If you run a private school, you may be getting ready for a new term and are in the process of commissioning a new classroom. You want to make sure that this is a very productive environment, of course, and will be focused on its layout with this in mind. You certainly need to fit desks, chairs and ancillaries into your space effectively, so that students can interact with teachers while working on their own behalf. However, all of this is more than just a matter of space, and you need to take into account environmental considerations as well. Why are acoustics particularly important?

Controlling Distraction

As you undoubtedly know, some students find it very difficult to concentrate when they are in class. This is particularly the case for those who suffer from attention deficit disorder, but in general you need to keep any extraneous noise down to a minimum. Consequently, you may have to think twice if you want an open-plan classroom with various partitions, as while these are good from a visual perspective, they don't do much in controlling noise.

What Do You Have To Deal With?

You should also consider how the classroom is made and the materials used in its construction. Does it have tile floors and concrete walls? If so, you will probably face reverberation and echo problems, and this could be exacerbated if your ceiling is made from plasterboard.

Too Much Distraction

When you take all of these situations together, your students may find it very difficult to understand what the teacher is saying due to noise and feedback. Therefore, you need to introduce special acoustic treatments to absorb some of this sound.

Top and Bottom

Begin by introducing some specially designed carpet and place this in sections on top of the tile floor. You can also cut out part of your plasterboard ceiling and put a special sound-absorbing layer in its place.

Dealing with Walls

You may not be able to do too much about the concrete walls, but you can certainly place some items strategically that will help to avoid 'bounce'. Simply spread out some of those cabinets and bookcases, rather than keeping them all together in one corner.

In between this furniture, put some special glassfibre panels covered with fabric, as these do well at absorbing low-frequency noise pollution.

Funnelling

If you want to be even more technical, you can help to direct the voice of the teacher toward the rear of the classroom by fitting special ceiling tiles around the periphery. If you leave the centre as gypsum or particleboard then it will act as a funnel while dampening any peripheral noise.

Expert Direction

You may benefit from the advice of a specialist here, as there is a lot at stake. Bring in an acoustical consultant before term begins, so you can truly lay out the welcome mat for your students.