It is with caution that we post this RAAC related article, which has gathered lots of attention amongst the school building community. This does not aim to promote our services, but is here to raise awareness in local authorities, and school decision makers about how alternative facilities and upgrade works could affect acoustic conditions in teaching spaces.
Here’s what to watch out for if your school is affected by the RAAC crisis:
Alternative facilities:
- Be aware that temporary school buildings are still subject to the acoustic compliance via Approved Document E of the Building Regulations, where they are in place for over 30 days.
- This means that portacabins and modular buildings must still meet suitable acoustic performance standards for sound insulation, reverberation time and noise. Check that:
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- wall and floor constructions are suitable,
- sound absorbent finishes are included,
- alternative means of ventilation are provided on noisy sites (not just openable windows)
- If you are considering other areas of the school or existing community buildings as temporary accommodation, be aware that:
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- Lightweight or older buildings can have poor sound insulation
- Rooms with high ceilings, lots of glass and hard floors, and lack of dedicated sound absorbent treatment can cause very poor listening conditions.
- Rooms relying on open windows can cause unacceptable noise levels in the teaching space.
Improvement works:
- When replacing RAAC roofing slabs, a replacement lightweight roof needs to be checked to ensure environmental noise ingress (for schools near to airports for example), rain noise and fixed plant noise ingress is not going to be an issue, and sound insulation of walls is not compromised by transmission via the partition head.
- Replacement ceilings need to include fixed or suspended sound absorption and/or acoustic wall panels in order to achieve good control of reverberation time and hence suitable listening conditions for all students, but particularly those with:
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- Special Hearing and Communication Needs
- English as an additional Language,
- younger children,
- Social Emotional and Mental Health Needs (SEMH) and AD/HD
- SLCN, Language Impairment and even Dyslexia
If your school is affected by the RAAC crisis, or you happen to be involved with the refurbishment of one, we can offer advice as part of our pro bono scheme to check the potential impact of alternative facilities and upgrade schemes on acoustics and listening in schools.
Dr Emma Greenland, Director and Education sector lead at Anderson Acoustics Ltd, is a recognised leading specialist on education environments within the acoustics industry. She has worked on a large range education projects, and has a deep understanding of acoustics in teaching and learning spaces having co-authored the Department for Education’s Building Bulletin 93:2015, and the accompanying Design Guide.
Head over to our Schools sector page to read more about our role supporting education projects and to download Emma’s Whitepaper entitled ‘Improving Access to Listening in Mainstream Schools’
