Tag: Assistive Listening Devices

Barrel vault is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of materials along a single curve that are used in interior designing. Barrel vault roofs were known to be used in the Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamian civilizations. The necessity of this construction came at places where there was scarcity of wood since these structures could be built using stones or bricks. Barrel vault roofing was not widely used in the Ancient Egypt due to the requirement of complex formwork and measurements. It was widely used by Ancient Romans while building their cathedrals, monasteries and so on. Arches shaped like horseshoes were also part of Indian architecture and are found in Ajantha-Ellora caves and old places of worship in India. Barrel vault roofs were also used in old cities like New York but with the incoming of RC pipes, barrel vault roofs has become less desirable. This is because maintenance is tough and also RC pipes can be installed and replaced easily. Also in a barrel vault, pressure is outwards and to withstand this pressure, either the thickness of the wall must be increased, which is not desirable, or two barrel vaults must be constructed parallel to one another so that the pressures cancel out.

In olden times, barrel vaults were constructed using stones or bricks but now, with the advancement of technology, barrel vaults can be constructed using almost any material. Its a common misunderstanding that barrel vault roof construction is very costly and has low life. Though construction of barrel vault roofs are costlier than that of normal roofs, it doesn’t add much to the cost and once constructed, they last over 50 years without any significant maintenance. Since it uses metal roofing, it is a green-technique and can be reused. Thus barrel vaults are more affordable than what most of us think.

Barrel vault roofs, apart from giving an attractive appearance to the building has other advantages as well. One of the prominent advantages of a barrel vaulted ceiling is its ability to light up the building properly. Barrel vault roofs can help bring natural light indoors and evenly distribute it in the interiors and thus light the room appropriately.

Below are a few
advantages of barrel vault roofs when used for lighting purposes.

1. Provides more
   light than a vertical roof with same surface.

2. Ensures that the
   light is evenly spread.

3. Natural light is allowed inside to light up the room for enhanced appearance and mood, which in turn increases productivity.

Barrel vault rooflights are modular rooflighting systems that can provide long continuous runs of lighting systems. Here are some characteristics of barrel vault rooflighting.

1. Simple
   installation.

2. Ideal for walkway
   and canopy applications.

3. Wide span of light
   can be provided.

4. Continuous runs of unlimited lighting systems.

5. Suitable for commercial and industrial applications.

6. Cost effective
   systems available.

7. Light is evenly
   distributed.

8. Designed for use
   on low pitch, flat and the crown of curved roofs.

Barrel vault roofs, on top of being affordable, can add to the appearance of the room. Unlike old times, barrel vault roof constructions are not complex and tedious and thus is more consumer and construction friendly when it comes to architecture and interior designing.

Do you live close to busy roads? Do you not want your neighbour to hear your private conversations? Soundproofing your interiors is the ultimate solution to your

Soundproofing includes methods with which sound or noise in a room to meet various needs. It usually includes blocking any sound from entering or leaving the room as well as reduce reverberations in the room that can cause echoes, or muffled and unclear voices. One of the ways through which this can be achieved is by soundproofing the walls.

STC rating denotes the ability of a material to resist the passing of sound through them. The more the STC rating, the better acoustical properties the material possess.  

Drywall has low STC rating which means that its ability to block sound from entering or leaving a room is low. Also, sound waves hit drywall and bounce off of the wall, reverberating across the room interfering with the sound waves. Hence we can say that drywall has poor acoustical properties and we should implement ways to improve the same for soundproofing any room that needs privacy, be it a mini home theater or your bedroom, or simply to block any external noise from entering your room and disturbing you.

Let us discuss some
ways with which the acoustical properties of a drywall can be
improved.

1. Increase thickness

2. The principle behind enhanced acoustical properties of a material with more mass is that sound transmits through a medium through vibration of particles. When the mass of a material increases, it will be difficult for it to vibrate and hence, only less noise will be transmitted. Mass loading method involves adding mass-loaded vinyl. Sheets of heavy vinyl can be installed between studs and drywalls to increase the mass of the drywall. Employing mass-loaded vinyl will give good soundproofing results but installing it is labor intensive with high labor cost, and needs a combination of materials. Thus it is an unattractive option since it is highly error prone when we one tries to install it on their own.

3. Soundproof drywall panels.

   Soundproof drywall panels have high STC rating and ensure good soundproofing. For 100% soundproofing, the space between panels should be vacuum but it is absolutely impossible for manufacturers to achieve that and hence no acoustic panel is 100% soundproof. But soundproof panels can be easily installed and are available.

4. Soundproofing
   materials.

   Materials with high
   STC rating can be used for soundproofing drywalls.

5. Viscoelastic soundproofing.

   Viscoelastic soundproofing is the newest technology in the field of soundproofing. Viscoelastic materials have both viscous and elastic properties. When sound waves hit these materials, they are deformed and slowly goes back to their true form. Thus the energy of the sound waves is dissipated by the contraction and expansion process and converted into thermal energy. In constrained layer viscoelastic damping, a thin layer of viscoelastic material is sandwiched between two rigid surfaces, in this case dry walls. When sound wave hits the first drywall, the particles vibrate and the energy will be transmitted through it. But when these vibrations reach the viscoelastic material, the energy is dissipated and only very little energy is transmitted to the second layer. This is how soundproofing is achieved by the use of viscoelastic materials.

In terms of quality and cost, soundproofing drywalls is the most preferred interior designing way of achieving soundproofing.

Since the climatic conditions of Earth are worsening with each passing year, the concerns and needs to adapt environment friendly interior designing methods in every walks of our life has increased. ‘Go Green’ is the worldwide approved slogan for the initiative to use environment-friendly and recycled items.

