October
2002
Acoustical performance is an important consideration in the design of
classrooms. Research indicates that high levels of background noise, much of it
from heating and cooling systems, adversely affect learning environments,
particularly for young children, who require optimal conditions for hearing and
comprehension. Poor acoustics are a particular barrier to children with a hearing
loss. At risk are children with mild to moderate hearing loss, as well
as those who have cochlear implants or who use hearing aids and assistive
listening devices, since these assistive technologies amplify both wanted and
unwanted sound, including reverberation and background noise. Children with temporary
hearing loss, who may comprise up to 15% of the school age population according
to the Center for Disease control, are also significantly affected, as are
children with speech impairments or learning disabilities.
For the past several years, the Board has worked with the private sector in
the development of classroom acoustic standards as an alternative to rulemaking
of its own. In 1999, the Board partnered with the Acoustical
Society of America (ASA) on the development of a new standard for acoustics in classrooms that
takes into account children who are hard of hearing. ASA had previously
established a special working group for this purpose. The Board helped sponsor
the work of this group and expanded its membership through the addition of
representatives from disability groups, school systems, designers, and
government agencies. At the Board’s urging, ASA committed to a two-year time
frame for the completion of standards. The standard, completed in 2002, has been
approved as ANSI/ASA S12.60-2002, Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design
Requirements and Guidelines for Schools. It sets specific criteria for maximum background noise (35
decibels) and reverberation (0.6 to 0.7 seconds for unoccupied classrooms).
These and other specifications are consistent with long-standing recommendations
for good practice in acoustical design. The ANSI/ASA standard is available
for purchase from ASA's online
standards store or can be ordered from ASA at (631) 390-0215 (phone),
(631) 390-0217 (fax), or asastds@aip.org
(e-mail).
Taken by itself, the standard is voluntary unless
referenced by a code, ordinance, or regulation. However, school systems may require compliance with the standard as part of their construction documents for
new schools, thus making the design team responsible for addressing the issues.
Parents may also find the standard useful as a guide to classroom accommodations
under IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).
The Access Board extracted provisions from the proposed standard
for submittal to the International Code Council
(ICC) for inclusion in the 2003 International Building Code. The proposal called for design-to-achieve levels for background noise of 35 dB(A)
maximum and reverberation time of 0.6 to 0.7 seconds. The proposal was
taken up for consideration at the most recent ICC hearing in September, but was
not adopted due to concerns about compliance with specific technical
specifications and associated costs. However, there was a strong consensus
among interested parties to work with the ASA and the ANSI S12 Committee on
Noise on resolving these issues.
The Board's activity on this issue was inspired by a petition from the parent of a child with a hearing
loss who requested that the ADA Accessibility Guidelines be amended to include new
provisions for acoustical accessibility in schools for children who are hard of
hearing. Several acoustics professionals, parents of children with hearing
impairments, individuals who are hard of hearing, and a consortium of
organizations representing them also urged the Board to consider research
and rulemaking on the acoustical performance of buildings and facilities, in
particular school classrooms and related student facilities. In June of 1998 the Board published a Request
for Information (RFI) to gather public input on this issue . The Board
sought comment on a variety of issues in the notice and indicated that it would
determine a course of action after evaluating responses to the notice.
Alternatives included research, rulemaking, and technical assistance on
acoustical issues. Approximately 100 comments were received in response to the
RFI. The preponderance of the comments were from parents of children with
hearing impairments and from professionals in acoustics and audiology. The information received was
summarized in a follow-up notice published in
November 1999.
For more information, contact Lois
Thibault, the Board's Coordinator of Research; phone: (202)
272-0023 (V), (202) 272-0082 (TTY).
Resources on Acoustics
The ASA has prepared a helpful bulletin,
"Classroom Acoustics: A Resource for Creating Environments with Desirable
Listening Conditions," which provides a general overview of the problems and solutions concerning classroom
acoustics. This 16-page guide, which is available from ASA, offers a
supplemental resource for architects, educators, and school planners for use in new construction or renovation of existing learning
spaces. Two workshops on classroom acoustics (Los Angeles, 1997 and New York City,
1999) presented by the acoustics coalition resulted in published proceedings
available from the ASA (New York, NY). ASA has also developed an acoustics
checklist for classroom construction.
