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The recently published ‘Building Bulletin 93 - Section 1’ sets the Department for Education & Skills (DfES) legislative standards for the acoustics of new school buildings. "The
overall objective of the performance standards in Section1.1 (of
BB93) is to provide acoustic conditions in schools that…facilitate
clear communication of speech between teacher and student…and
do not interfere with study activities."* In
response to BB93, Armstrong World Industries the World's leading
supplier of acoustic ceiling solutions have developed an initiative
to assist in meeting the required performance standards for: |
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Young people spend at least 45% of their school day engaged inlistening activities, with today’s classroom acting as a primarily auditory verbal environment. However,
a recent study in the journal of the American Medical Association
showed that 14.9% of children aged 6~19 suffer from some degree
of hearing impairment, either permanently or temporarily due to
illness, infection or allergies. |
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One
of the simplest and most effective solutions is a ‘Sound Field
Voice Re-inforcement System’. Functioning like a mini public
address system in harmony with the classroom acoustics, Sound Field
Voice Re-inforcement features a wireless microphone, receiver, amplifier
and between one and four loudspeakers (dependent upon the size of
classroom). |
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Section
1 of the Building Bulletin 93, the Government’s Specification
of Acoustic Performance sets the standards for the acoustics of
new buildings and explains the requirements and solutions to “...provide
acoustic conditions in schools that facilitate clear communications
of speech between teacher and students...”. |
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“...The
key aim of a (speech re-inforcement) system is to increase the loudness
of the direct sound, particularly for more distant listeners, whilst
keeping sound as natural as possible. The distribution of loudspeakers and their directional characteristics is a key issue in achieving high speech intelligibility. For large teaching rooms and lecture theatres, loudspeakers can be distributed in the ceiling...” Furthermore, within Appendix 9: ‘Equipment Specifications for sound field systems in schools’, the report states NXT Loudspeakers and names Armstrong i-ceilings as recommended solutions; “There are advantages in the use of these loudspeaker types, as they provide a better average sound coverage in a room and provide a better level of speech intelligibility under some conditions... Less NXT type loudspeakers are required and it may be found that one (loudspeaker) will suffice for the smaller classroom.” |
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All
children benefit from the improved speech clarity of a Sound Field
System. Academic improvements are noted in: • Task behaviour • Attentiveness • Understanding of instructions • Less repetition required • Better attendance • Improved measures of verbal recognition |
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The application of Armstrong i-ceilings as a Sound Field Solution also provides a unique and completely ‘invisible’ loudspeaker solution, ensuring the clean, simple lines of the building’s interior are maintained. This inability to identify the products also greatly decreases the possibilities of loudspeaker theft or vandalism. i-ceilings
exactly match over 90% of Armstrong suspended ceiling systems
sold in the UK - the most prevalent ceiling solution in the educational
establishment sector. Armstrong
i-ceilings - already proving highly successful in leading
educational applications including York University Library, The
University of Edinburgh Medical School, Blyth Community College
and Loughborough University Sports Facility. |
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