Visiting or staying in a hospital is an exciting experience for most people. In this environment, stimuli are perceived that can influence the situation in both a positive and negative way. Various studies have shown that noise levels in hospitals are too high for optimal healing. This blog is about how healing environments can contribute […]
acoustics
Sustainable Acoustics at Internoise 2022
We continue on giving you highlights and summarise of a variety of subjects from Internoise in Glasgow, enjoy! Abigail Bristow: From the cost of noise to the value of soundscape The past two decades have seen an ongoing paradigm shift from noise control to soundscaping. Soundscape approaches have been widely applied in traditional noise management […]
Improving the acoustic conditions for children with special listening needs (Adrian James Acoustics, Internoise 2022)
As a veteran acoustician and the principal author of the UK acoustic standard for schools BB93, Adrian James has spent nearly three decades considering and influencing the role sound plays in classrooms. He notes that the Department for Education’s Advice on Standards for School Premises, 2015, for children with special listening needs (accessible here) is […]
Diffuse ceiling ventilation contributes to quieter classrooms at a school in Eslöv, Sweden
At Ekenäs School in Eslöv, Sweden, we compared four classrooms with almost identical acoustic treatments but differing in the type of ventilation system used. We wanted to know if diffuse ceiling ventilation can offer a quieter as well as more comfortable, sustainable and cheaper solution. Background: diffuse ceiling ventilation Diffuse ceiling ventilation allows air […]
Baltic-Nordic Acoustic Meeting 2022
On May 9-11 2022, Aalborg hosted the bi-annual Baltic Nordic- Acoustic Meeting (organized by the Nordic Acoustic Association), which this time is merged with the EUROREGIO (organized by the European Acoustics Association). The conference brought together academics, engineers, consultants, and other practitioners in the wide field of acoustics. Some of the really interesting presentations are […]
New research shows that a lower reverberation time helps children cope with multi-talker listening situations
How children make sense of the complex signals they hear in the classroom depends partly on their hearing and cognitive abilities. But newly published research shows more about the important part played by the acoustic environment in this process; specifically, the role of reverberation time. The ability to make sense of what you are hearing […]
Hospital facilities often fall by the wayside
In many older hospital facilities, noise is disruptive and continuous; for this reason, particular attention was paid to the acoustics in the new intensive and intermediate care unit in Seinäjoki, Finland. According to a nationwide study, on average 55% of those working in healthcare would like to see improvements to the sound environment of working […]
Universal Design: Embracing Difference
In the 1970s, architects began to acknowledge that the people which inhabited the buildings they designed might depart slightly from da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man (pictured below). This movement, christened Universal Design [1], brought with it specialized ramps, doorknobs and other design features which anticipated that people from the broad spectrum of humanity should be able […]
Telehealth on the rise – but are the video conferencing rooms ready?
Video conferencing room sound quality enough for the new reality? More consultations for citizens + 80 years From 2009 – 2014 (in Denmark), the only group of patients who consults a doctor more is the group of patients who are + more than 80 years old. All other age groups consult a doctor less. Citizens […]
Listening tests in room acoustics
Last June 24th, Daniel de la Prida defended his PhD thesis [1] at the Technical University of Madrid (Spain). His research focused on the assessment of the subjective perception both in architectural and environmental acoustics. In the following, a summary of Daniel de la Prida’s research (mostly focused on room acoustics) is given. All the […]
