In a canteen or cafeteria, students and teachers should be able to enjoy both the food and the company of others. This means that speaking and listening comfort must be good.
Relaxing and enjoying a meal
In a canteen or cafeteria, students and teachers should be able to enjoy both the food and the company of others. This means that speaking and listening comfort must be good.
The typical canteen is a large open space with a high soffit. There are many conversations at the same time and constant noise from tableware and cutlery. Without proper sound absorption, sound will bounce off hard surfaces, creating echoes that will spread in all directions. This will cause sound levels to increase dramatically, resulting in a very stressful and uncomfortable environment.
Challenge
- Preventing the sound level from escalating.
- Keeping sound from spreading in all directions and to adjacent areas.
Solution
- Use a highly sound-absorbing ceiling.
- Cover as much as possible of the walls with wall absorbers.
- Place canteens away from areas that are especially sensitive to intrusive noise.
Product recommendation
The recommendation above is for this particular activity and space, based on a comparison between the above mentioned Ecophon products. The scale applied ranges from 1 to 5, where 5 is the highest score. For indoor air quality, 5 equates to compliance with French VOC A+ and California Emission Regulation standard, and 4 equates to French VOC A and M1 (The Finnish Emission Classification of Building Material).