Turning Gyms Into Classrooms With Acoustical Surfaces
School is in session, and with new social distancing guidelines in place, many schools are finding creative solutions to provide education to students. While some schools have elected to solve crowding issues by presenting a hybrid model, other schools are opting for creatively making more classroom space. Gymnasiums, specifically, present an excellent opportunity for socially distant learning with a large amount of space. But, before students can learn effectively in these spaces, work needs to be done to acoustically optimize them for learning. Acoustical Surfaces looks at some of the problems that school architects may run in to, and how Acoustical Surfaces can help fix them.
Hard To Hear
As an educator, one of the most important things is for your students to be able to hear and understand. This can be difficult in a regular classroom, but adding in the extra space, as well as acoustic challenges, make this more difficult. As an architect, it’s important to recognize that while many school gymnasiums have some acoustic materials and sound-dampening measures present, they are not equipped for speech without technological aid. This is why it is critical to put noise-reduction that stops echoes of voices in gymnasiums. Acoustical Surfaces makes products like Envirocoustic™ Wood Wool that help reduce echo and reverberation, and are simple to install on a variety of surfaces. Echo Eliminator™ by Acoustical Surface also provides a high-performance option for reducing the amount of echo and distraction in a space.
Insulated For Activity
Another problem with gymnasiums is that they were built with the containment of sound in mind, not acoustic mitigation that is ideal for learning. Most gymnasiums have the basic noise-dampening and soundproofing in their walls so that the noise of physical activity does not go out, but there are usually very few measures to acoustically control the noise within. Utilizing baffles, wall and ceiling panels, and other acoustic tools, the echo, and reverberation of gymnasiums can be reduced in order to help prepare for classroom learning. These tools are also helpful for dampening the sound of people moving in space. Chairs scraping, kids whispering, and a general mass of students can be distracting. Find durable, high-performance materials like the Poly Max™ polyester acoustical panels or Sound Silencer™ panels on Acoustical Surfaces’ website to help you create sound solutions.
Use The Right Materials With Acoustical Surfaces
Our mission at Acoustical Surfaces, Inc., is to provide high-performance and quality soundproofing, noise control, and acoustical products for commercial, educational, and industrial applications. We are committed to helping schools prepare and transition to new solutions to accommodate learning safely. See what Acoustical Surfaces can provide your project to transition from a gymnasium to a classroom, and browse our entire product collection, on our website https://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/.
