The harmful effect of noise on young children has been well documented and is one of the key issues facing schools. Neil Hudson from specialist heating equipment manufacturer SPC (S&P Coil Products), looks at how innovative heating products are being used to combat this traditional problem, and provide effective heating solutions at the same time.

One of the key stages of a child's early education is the development of language skills. Only through exposure to clear, unambiguous interaction with parents, teachers and their fellow pupils, can a child expect to gain an instinctive grasp of phonetic structure and grammatical rules. Such interaction is often inhibited by the acoustic environment in which it takes place.
Apart from the hearing damage caused by prolonged exposure, a noisy environment can dull a child's listening skills.

Children can lose the ability to distinguish subtle speech components and many children accept noise as the natural background to their activities at home, in daycare or in public places. The classroom should be an environment that facilitates communication for all children, regardless of their backgrounds or handicaps.

The two key characteristics of an acoustically optimized classroom are a low background noise level and a low reverberation time. The background noise can come from many sources, such as traffic noise, student activity within the classroom or the noise of a heating or ventilation unit.

Reverberation is the multiple reflections of sounds within a room that can prolong and distort the original sound components. Speech intelligibility is compromised when a soft vocal element is masked by the reflected sound of a preceding louder element. Reverberation also has the effect of amplifying background noises.

In order to improve the acoustics of a learning environment, the room must be treated with sound absorbing materials over the reflecting surfaces. Sound absorption also helps to reduce background noise levels and, by improving speech intelligibility, reduces the need for raised voices.

An acoustically optimised classroom, featuring a low ambient noise level and a low reverberation time is therefore essential in providing an environment for pupils which meet the standards set by the Government’s ongoing Building Schools for the Future scheme.  With many older schools built with high concrete ceilings and equipped with stand-alone heating or ventilation units, it is anticipated that these schools will not meet the recommended standards without modification.

It is therefore imperative that all new build schools, plus those schools currently or due to undergo refurbishment, look at all the possibilities to improve acoustics. One of the most common corrective actions involves the installation of noise absorption panels to the walls and celings.

In addition, the Education (School Premises) Regulations also include provisions relating to risks from hot surfaces.  They provide that in special schools, nursery schools and teaching accommodation used by nursery classes, radiators and exposed pipes which are located where pupils might touch them, must not become hotter than 43ºC. One must therefore also ensure that all newly installed heating equipment is out of the way of wandering small hands.

HASL Ltd has kept abreast of these developments by introducing the Thermatile Plus acoustic radiant ceiling panel. The unobtrusive product, which in its most basic form resembles a traditional suspended ceiling panel, emits radiant heat which warms occupants directly and the air indirectly, resulting in lower heat losses and energy savings. Silent operation and no forced air movement mean a warm, peaceful and draught-free environment in classrooms, conference rooms or lecture theatres.

To reduce ambient noise and improve the acoustics of the room, Thermatile Plus panels can be supplied perforated. To provide an invisible acoustic barrier, the panels can be covered in a thin layer of acoustic plasterwork. The panels can also be manufactured to suit the required reverberation time specified by increasing or decreasing the diameter of the perforated holes. The revolutionary new linear strip panel joining system also means that the radiant panels are both extremely quick and simple to install.

The Thermatile Plus radiant ceiling panels have a unique composite aluminium sheet structure, providing a rigid flat panel which can be made to any specified size, shape and colour to enhance the architectural design of a room. They are also proving extremely popular in reception areas where the ‘sail’ versions can be used to provide noise and vibration free warmth, whilst also acting as a design feature.

SPC recently supplied 20 of their Thermatile Plus panels for a new dance studio at King John School in Thundersley, Essex, which is currently undergoing a £2 million refurbishment. (See below)

Peter Lovett of Essex based-contractors KLT Ltd, who installed the panels, said the Thermatile Plus panels were the ideal choice for the project.

“Noise was the main design concern for this new studio, and the specially perforated and coloured Thermatile Plus panels satisfied all our concerns and provided the school with perfect environmental conditions,” he explained.

“With the panels simply sitting in the specially reinforced ceiling grid with flexible connections onto the heating mains, the installation period was very fast. A simple two-port motorised valve and valve thermostat kept the room at the desired temperature.”

The use of these innovative radiant heating panels highlight the possibility for the use of advanced heating products in schools fit for the 21st Century. New ways of learning, including the ever growing importance of ICT, demand buildings that are comfortable, flexible, and of the highest quality. The heating industry needs to embrace this and develop further products that will see our children’s learning take place in the best available environment.

For more information
HASL Ltd– www.hasl.co.uk
Building Schools for the Future – www.bsf.gov.uk

Issue date: February 21st 2007