Evidence-based design in Finland The EVICURES project at Seinäjoki Central Hospital (Finland) was the first project to study evidence-based design (EDB) activities in Finland. The target of the project was to develop a new user-friendly design model for intensive care units (ICU) and to design a new ICU according to this model. A final report […]
research
Study: less cognitive stress in open-plan offices with good acoustics
Saint- Gobain Ecophon and the Stress Research Institute in Stockholm conducted a unique study in a real-life office environment to examine how sound affects people in open plan offices. The aim was to see how the ceiling’s properties affect workers’ health, productivity and the perceived disturbance. And the result was clear – a better sound […]
Soundscapes – I think that acoustics are a bit overrated!
Soundscapes: Safe and Sound Kirsten Van den Bosh spoke under the title ‘Safe and Sound’ at EIAS 2015 and even though she mentioned that it was nearly blasphemy to say “I think that acoustics are a bit overrated!” during an international acoustic conference, she might have a point. Kirsten’s research focuses on soundscapes in special needs […]
How to transform unnecessary “waiting time” to valuable teaching time
In short, (you guessed it!) by improving acoustics A masters thesis from last year by Petra Lagerberg and Sebastian Holm at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm KTH examined if an improved acoustic environment in schools can have positive socio-economic effects. Their study shows that an improved sound environment makes classes more efficient and that the total […]
The most promising conferences of 2016
The end of the year means reviews and evaluations but also planning for the year ahead – see the most promising conferences of 2016. There’s no shortage of conferences and seminars delivering opportunities for professional development, networking, interesting research presentations, and much more. But which do you pick? Here’s our shortlist of the most […]
Sundbyberg Study, Acoustic measurement reports + Publication
These are the measurement reports on the Sundbyberg study, a cross -over study in an open plan. Sundbyberg_Evaluation of room acoustic parameters in open plan offices ISO 3382-3_141128 Sundbyberg_Measurements of sound pressure level in open plan offices The link to the published paper you will find here.
Kids with special needs need more than acoustic standards
Intervention study about behaviour and acoustics In January 2015 Ecophon and LOOP.bz started an intervention study at Søgårdsskolen in Gentofte municipality in Denmark. This school is a public school for kids with social cognitive challenges and learning disabilities (ADHD, autism, brain damage, Downs and others). With this group of children it is not possible to […]
Building Physics, Acoustics and Torino!
The 6th International Building Physics Conference (IBPC 2015) was organised June, 15-17, 2015 in Turin (Torino) in the north of Italy. It was hosted by Politecnico di Torino and co-organized by ATI Piemonte and the Department of Energy – Politecnico di Torino. http://www.ibpc2015.org/ IBPC is the official conference of the International Association of Building Physics […]
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 […]
Euronoise 2015 – the platform for acoustic competence
Here, some reflections, impressions and facts from Maastricht and Euronoise 2015 – the 10th European Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering. http://www.euronoise2015.eu/ Acousticians and noise experts from countries all over the world gathered for the event on noise control, and soundscape, organised by the European Acoustics Association. Maastricht (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maastricht) in the very south of […]