Fight, flight, or safety? Humans respond very well to sounds, and our hearing is created to protect us. To guide us in understanding what is going on we have our ears, our own built-in ‘watchdogs’ . It quickly determine where a sound comes from, and whether a situation should activate our fight or flight mode. […]
noise
Applying low tech, logical thinking to improve indoor acoustic environments – TEDx Film
Recently at TEDx Bristol, local acoustician Ze Nunes of Mach Acoustics had the opportunity to make an interesting presentation about sustainable acoustics. Ze shared his innovative and logical thinking to improve acoustic environments to a wider audience. Ze presented a low tech and cost effective solution to reduce the ingress of external environmental noise for […]
With summer festivals coming it’s time to look out or invest in earplugs!
A recent study of over 50 randomised people who either wore earplugs or did not at an outdoor music festival in Amsterdam give some interesting results. The average sound level was 100dB for over 4 hours and of those not wearing earplugs 42% suffered temporary hearing loss afterwards and of those who wore the earplugs […]
The importance of acoustics in designing spaces for people with dementia
The sound environment of a building plays an important role for those with dementia. We have been working to understand the extent for some time with various different bodies. Including commissioning a literature review with Salford University of existing research in this field to help assess the impact of noise on people with dementia. What […]
A sound environment for learning – is a must have!
NBCS Sydney Focusing on learning rather than teaching, changes almost everything we know about a school set up and organization but it is not an easy change. By Mie Guldbaek Broens, LOOP.bz I work with observing, studying and developing educational environments that are changing from a system where predominantly teaching is taking place, to an organisation […]
New Bond movie is quieter than many school canteens
Post by Swedish sound expert and blogger Jonas Christensson. The new Bond movie, Spectre, premiered a little while back and as I’m interested in sound, I measured the sound levels when I attended the premiere at my local cinema and was surprised that the sound level was 70 dB(A); less than many Swedish school canteens! It’s difficult […]
In Pursuit of Silence – Documentary Premiere at CPH:DOX
In Pursuit of Silence is a meditative film about the value of silence, our relationship with sound, and the implications of living in such a noisy world. See the trailer here This ground breaking documentary film collaboration In Pursuit of Silence funded by many contributors during two successful Kickstarter campaigns and which is the result of nearly […]
A healing environment for violent offenders
Violent offenders From the outside, Helix looks like a modern office complex on a hill nestled amid beautiful, unspoiled scenery. From the large windows of the patients’ rooms, you can gaze out for miles over a panorama of spruce and pine forests. Helix, opened in December 2012, is a forensic psychiatric care facility. Many of […]
Five ways noise impact the patient experience
Effects of noise 1) SLEEP DISRUPTION: For a good night’s sleep, continuous background noise should not exceed 30 dB, and individual noise events exceeding 45 dB should be avoided (1). Average nighttime noise levels in hospitals are over 60 dB (2). 2) FEELINGS OF HELPLESSNESS: Sounds from neighboring patients and from advanced medical treatments and […]
Noise Action Week 2015 UK
Here are some films to share as timely reminders this week about noise issues – watch here. NAW 2015 says: “Noise prevention is cheaper than cure”. Their campaign in the UK is aimed at engaging everyone as they say – “We are all affected by noise -using Noise Action Week to raise awareness of noise […]
