Improving the acoustic comfort of an activity room for children is a recurring problem in a nursery, especially if the construction is based exclusively on sound-reflecting materials such as concrete or glass. For then ambient sound levels are usually too high, which is causing the occupants, young and older a nuisnace whose consequences are stress and excessive fatigue. As a result, children do not have favorable conditions for learning, and supervisory staff have difficulty in performing the tasks they are required to perform in their professional activities: they all suffer from an unfavorable sound environment.
ITS can help improve the acoustic comfort of a children's activity room by marketing absorbent materials that reduce the harmful effects of excessive reverberation. The selection of these absorbing materials in terms of quality (which absorption coefficient to retain at the frequencies corresponding to the envisaged sound emissions ?) and in quantity (which surfaces to cover e.g. for the ceiling and on the walls ?) is the subject of a study based on on the measurement [1] of an indicator of the acoustic quality of the considered space, in the state where it is when ITS has been requested: the reverbetaion time (duration), which can be subject to a result guarantee after works, illustrating the quality of the soundproofing performed.
In general, performance simulations (which can be carried out by ITS) of different possible solutions for improving the acoustic comfort of a nursery make it possible to review what is technically possible and to allow the best choice (taking into account the possible modalities for works, and financial considerations) of actions in terms of limitation of reverberation and noise, for what the experience of the human resource of ITS in this matter counts.
An absorbing ceiling or suspended baffles, a wall absorbing lining are (as sound absorbing screens) common components (if they have an acoustic absorption coefficient close to 100% at mid-high frequencies i.e. in the 1/1 octave frequency bands centered on 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz) of any soundproofing system envisaged for the improvement of acoustic comfort of an activity room for children.
The major challenge, for a successful project, is a good use of these components and their optimized combination in a context always unique, even if often presenting similarities with other projects for which the feedback of experience is always a way to progress.
When the scope of work marketed by ITS includes on-site works, the careful preparation of the erection operation, the careful assembly - in safe and clean conditions without imperfection - of soundproofing equipment, by a highly qualified workforce, having a love for a job well done is a key success factor for improving the acoustic comfort of a children's activity room.
[1] involving electroacoustic hardware (noise generator with loudspeakers and sound system with microphone) that ITS owns