This article lists 7 awesome ways to ‘Go Green!‘ in your office.

1. Reduce wastage.

   Reduce the wastage of
   items like paper and pen. Set printer default settings to double
   sided printing.

2. Reduce energy
   consumption.

• Reduce the
  consumption of fuel by availing carpooling facility, using public
  transport or even walking or cycling, if possible.

• Light the office space using natural light and proper ventilation should be provided so that use of AC and fans may be avoided. Use CFL, LED lights or other high efficient bulbs to reduce power consumption. Remove extra bulbs from spaces where there is too much lighting.

• Install motion
  censors in places that are frequently visited. Set timers on
  printers to automatically turn off after office working hours.

• Heating and
  cooling systems should be set at optimal temperature of 20-22
  degree Celsius.

• Use renewable
  sources like solar power for generating power for office purposes.

3. Use Recycled products.

   Use recycled papers,
   envelopes, cardboard etc.

4. Reuse and recycle
   products.

• Install
  centralized bins rather than private bins for waste collecting and
  recycling. Do this in a way that it doesn’t affect the employees’
  working.

• Assign a local
  waste contractor who offers landfill services, to collect residual
  landfill.

• Use pens with
  refills such that you don’t have to throw it out after one use.

• When redecorating your office space, reuse the furniture with small changes suiting the new space.

• Fibre-boards are manufactured with recycled products and should be used.

5. Initiatives and
   campaigns.

• Take initiatives
  to make all the employees choose the ‘Go Green’ path.

• Conduct campaigns and even competitions to help promote the use of environment-friendly items and also reduce power consumption.  

• Paste ‘Go Green’
  slogans, messages and cartoons at all places to encourage people
  for the same.

• Use signatures in
  mails that has messages to be environment-friendly.

6. Use
   environment-friendly furniture.

• Use papers processed and coloured using eco-friendly methods.

• Use biodegradable
  cups and soaps in the office.

• There are environment-friendly desks and tables that are manufactured without much use of natural resources.

7. Keep in check
   carbon footprinting.

   Carbon footprint is the amount of Green House gases emitted due to the services and products that are developed to aid human activities. It is necessary that carbon footprint of an office is noted and kept within a limit. These gases reduce the ozone layer which results in global warming. Global warming is a major concern now and it is our duty to keep these emissions under control for a better future.

Studies show that building materials and furnishings, after a while, can emit harmful particles that affects the health of human beings. These dangerous vapors and airborne particles can cause allergies and other health issues to the human beings. Companies concerned about the health of their employees take steps to change this condition. Such companies use products that are certified and are in compliance with the amount of emission levels set by the Government. Environment-friendly furniture and products come with a green logo. Make sure you check out this logo before you buy something for the interiors of your office.

Poor classroom
acoustics

For better classroom environment, we need acoustical soundproofing products in the interior designing and construction. The major existing learning process in our country relies on oral communication. Ideal auditory learning is affected by two factors, acoustics of the room and hearing ability of the students. Second factor is not up to the teacher or the authorities to deal with, but what they can make sure is the quality of the classroom acoustics. It has been found that 90% of the students are not able to completely hear what the teacher says. Thus, poor acoustics will adversely affect a child’s learning experience as well as the teacher’s vocal health.

Cause of poor
acoustics.

Poor acoustics occur
due to background noise and reverberation in the classroom.

• Background noise is constituted of external and internal noises. External noise is the noise that enters the classroom from outside of the school. It can be anything from a bird’s chirp to a truck passing-by. Old school buildings were not built with the acoustic properties of the room in mind. Hence, the materials used in constructing these buildings don’t have the ability to block these external noises from entering the classroom. Internal noise, on the other hand, is the noise that is generated within the classroom. A student whispering to the one sitting next to him or a pen dropping on the floor or even shuffling of feet, all of this contribute to the internal background noise and interferes with the teacher’s voice.

• Echoes are a common issue when it comes to large rooms with high ceilings. These echoes are formed due to sound reverberating off the walls or desks in classrooms. These sound waves bounce off of one surface to the other and interferes with the speech. The longer this reverberating sound persists in the room, the more it will affect the necessary sound waves. Thus the reverberation time, the time taken to absorb a reflected sound, should be low. Human body can absorb these sound waves to an extend but other materials that can control reverberation effects, like carpets and curtains, should be used.

Effects of poor
classroom acoustics

The
effects of poor classroom acoustics are

1. Reduced performance

2. Delayed language acquisition

3. Lower speech intelligibility of the child

Acoustical Solution

According to American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), the background noise in an empty classroom should be less than 35 dB and the reverberation time should be with in 0.4 seconds for the child to hear properly what is being taught. It also requires that the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) should be no less than 15 dB. That is the voice of the teacher should be 15 dB higher than the background noise. Here are some solutions to ensure proper classroom acoustics.

1. Soundproof windows and doors of the classroom to block external background noises from entering the classroom.

2. Use felt pads one the legs of chairs and desks so that not much
   noise is produced due to their movement.

3. Curtains and carpets can reduce background noises and reverberations. If large carpets are not preferred due to hygienic reasons, use a strip of carpet on the teacher’s common walking path.

4. Make sure all electrical instruments are working properly and are
   not creating any buzzing sounds, adding to the background noises.

5. Split large rooms into smaller areas by using free-standing
   furnishings.

Providing an environment with good acoustic properties should be included along with other factors to ensure high quality education. For enhanced learning process, it is essential that classroom interiors satisfy acoustic requirements.