Classroom Acoustics

Donegan Acoustics

With acoustic considerations a substantial contributor to the effectiveness of learning spaces — classrooms, lecture hall, performance arts and athletic venues, etc.  — we follow action in the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) suite of ANSI-accredited standards.

ASA Standards Homepage

For example, building codes in the United States identify horizontal and vertical acoustic insulation between floors and between walls, respectively, as design considerations.   Section 1206.2 of the International Building Code deal with  horizontal and vertical wall sealant applications for “airborne sound” mitigation, for example.   Fire protection and mass notification systems identified in NFPA 72 and UL 2572 depend upon alarms actually being heard by the occupants underscore the importance of acoustic design.  When lively art spaces are also instructional spaces we seek to understand the standard of care for acoustic design of classroom spaces.   Of particular interest to us in the ASA bibliography is the title linked below:

ASA S12.60 Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools, Part 2: Relocatable Classroom Factors.

This is a fairly stable standard; though other sound related technologies we cover in other sound related technologies (ISO TC/43 Acoustics and IEC Electroacoustics TC 29).  Last year’s update was required by ANSI and we had no comments to submit; absent queries from students, faculty and staff.  It is wise to keep it on our radar, however, given the step-change in education communities owed to the pandemic.

On your own you may communicate with Caryn Mennigke at ASA: (631) 390-0215, [email protected].  The ASA uses ANSI Standards Action for issuing live public consultation notices.

Since acoustic technologies cut across many disciplines we maintain it on the standing agenda of our Construction, Lively Art and Nota Bene teleconferences.   See our CALENDAR next scheduled meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [19-140]

Category: Academics, Architectural, #SmartCampus

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Kristen Murphy

LEARN MORE:

Room acoustic design, measurement, and simulation techniques to reduce hospital noises within patients’ environment | Mojtaba Navvab,  University of Michigan

Acoustical/Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools   International Code Council

ASTM Standard E90, 2009 (2016). Standard Test Method for Laboratory Measurement of Airborne Sound Transmission Loss of Building Partitions and Elements

Study on the Relationship Between Speech Intelligibility and Quality Estimates in University Classrooms