5 Acoustic Improvements Schools Can Complete Before the New Academic Year
The summer holiday is usually the time for schools to do repairs and make things better. When students are not on campus, schools can concentrate on painting classrooms, updating desks making the lights better and getting everything for the next school year.
There is one part that is often forgotten on the list of things to fix: sound.
A classroom might have the technology and a nice look but if students have trouble hearing the teacher or if noise moves easily from one room to another the way students learn can still be affected.
The positive thing is that making school sounds better does not always require changes to the building. With the planning many sound improvements can be done during the summer. This allows students and teachers to come back, to a pleasant place to learn.
Here are five sound improvements that schools can think about before the next school year starts.
Add Acoustic Wall Panels to Noisy Classrooms
Step into a empty classroom and it could be completely silent. However, the acoustic situation can be different when the room is full of students.
Daily noises, such as voices, chairs moving, footsteps, etc., can add up fast. These sounds bounce off of hard surfaces like painted walls, glass and concrete and are returned to the room. This results in reverberation and obscures speech.
These unwanted sound reflections can be dampened with the use of acoustic wall panels.
Acoustic panels can be positioned to minimise echo and enhance clarity of speech, for ease of pupil following in lessons. They can be created to fit the interior of the school as well, which will mean that acoustic treatment isn’t treated as an afterthought.
Schools that are considering a summer renovation should look to the rooms that have a strong echo or speech clarity problem.
Improve Classroom Ceilings with Acoustic Treatment
Walls are not the only surfaces that affect the way a classroom sounds. Ceilings can be as significant as well.
Large, hard ceiling surfaces can let sounds carry and bounce around in a room. This can be especially apparent in high-ceiling classrooms or open plan classrooms.
Using acoustic ceiling panels or acoustic suspended systems can help reduce sound reflections from overhead.
This technique in acoustics can be applied in the following situations:
- Classrooms
- Lecture rooms
- Libraries
- Multipurpose halls
- Cafeterias
- Open learning spaces
Ceiling treatments are also suitable for schools where space is limited on the walls and can help to enhance the acoustics in the space without occupying any wall space.
Reduce Noise Transfer Between Classrooms
Have you ever been in a classroom where you could hear the lesson going on right next door?
Sound travelling between classrooms can be a major distraction. Students may hear conversations from neighbouring rooms and teachers may need to compete with noise from corridors and from other activities nearby.
This is the point at which classroom soundproofing and sound isolation come in handy.
Depending on the building there are solutions:
Improved acoustic partitions
Sound-insulated walls
Acoustic doors
Sealing gaps and unwanted sound pathsUpgrading partition construction
The answer to this depends on the type of construction of the building, and the origin of the noise. Before work is started a professional acoustic evaluation can help determine the exact cause.
This is especially significant when renovating during summer when schools can tackle sound transfer problems before the classrooms are filled again.
Improve Acoustic Conditions in Auditoriums and Lecture Halls
Schools and universities don’t have an annual use for their auditoriums. They can be used for assemblies, presentations, lectures, performance and examinations.
Even a good sound system may be insufficient if the acoustics are lacking.
Too much reverberation can interfere with speech intelligibility and unequal sound distribution can result in students in the back of the room hearing the sound less clearly.
Acoustic treatment for the Auditorium could consist of a mix of the following:
- Acoustic wall panels
- Ceiling absorbers
- Sound diffusion systems
- Acoustic curtains
- Stage acoustic treatments
The aim is not just to make the space quieter. It is to establish a well balanced acoustical environment to enable speech and performances to be understood.
Schools may take advantage of the summer holidays to evaluate these larger areas and make improvements prior to the next school year.
Address Noise in Libraries and Common Areas
When schools consider acoustics, often the classrooms get the most attention. But there are many other points on a campus that learning takes place.
Libraries, study areas, cafeterias, corridors, and collaborative spaces are all potential sources of unwanted noise.
Concentration is encouraged by a library, for instance. However, when there is noise, people walking around, chairs moving, and discussion in adjacent areas, it can be hard for students to concentrate.
Likewise, the common area and cafeteria can also get very noisy when there are large groups.
In schools, acoustic solutions can involve specific materials chosen for their sound absorbing properties, such as wall panels, sound absorbing ceilings, surfaces, and other material options.
The goal isn’t to get rid of sounds all the way. Rather, it’s about the management of the acoustic environment, making each space appropriate for its intended use.
Why Summer Is the Right Time to Improve School Acoustics
The summer break gives schools a valuable window to complete renovation and improvement work with minimal disruption to students and staff.
It is also a good opportunity to look beyond visual upgrades.
Before the new academic year begins, school management teams can walk through their buildings and ask simple questions:
Can students clearly hear teachers from the back of the classroom?
Is noise travelling between classrooms?
Do libraries provide a quiet environment for study?
Can everyone hear clearly during auditorium presentations?
Are common areas becoming uncomfortably loud?
The answers can reveal acoustic issues that may have been overlooked for years.
A Better Learning Environment Starts with Better Acoustics
A comprehensive redesign of a school building is not always necessary for acoustic improvements. Specific interventions in a number of instances can have an impact.
It is important to recognize that the appropriate solution will vary based on the space, building, and source of the noise in the room (acoustic wall panel, ceiling treatments, classroom soundproofing, auditorium acoustic design), etc.
While planning for the upcoming school year, acoustics should be added to the list of other considerations, such as lighting, furniture, technology and ventilation.
This can lead to an improved learning environment, as students can hear clearly, teachers can communicate easily, and distractions are minimized
Planning an Acoustic Upgrade for Your School?
At Diatone Acoustics, we provide professional acoustic design and consultancy solutions for educational environments, including classrooms, lecture halls, libraries, auditoriums, and other learning spaces.
Our solutions include acoustic panels, acoustic ceiling systems, soundproofing, noise control, and customized educational acoustic treatments designed around the requirements of each project.
If your school or university is planning renovations before the new academic year, now is the right time to assess your acoustic requirements.