Lauren M. Ronsse

Relationships between unoccupied classroom acoustical conditions and elementary student achievement measured in eastern Nebraska

Building standards recommend maximum background noise levels (BNL) and reverberation times (RT) for unoccupied classrooms. However, existing research does not show a consistent correlation between these parameters and student achievement. Through in situ testing, this research seeks to determine what acoustical conditions should be attained in elementary schools for students to meet educational goals. Acoustical measurements were conducted in a Nebraska public school system and correlated to achievement scores from students in the surveyed classrooms. Unoccupied BNLs and RTs were gathered in 34 third and 33 fifth-grade classrooms. Additionally, binaural room impulse response measurements were gathered in a subset of the classrooms. The results suggest that student reading and language subject areas may be negatively impacted by higher unoccupied BNLs; to meet the upper half of NE state targets, these levels should be less than 45 dBA. However, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced price lunches is more strongly correlated to achievement than BNLs, and the negative correlations between noise and achievement are not significant when controlling for this demographic variable. One statistically significant relationship that remained when controlling for demographics was that classrooms with lower distortion of frequency-smoothed magnitude values generally had students with higher language scores.

Blast noise characteristics as a function of distance for temperate and desert climates

Variability in received sound levels were investigated at distances ranging from 4 m to 16 km from a typical blast source in two locations with different climates and terrain. Four experiments were conducted, two in a temperate climate with a hilly terrain and two in a desert climate with a flat terrain, under a variety of meteorological conditions. Sound levels were recorded in three different directions around the source during the summer and winter seasons in each location. Testing occurred over the course of several days for each experiment during all 24 h of the day, and meteorological data were gathered throughout each experiment. The peak levels (L(Pk)), C-weighted sound exposure levels (CSEL), and spectral characteristics of the received sound pressure levels were analyzed. The results show high variability in L(Pk) and CSEL at distances beyond 2 km from the source for each experiment, which was not clearly explained by the time of day the blasts occurred. Also, as expected, higher frequency energy is attenuated more drastically than the lower frequency energy as the distance from the source increases. These data serve as a reference for long-distance blast sound propagation.

Comparison of noise levels between four hospital wings with different material treatments.

Noise levels in four hospital areas of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE, have been measured and compared to study the relationship between materials present in each of the zones and the resulting noise levels. The four areas evaluated, including three hospital wings and a neonatal intensive care unit, have varying levels of acoustic floor and ceiling treatments in the hallways and nurses’ stations. Sound pressure levels were logged every 10 s over a 24‐h period in at least three different locations simultaneously within each area: at the nurses’ station, in the hallway, and in a nearby patient room. The resulting data were analyzed in terms of the hourly A‐weighted equivalent sound levels (Leq) as well as various exceedance levels (Ln). Results indicate that the material finishes in a zone are found to affect the ambient sound levels within the nurses’ stations and hallways, while peak levels remain similar in most of the areas. Sound levels in the patient rooms, however, appear less...

Speech intelligibility of lecture halls

For this project, different large lecture halls were analyzed using various speech intelligibility measurement techniques. The goal was to determine how well these measurements correlate with each other and convey speech intelligibility. Objective speech intelligibility and other related acoustical measurements were made throughout each hall at varying distances from the speaker. These measurements were repeated in each hall in a standardized manner, allowing the results from the different halls to be compared effectively. These objective measurements were related to the subjective analysis of the hall to determine which measurements indicate an appropriate speech intelligibility level for that space. Background mechanical system noise was introduced into some of the halls to determine the effect on speech intelligibility. Some of the halls tested were modeled in an architectural acoustics computer program to determine how well the actual measurements correlate with the predicted measurements. Measurement...

Rock art acoustics

The relationship between the location of rock art and the acoustical properties of its immediate environment has been a source of previous investigation. The markings the early peoples created on rock formations open a fascinating portal into the exploration of their lifestyles. Previous research has shown that often ancient rock art was placed on surfaces or in locations that echoed, whereas locations without such echoes were undecorated [S. J. Waller, 2002 Rock Art Acoustics in the Past, Present, and Future. 1999 International Rock Art Congress Proceedings 2, 11–20]. Could the acoustical characteristics of the decorated outcroppings have been perceived by the early peoples of the American Plains? A detailed study of six rock art sites located in Ellsworth County, KS has been conducted to determine the acoustical properties of these sites. At each site, various impulsive sounds were created to energize the space. The impulse responses were recorded and analyzed using two acoustic recording and analysis c...

Identifying trends in worship space acoustics: 3 decades of design

Worship Space Acoustics: 3 Decades of Design—published by the Acoustical Society of America in 2016—is a book rich with detailed acoustic and architectural information for 67 worship venues with diverse acoustic designs. The venues represent a range of worship space types, various geographic locations around the globe, an assortment of architectural typologies, and a variety of sizes (including seating capacities ranging from 100 to 21,000). This project aimed to synthesize the acoustic and written content presented in the book in order to identify design trends across the 67 venues. Qualitative data included venue typology, location of materials, sound system design, floor plate and room shape, intended use of space, and noise sources, which were mined and analyzed using text analytics software. Quantitative data included reverberation time, background noise level, seating capacity, and room volume. By compiling the various qualitative and quantitative data across all venues, acoustic data and design strategies were synthesized to illustrate popular trends in worship space acoustic design over the last three decades.Worship Space Acoustics: 3 Decades of Design—published by the Acoustical Society of America in 2016—is a book rich with detailed acoustic and architectural information for 67 worship venues with diverse acoustic designs. The venues represent a range of worship space types, various geographic locations around the globe, an assortment of architectural typologies, and a variety of sizes (including seating capacities ranging from 100 to 21,000). This project aimed to synthesize the acoustic and written content presented in the book in order to identify design trends across the 67 venues. Qualitative data included venue typology, location of materials, sound system design, floor plate and room shape, intended use of space, and noise sources, which were mined and analyzed using text analytics software. Quantitative data included reverberation time, background noise level, seating capacity, and room volume. By compiling the various qualitative and quantitative data across all venues, acoustic data and design str...

Worship Spaces: 501–750 Seats

The First United Methodist Church is located in an historic building in the middle of downtown Sarasota, