Shane Cryer, Concept Developer – Education, Saint Gobain Ecophon and Peter Rogers – Managing Director, Sustainable Acoustics
Summary
Architects and designers tend to be ocular and focus, understandably, on form, light, colour and textures. Sound has none of these elements yet plays a vital role in the successful function of buildings (in last year’s Education Estates conference, speakers from the EFA prioritised acoustics as second only to daylight). Inspired aesthetics can be let down by poor acoustics or enhanced by a little attention to some basic principles.
It is not unknown for a beautifully designed building to fail to meet the requirements of the design brief because the acoustics have not been sufficiently addressed.
Acoustics are so essential to the success of many buildings that specific standards have been developed. In the case of education it is the newly revised Building Bulletin 93, part of the Building Regulations for England and Wales.
In this presentation we explore simple, cost effective design principles and solutions to create a sound environment and meet the standards in the: classroom; lecture theatre; circulation space; dining area: temporary classroom and sports hall. We will also address designing for special educational needs e.g. autism, hearing impairments and the Equalities Act.
Biography
Shane Cryer manages the education sector in the UK and Ireland for Swedish acoustic experts, Ecophon. After a career in the construction industry, having studied building and property surveying, he now concentrates on building acoustics. Working closely with organisations such as The Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and the RIBA, Shane has been promoting the new BB93: Acoustic Design of Schools standard via CPD seminars, conferences and articles in the trade press. Shane also manages several acoustic research projects around the UK.
Peter Roger has been involved at the heart of getting acoustic right, and now drives his business to deliver spaces that work to the maximum of their ability for the children and teachers. He led The Institute of Acoustics (IOA) campaign to save and strengthen school acoustic design and worked closely with the National Deaf Children Society to create an Acoustic Quality mark to help children with special hearing needs, parent and teachers to be signposted to spaces that work for them. Peter is passionate about using acoustics to deliver great teaching spaces that work and give the best chance for the next generation. In his spare time he is a bee keeper.