While we are missing the social dining-out experience and have to make do with limited take-away-only menus and higher prices, let us take a minute to consider one of the things that we do not miss so much about some dining out experiences. Noise. We are extremely fortunate that we are usually spoilt for choice […]

What to consider when installing hard floors in Stata Building: Strata By-Laws: Each apartment building will have its own strata plan and associated by-laws. Often older by-laws may have a simple clause such as “any new floor should be covered or otherwise treated to an extent sufficient to prevent the transmission from the floor space […]

Proper acoustic design in educational facilities is ever more crucial as open-plan, technology-filled “innovative learning environments” (ILEs) become increasing commonplace. Proponents of this current trend laud the flexibility provided by these open spaces, but sceptics doubt the effectiveness of these spaces due to various reasons, including the lack of consultation with teachers before implementation and […]

There are many different factors which affect the acoustic design of a classroom. Current research undertaken by Macquarie University and National Acoustic Laboratories Australia1 indicates that: Students spend approximately 45-60 % of their time listening and comprehending their teachers’ instructions. High levels of noise which mask and distort the teacher’s voice dramatically reduce speech intelligibility. […]

How many people are missing out on key bits of information in daily communication? We thought we heard Neil Armstrong’s famous words “one small step for man” where as Neil is adamant he said, “one small step for A man”.  Poor intelligibly is how problems begin in video conferencing situations. Key bits of information just […]