – to find out what would happen if optimum room acoustics is combined with great hearing products for kids with hearing […]
EIAS2015 special: Why use acoustic regulations, standards and guidelines?
When designing for good acoustics, how do you make sure you follow the rules and demands of a certain space? You will (at least) have to look at: The requirements = What you are trying to achieve acoustically. The legal standards, the building regulations and guidelines = The way this is going to be achieved. […]
