Green Acoustics at green.sacnc.com Stewart Acoustical Consultants

The classroom acoustics standard has significant revisions made in a proposed draft.  It is available for purchase and public comment as described in the link below (important excerpt shown)

http://publicaa.ansi.org/sites/apdl/Documents/Standards%20Action/2010%20PDFs/SAV4103.pdf

Our firm is reviewing the document to then describe the key changes made.  Look for a post soon on this topic.  We welcome your comments and will post those relevant to the subject.

(courtesy of Fox News and acoustics researcher Norm Phillipp, and Peter D’Antonio (RPG Inc.) who provided the commentary in the article)

Excerpts:

Norm Phillipp…found that at each school at least one portable classroom was used for language instruction, students with special-needs, music instruction or for children younger than 8.

A survey of schools across the U.S. agreed, finding that 26 percent of modular classrooms are used as music rooms, 11 percent are used for early childhood programs, and 9 percent are used for language instruction. …these are exactly the wrong ways for portable classrooms to be used … “When I saw this, my jaw hit the floor,” Phillipp said. “These types of usages should never be in a modular classroom… Kids need a quieter environment than adults because they can’t hear as well…Learning a second language makes it even harder on the hearing. Students need the instructor’s voice turned up an extra 5 decibels against background noise — or the room to be 5 decibels quieter — to comprehend an unfamiliar language, estimated Peter D’Antonio…

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,575542,00.html

This information is courtesy of the speech privacy subcommittee of the technical committee on noise at ASA (speechprivacy.org)
 
1. PENALTIES: HIPAA enforcement has been lax, but starting this month (Nov 30), there’s a new $1.5 million penalty for non-compliance as part of Obama’s ARRA-HITECH ACT. If Speech Privacy is one of your interests, this impacts you… See: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hipaa-violators-could-face-fines-15m 
 
2. THE NEW GUIDELINES APPEAR IN MID-JANUARY: …. In mid-January, the new comprehensive acoustical guidelines for healthcare facilities will be published. To order a copy, go to: www.fgi-guidelines.org. Simultaneously, we will publish an updated version of the 50-page “Acoustical Guidelines” (which is the reference standard for the FGI Guidelines) at www.healthcareacoustics.org.
 
3. NEW RESEARCH COMMUNITY: In January our (speech privacy subcommittee) website (www.healthcareacoustics.org) will launch an “online community” for healthcare research to enable healthcare institutions to interact directly with acoustics researchers and consultants. For information, click here .

This FGI guideline paves the way for LEED for Healthcare as well. Per the powerpoint on the “click here” above (thanks to David Sykes et al)

Two “EQ” credits available for acoustics in:

• The LEED-based Green Guide for Healthcare V2.2 (1.31.07),
• the new LEED  for Healthcare (due out late 2009)

FGI’s Interim Sound and Vibration Guideline is the sole reference standard for these credits

 (Added comment from Joe Bridger- HIPAA privacy will likely look to these guides and the related research for its fines.)

(quoted from the ASA program for the Fall 2009 San Antonio meeting and confirmed by Noral Stewart who is participating in the current classroom acoustics standard discussions)

“The US Access Board has proposed to reference ANSI/ASA S12.60-2002 R-2009 in the 2012 International Building Code IBC, which will provide for local enforcement.  If this proposal is adopted, the Board will then update its 2004 ADA-ABA Accessibility Guidelines to harmonize with the IBC…”

This is part of an ongoing effort by the US Access Board to incorporate classroom acoustics into ADA rules.

The classroom acoustics standard is up for revision and is thus being reviewed to make it more suitable for use in the building code (IBC), and to address other concerns raised as it was put into practice over the last 7 years, including mobile classrooms, the outdoor to indoor noise isolation requirements, doors, windows, clarifying language on core learning spaces and discussing a proposal offered to lower the RT (reverberation time) requirement.

Comments are welcome and will be passed along to Noral Stewart who is participating in the working group.

On September 17th, HR 3221 (the ‘‘Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009’’) passed the House in Congress.  It is now in committee in the Senate.  This legislation discussed some in previous blogs provides “GRANTS FOR MODERNIZATION, RENOVATION, OR REPAIR OF PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES” (for primary and secondary education) for the purpose of “modernizing, renovating, or repairing public school facilities (including early learning facilities, as appropriate), based on the need of the facilities for such improvements, to ensure that public school facilities are safe, healthy, high-performing, and technologically up-to-date”.  Specifically such as:

1. (up to 1% of funds allocated to state) for administration including “creating voluntary guidelines for high-performing school buildings, including guidelines concerning … Indoor environmental quality, such as …acoustics.” (amongst other areas of sustainable building guidelines)
2. Measures designed to reduce or eliminate human exposure to classroom noise and environmental noise pollution
3. Improve teachers’ ability to teach and students’ ability to learn

In addition (for primary and secondary schools):

1. 50% of funds for 2010 and 75% of funds in 2011 must be used in green schools (defined next)
2. Green schools are LEED for schools, Energy Star, CHPS, Green Globes or equivalent program adopted by state.
3. $2,020,000,000 is appropriated for this use

In addition, “ADVISORY COUNCIL ON GREEN, HIGH-PERFORMING PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES” will be set up, and it will:

1. Advise the Secretary of Education on the impact of green, high-performing schools, on teaching and learning, health, energy costs, environmental impact, and others as deemed appropriate.
2. Assist the Secretary of Education in making recommendations on Federal policies to increase the number of green, high-performing schools, identifying Federal policies that are barriers to helping States and local educational agencies make green, high-performing schools, providing technical assistance and outreach to States and local educational agencies, and other assistance as the deemed appropriate.

Community colleges get $2.5 billion in funds, but at least 50% must go towards green building construction.

…the timing for long-term investment in school infrastructure is ripe because of the large federal economic stimulus plan which is providing schools with $90bn…

…Heating, lighting, acoustic[s], air quality, cleanliness and dynamic architectural design were also included in the criteria as based on a study on health and productivity benefits of green schools released by the National Academy of Sciences….

(article http://www.icis.com/blogs/green-chemicals/2009/10/green-school-investment-is-rip.html )

http://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/Homepage.aspx

“Their carefully planned acoustics and abundant daylight make it easier and more comfortable for students to learn.”

More here…

http://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/gs101/learn.aspx

http://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/gs101/teach.aspx

and here..

http://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/FooterMenu/about.aspx

“The LEED for Schools Rating System emphasizes classroom acoustics, master planning, indoor air quality, mold prevention, energy efficiency and water conservation…”

As well as the research…

http://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/resources/research.aspx

President Obama signed a new Executive Order on Federal Sustainability.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Leading-the-Way-in-Sustainability/

Courtesy of the blog post at the whitehouse.gov website