Finland paves the way for clear and science-based guidelines worldwide, with its revised standard for acoustic environments in buildings. Developed by the country’s leading acousticians, the standard is established in the business and among policymakers. In 2017, Finland’s Ministry of the Environment issued a decree on the Acoustic Environment of Buildings. Several parts of the […]
standards
Sound environment in the Intensive Care Unit
Noise levels – how it is experienced by staff We have building regulations for room acoustics in hospitals in Intensive Care Units (ICU). But are they enough to create a good environment for both staff and patients? Recently a new study from Copenhagen hospitals was finalized so let’s take a look at some of the […]
New study: C50 should be included in standards for elderly care facilities.
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 […]
ISO 22955: Acoustic quality of open offices
A new international standard was recently released focusing on one of the most complex indoor sound environments, the open office. Delivering you clear instructions for creating great acoustics in demanding environments is one of our main objectives, so we are happy to update you on the new ISO 22955. So what is its scope and […]
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. […]
Baltic-Nordic Acoustics Meeting 2021
The Nordic Acoustic Association and the Norwegian Acoustical Society invited scientists and engineers to attend the Baltic-Nordic Acoustic Meeting for 2021 this week and despite an online set-up the program consisted of keynote lectures, invited and contributed papers in structured parallel sessions. Some of the really interesting presentations are described here but you can find […]
Searching for the best acoustic standard for healthcare
When we are sick just opening the door to a hospital takes us out of our comfort zone. Our system is already stressed and our senses are therefore alert. We are more sensitive to sound and noise than normal – and in healthcare sound environments, this can be a challenge. Sleep is essential Patients are […]
Hospital corridors – how do they sound?
Standards in Europe Standards and guidelines for room acoustics in healthcare are lacking in general and very few countries have mandatory regulations in this field. And even in countries with guidelines for other public buildings (e.g. schools) healthcare standards – and particularly detailed standards including corridors don’t exist. Just to mention a few – Czech […]
Effect of room acoustics on sound-field steady-state response (ASSR) measurements
PhD defense, effect of room acoustics Thursday the 28th of May 2020, Valentina Zapata-Rodriguez defended her PhD at DTU. Because of the Corona situation the PhD defense was planned to be online (on Teams) and I am impressed by the way Valentina handled this. Normally, you can interact with the audience and the committee in […]
The impact of noise in education – a research summary
This new research summary is now available and lifts out evidence from a variety of research studies around the world. These studies address a broad range of important aspects which need to be considered in learning environments. It is based on a recent extensive literature review by Professor Emerita Bridget Shield made for Ecophon. We […]
