Speech is the most critical aspect of communication in the classroom experience. Therefore all classroom design elements should prioritize the acoustical environment of the space.
When noise is made within a building, it will either be absorbed, reflected or transmitted by a wall, ceiling and flooring. The goal of sound treatment is twofold: (1) prevent transmission of sound from room to room and floor to floor, and (2) reduce background noise to enhance the quality of speech or music within rooms.
- engage with acoustician to define high level best practices in addressing renovation specs for finish materials
- engage with acoustician on case/case basis to
- evaluate existing conditions before renovation
- receive design recommendations
- evaluation post-renovation conditions
DARTMOUTH STANDARDS FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE ENERGY BUILDINGS
See Appendix xx or need link.
ACOUSTICAL STANDARDS WILL INFORM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WALL/FLOOR/CEILING FINISHES.
STC - Sound transmission class: minimum 50
A good level of isolation for walls and ceilings is STC 50 plus. A high level of isolation for walls is STC 60 plus with ceilings at STC 50 plus.
OITC - Outside inside transmission class: minimum XX
The OITC rating represents transmission loss results from 80 to 4,000 Hz using a different mathematical equation than the STC rating. The results express in decibels as opposed to the point system used to determine STC ratings and with weighting more towards low frequency performance. A higher number shows better performance.
IIC - Impact Insulation class: minimum 50
We are using this ANSI standard as the baseline for new construction. In renovation projects allow an additional 10dB if existing building conditions such as HVAC or traffic noise makes the ANSI requirement out of reach.
HVAC NOTES
The impact of mechanical equipment noise in classroom spaces can be difficult to remediate in existing classroom renovations. Whenever possible strive to improve the acoustical environment through modifications of the HVAC system by relocating air handling units, fans, or replacing heating/cooling units with low decibel fan coil units.
Proper location of HVAC equipment in new building and classroom design is essential and classroom locations should be optimized early in the design process.
See Appendix xx: Design Guidelines