I read your article on school acoustics with much interest. As a maker of acoustic ceiling and wall absorbers, we have been working with our customers for some time now to push acoustics higher up the agenda for new schools and we warmly welcome the end-user’s contribution

Although post-completion testing would provide an incentive to comply with standards, the real challenge is to get early liaison with the user and acousticians so designers have a good idea of what activities will take place in every room. This is vital when understanding the reality of modern teaching – pupils are increasingly encouraged to learn through group discussions and debates, which creates a more complex acoustic dynamic.

The big issue is that some designers are choosing acoustic solutions based on the model of a traditional teaching scenario and current regulations are allowing them to ignore the reality of what happens in the classroom.

Colin Campbell, concept developer for education, Saint-Gobain Ecophon

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