Ecophon first to meet PSBP acoustic standards

Ecophon, part of leading international materials company Saint-Gobain, is the first manufacturer ready to help schools meet acoustic standards outlined under the Priority School Building Programme.

The Department for Education has unveiled baseline design standards and output specifications for the £2bn Priority Schools Building Programme PFI projects. Acoustic conditions have been highlighted as one of five key environmental criteria which also include ventilation and heat recovery, use of thermal mass, daylight in classrooms and energy and water efficiency.

The baseline designs are in line with ‘Acoustic Design of Schools – Performance Standards for Schools’ to be published by the Education Funding Agency, superseding previous guidance on school acoustics provided by Building Bulletin 93 (BB93). Under new recommendations, suitable acoustic solutions must allow for other environmental controls such as ventilation and thermal mass. For example, classroom designs will be based on the use of Class A acoustic ceiling rafts hung horizontally from an exposed soffit so not to compromise its thermal benefits.

In classrooms, the area of suspended sound absorbers should be 40% of the floor area and depending on other factors such as the size of room and other interior finishes and furniture, the acoustic ceiling can be supplemented with sound absorbing wall panels.

Shane Cryer, Ecophon’s Concept Developer for Education explains: “The baseline designs recognise the importance of good acoustics throughout the school environment but especially in classrooms. Achieving these standards will aid learning, improve attainment and behavior and reduce voice strain and stress in teachers. Ecophon has been anticipating this specification for some time and has already completed the necessary calculations to confirm we can provide the best quality and affordable solution with our Solo™ free-hanging acoustic ceiling rafts and Vista wall panels. We’re now focused on working with all of the main contractors involved to deliver the required solutions easily and cost-effectively.”

To find out more about sound and acoustics in schools and how it affects teaching and learning, you can visit soundeducation.tv. Sound Education is a series of four international seminars brought to you by Ecophon and includes Julian Treasure, sound expert and four-time TED.com speaker.

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For further information please contact Rachel Meagher or Bethan Simkins at Target Public Relations on 01242 633100 or email ecophon@targetgroup.co.uk

For more information please contact Rachel Meagher or Bethan Simkins at Target PR on 01242 633100, ecophon@targetgroup.co.uk

Note to Editors

Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, designs, manufactures and distributes building materials, providing innovative solutions to the challenges of growth, energy efficiency and environmental protection. With 2010 sales of €40.1 billion, Saint-Gobain operates in 64 countries and has nearly 190,000 employees.

In the UKand Ireland, some of the best known and respected companies in the construction industry are part of Saint-Gobain. Alongside Ecophon, these include British Gypsum, Isover, Solaglas, Weber, Saint-Gobain Glass, Saint-Gobain PAM, Pasquill, and Saint-Gobain Solar. Together they offer a range of high performance energy-saving products and solutions to help create a more sustainable built environment.

For more information on Saint-Gobain visit www.saint-gobain.co.uk.

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