Education acoustics: spaces for learning
Children and students learn by listening. Poor acoustics make teaching tiring and learning harder, particularly for pupils with hearing or attention needs. We help architects design schools, colleges and universities where speech is clear, rooms are calm and specialist spaces such as music, drama and sports halls work as intended.
Good acoustics in education is rarely about expensive materials. It comes from getting the room proportions, ceiling finishes, ventilation strategy and separating constructions right, and from making those decisions early enough that they shape the design.
Key spaces
Classrooms and seminar rooms. Clear speech between teacher and pupils, and between pupils in group work, with low background noise and controlled reverberation.
Lecture theatres. Speech that carries to the back row without strain, often supported by a sound reinforcement system.
Music practice and performance rooms. Rooms that suit the instruments played in them, with sound insulation that keeps practice from disturbing neighbouring classrooms.
Sports halls and dining halls. Large, hard-finished volumes that can become very loud without enough absorption.
Libraries, open-plan learning and SEN spaces. Spaces where quiet, concentration and, for pupils with special educational needs, tighter acoustic conditions matter most.
How we help
Criteria for each room type. We set out the performance each space needs, based on the applicable standard and the way the client intends to use it.
Reverberation and sound insulation. We design ceiling and wall finishes to control reverberation, and specify walls, floors, doors and junctions so that noisy spaces such as music rooms and halls do not disturb classrooms. Acoustic modelling helps where rooms are large or unusual in shape.
External noise and ventilation. Natural ventilation and openable windows can let in road or aircraft noise. Our environmental noise assessment informs a façade and ventilation strategy that balances fresh air, overheating and quiet.
Building services noise. We coordinate with the services engineer through our building services noise and vibration service so that ventilation, heating and cooling stay within the background noise limits.
Pre-completion testing. We carry out measurement and testing to demonstrate that the finished rooms meet the design criteria, for building control and for the client.
Where a planning or design-stage acoustic report has already set the targets, our design to acoustic test service turns BB93 criteria into constructions and finishes designed to meet them.
Standards
BB93: Acoustic design of schools (England). The performance standards for new and refurbished school buildings, covering indoor ambient noise, reverberation, sound insulation and speech intelligibility. Meeting BB93 is the normal way to show compliance with requirement E4 of Approved Document E.
BREEAM Hea 05. Acoustic performance credits for education buildings, including further and higher education, supported by our sustainable acoustic design service.
Universities and colleges are not covered by BB93, so criteria are usually set from BREEAM, the institution's own design standards and good practice for each room type.
Frequently asked questions
Does BB93 apply to every school project? BB93 applies to schools in England, including new buildings and many refurbishments. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own guidance, and international schools usually follow the client's brief or a recognised standard agreed at the outset.
Can an existing classroom be improved? Usually, yes. Measuring reverberation and background noise shows what is wrong, and an absorptive ceiling or wall treatment can make a significant difference to speech clarity.
Do you design music departments? Yes. Music rooms need their own room acoustics and higher sound insulation from neighbouring spaces, and we design both together.
Related services
Get in touch
Designing a school or campus? Tell us about the building and the stage you are at. Get in touch, call 020 3949 1597 or email hello@auris-consultancy.com.