Abstract:

Green schools are becoming increasingly common as school districts continue to experience a rapid growth in population. These schools promote academic success and higher retention rates as well as healthier environments with cleaner air and more dayl ight as compared to their nongreen counterparts. However, green buildings have become synonymous with poor room acoustics because many of these green goals often result in compromising acoustics and noise control with green building implementing natural ventilation, radiant cooling, and green materials, to name a few. This paper will examine the current conditions of room acoustics in classrooms based on field tests for reverberation, background noise levels, speech intelligibility, and noise isolation from adjacent spaces in addition to the overall design of the classroom. In addition to testing, results from an electronic questionnaire issued to those who teach in these green environments on a daily basis will be discussed. This questionnaire addreses common problems in classroom acoustics in additon to seeking feedback on this new teaching environments. Finally, the role of acoustics in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for schools, the process for acoustical consultants for certifying a school, will be discussed.