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Noise an invisible barrier to

accesibility Andrea Harman MSc.

Concept Development Healthcare,

Saint-Gobain Ecophon

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Saint-Gobain Ecophon

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Sensory access

Hearing, sight and touch are the 3 key senses

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The brain processes and interprets sensory

information to give a complete

understanding of our surroundings.

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Whilst architecture is often dominated by

what we see and physical accessibility

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Rather than what we hear

Depictions of cochlea from Tonotopia @ the V&A London

October 18 - March 2019

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Why is hearing so important?

• It is designed to funnel sound to the ear drum

• Cochlea has hairs and liquid in it,

which can be damaged by

constant loud noise

https://www.facebook.com/peakhealthonline/videos/vb.276157012729659/376394402705919/?ty

pe=3&theater

The ear

https://www.facebook.com/peakhealthonline/videos/vb.276157012729659/376394402705919/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/peakhealthonline/videos/vb.276157012729659/376394402705919/?type=3&theater

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Why is hearing important?

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Central auditory system

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Why is hearing so important?

Psychological and physiological – human response to sound

Hear Interpret Respond

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Our ears don’t switch off

Being alert is draining, people can often hear even if they

cannot respond

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Human factors

Our ears like to be

outside

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Low frequency sounds and high noise levels are often

linked to anxiety, annoyance, aggression and fear

• Lorries

• Thunder

• Drums

• Factory/Machine noise

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Noise negatively affects many people - hearing

• People with hearing loss

• People with sight loss

• Older people

• Young children

• Sound sensitive

• People not speaking their first

language

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Information - Energy

ENERGY INFORMATION

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Consonants Vowels

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(Flintstones hearing loss)

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• People with Dementia

• People with ADHD

• People with Autism

• People with PTSD

• People with Aspergers

• People with Schizophrenia

• People with OCD

Noise negatively affects many people – interpretation

and sensitivity

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• 11 million people have hearing loss

• An estimated 900,000 people have severe or profound

hearing loss.

• 700,000 people are included on the autism spectrum

• Around 850,000 people have dementia

• It is thought that 1.5 million people have ADHD

UK Statistics – A significant proportion of our

population

Sources: Action on hearing loss

Alzheimer's society

ADHD Action

National Autistic Society

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Challenge of noise

• Not hearing clearly – especially in noisy spaces

• Hearing aids –magnifying sound

• Hyperacusis - Hypersensitivity to everyday noises sometimes linked to

pain

• Hypoacusis – ignoring sound

• Reaction to sound intensity - every sound seems extra loud

• Misophonia - hatred or dislike of certain sounds leading to aversion

• Exaggerated startle response – response to a sound amplified

• Auditory hallucinations - perceiving sound without any auditory

stimulus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycCN3qTYVyo

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Resulting in…………….

• Fatigue,

• Anxiety,

• Fear

• Confusion

• Hypertension

• Reduced engagement and communication

• Reduction in understanding

• Isolation

• Aggression

• Challenging behaviour

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Appropriate acoustic design – Activity based

The

activity

The

people

The

room

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Factors affecting the noise level in a space

• Activities taking place

• Location and proximity to external noise sources

• Internal noise sources

• Density of use, number of people

• Behaviour

• Room design

• Room finishes

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Furnishing

Shape Size

Surface

finishes


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Transmission Absorption

Reflection Diffusion


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Sound in an internal space

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Poor speech clarity and high

noise levels

We speak louder

General noise level increases

Speech clarity

decreases

Lombard effect – As the environment becomes noisier we become noisier

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Good acoustic design should…..

• Encourage inclusion

• Enhance localised communication and interaction

• Reduce disturbance (unwanted speech)

• Improve speech privacy

• Support concentration

• Encourage relaxation

Promote wellbeing

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Corridors – stop intrusive sound travelling along

corridors and from corridor to adjacencies

Create peace, reduce anxiety, promote concentration

and rest , corridors can also provide sensory refuge

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Quiet rooms – a space to get away from noise

stimuli and promote concentration

Reduce anxiety, calm people, providing good conditions for

concentration and relaxation. Often used as 1:1 spaces

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Restaurants, pubs, community, and public spaces–

create calm encourage access, reduce reverberation

improve speech clarity reduce background noise

Promoting interaction, encouraging access and activity,

inclusion and communication.

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Education – aid concentration, localised clear

speech and promote positive interaction, keep

background noise levels low

Promoting inclusion, interaction, communication and

concentration

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We hope you have enjoyed this

presentation

And that it helps you consider and find solutions to challenges

with noise

All images used have excellent room acoustics

Any questions?

p n noise an invisible barrier to...

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