Acoustics for Education

There has been much research in recent years concerning acoustics within classrooms, and its effects on both teachers and students. The negative effects of noise on children can be summarised as follows:

• Auditory discrimination/speech perception
• Long term memory 
• Reading ability
• Attention
• Letter, number, word recognition
• Annoyance

It is therefore in the best interests of the school to make classroom acoustics a high priority for the education of the children attending, as well as for the health and well being of their staff. A recent addition to Approved Document E of The Building Regulations has been the inclusion of a requirement stipulating that acoustics shall be incorporated into the design of schools.

Building Bulletin 93 Acoustic Design of Schools, A Design Guide (BB93) provides a regulatory framework for the acoustic design of schools in support of Approved Document E  to The Building Regulations. Compliance with The Building Regulations is demonstrated by submitting specific details to the relevant Building Control Body, the majority of which are contained within a specialist BB93 report from an acoustics consultant.It is now common practice that BB93 compliance testing is also contained within a school’s building contract to confirm that the construction achieves its design intent.  HRS offer a complete design and testing provision in support of achieving compliance with BB93. Whatever the project, be it a school, college or university HRS can provide a sound solution.   

HRS has recently been involved in the provision of design advice for the new post-16 vocational skills centre at Lees Brook Community Sports College in Derby. Work included an assessment of the required sound insulation of the external building façade and of internal partitions, the control of reverberation within teaching spaces and common areas, and assessment of the potential impacts associated with plant noise and rain noise.