Video on Classroom Acoustics
A new video is now available
on improving classroom acoustics. The
video derives from a longer program on school design developed by the
Information Television Network with sponsorship from the Board and other
organizations. Copies of the video, Classroom Acoustics: Listening vs.
Learning (9 1/2 minutes), are available from the
Educational Audiology Association through
its website, or by phone: (800) 460-7322, or by e-mail:
eaa@L-Tgraye.com. The cost is
$10.00, plus shipping.
There are a number of journals and
magazines that have published research on classroom acoustics and children with
disabilities:
- Copies of the 6-page ASHA (Rockville, MD) position paper, 37 [Suppl.
14], includes a comprehensive bibliography.
- The Summer 1998 issue of Educational
Audiology Review contains a wealth of information on classroom acoustics issues,
and includes a useful bibliography.
- EAA (Tampa, FL) also can provide copies of "The Sound of
Learning", a 4-page brief on classroom acoustics published in the
October 1997 issue of The American School Board Journal.
- Guidance for design
professionals on classroom acoustics was published by the Council of
Educational Facility Planners, International (CEFPI ), 'Teaching in the Dark',
by John Erdreich, PhD, in Brief on Educational Facility Issues (July
1999), available on the CEFPI website.
-
Volume 13, Number Two (Second Quarter 1999) of Contact Magazine, a
publication of the Cochlear Implant Club International, Inc. (Washington, DC),
contains an article entitled "Modifications to Mainstream Classrooms for
Children with Cochlear Implants," by architect Franklin M.V. Pepi, AIA.
-
The paper on the location of absorptive materials to control reverberation,
"Optimizing Classroom Acoustics Using Computer Model Studies," by Rebecca Reich
and John Bradley of the Canadian National Research Council, was published in
Canadian Acoustics/Acoustique Canadienne, 26(4), 1998.
Textbooks
Acoustics, Charles M. Salter Associates, William Stout Publishers, San
Francisco 1999; ISBN 0-9651144-6-5.
Acoustics and Noise Control Handbook for Architects and Builders,
Leland K. Irvine and Roy L. Richards, Krieger Publishing Co., Malabar, FL.
Acoustics and Sound Systems in Schools, Frederick S. Berg, Singular
Publishing Group, San Diego, 1993.
Architectural Acoustics, Madan Mehta, Jim Johnson, and Jorge Rocafort,
Prentice-Hall, New York, 1998.
Classroom Acoustics, T. Finitzo-Hieber, in Auditory Disorders in
School Children, Thieme-Stratton, New York (1988, second edition).
Concepts in Architectural Acoustics, M. David Egan, McGraw-Hill, New
York, 1998.
Deaf Architects and Blind Acousticians? A Guide to the Principles of Sound
Design, R.E. Apfel, 1998; ISBN 0-9663331-0-1.
Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings, "Acoustics," Stein,
Reynolds, and McGuiness, New York, 1996.
"Acoustical Guidelines for Building Design," E. Wetherill, in Encyclopedia of
Acoustics, Wiley, New York, 1997.
"Noise Control in U.S. Building Codes," Greg Tocci, in Handbook of Acoustics,
Wiley & Sons.
"Room Acoustics," C. Crandell and J. Smaldino, in Assistive Devices for the
Hearing-Impaired, Allyn & Baon, Needham Heights, MA, 1994.
Training
Acoustics coursework is available on-line and in presentations sponsored
through the professional organizations that represent architects, interior
designers, and engineers. Manufacturers of acoustical materials develop and
sponsor seminars on acoustical issues and publish guides and manuals for design
professionals. A curriculum and visual aids for a tutorial on classroom
acoustics is being developed by the University of Kansas under the aegis of the
Acoustics Coalition.
Links