Acoustic Spatial Design Methodology and its Application in Health Environments

Abstract

Hospital design too often overlooks the need for acoustic tempering; as a result, patients experience longer recovery times and hospital staff experience high rates of hypertension, leading to excessive turnover and greater health risks among those brave enough to shoulder the burden of overseeing recovery [1]. Through proper acoustic intent, hospitals can become spaces of genuine peace for those who are healing as well as for the people who spend most of their lives in these environments. Through the implementation of simulation techniques employed by acoustic designers, the architectural community can benefit by understanding the sonic impacts of design decisions in real time and ensure their proposals lie within acceptable noise levels, mitigating the negative impacts of unwelcome sound within healing environments. As hospitals exist as a typology in which the condition of its occupants is a primary concern, the results of this research seek to maintain the established societal function and pave the way for future research into acoustic specification of other architectural typologies. Through this work, it is determined that through the use of glass doors and application of acoustic plasters on patient ward walls in lieu of gypsum board, the hospital can better address the acoustic comfort of its inhabitants.