Background
Anderson Acoustics was commissioned by Miller Bourne Architects to provide acoustic design advice in relation to the refurbishment of the Listed library space and conference room at Roedean School, an independent school in Brighton. The project aimed to create a new learning and circulation space for students and staff.
The Challenge
As a Listed Building, provision of acoustic finishes is subject to Listed Building constraints. As a result, opportunities to provide sound absorption to improve the acoustic performance of the space can be limited.
What we did
- Benchmark acoustic testing
We visited the school to undertake a scheme of benchmark acoustic testing, including indoor ambient noise levels, reverberation time and the sound insulation between spaces within the library and adjacent areas. The test results were then used to inform our room acoustic design advice.
Acoustic performance standards for the library have been informed by the acoustic performance standards in Building Bulletin 93 Acoustic Design of Schools Performance Standards (BB93).
The results of our testing indicated the indoor ambient noise levels measured within the existing library spaces and sound insulation to and from adjacent spaces complied with both the new build and refurbishment targets defined in BB93, in order to meet the Independent School Standards.
The reverberation time results indicated that the measurements within the main hall of the library exceeded the ideal targets defined in BB93 and other guidance which is based on room volume, so it was important for us to identify locations for additional sound absorption.
- Acoustic design strategy
The library is used primarily for quiet individual or paired/small group study, supervised by the librarian and other staff. Therefore the main objective of our strategy was to ensure that noise buildup and transmission of speech between different workstations is reasonably controlled, and also to ensure suitable speech intelligibility for a person speaking to an audience in the main library with amplification (for whole room, plenary session use), is achieved, as far as the design constraints of the listed building allow.
Listed building constraints can make placement of acoustic treatments impractical but we were able to identify appropriate fixed sound absorbent finishes to improve reverberation time that achieved Listed Building Consent, combined with other loose fixtures including acoustic screening and sound absorbent finishes to bookcases and seating.
Testimonial
“Anderson Acoustics provided invaluable guidance to ensure that the best possible acoustic environment was achieved in the refurbishment of the library. They understood the nature and sensitivity of the space and tailored their advice to suit. Their hands-on, ‘can-do’ approach meant that we were able to develop a solution that not only met the specific acoustic requirements of the space but also respected the historic nature of the Listed building.” Amy Gordon, Partner, Miller Bourne Ltd
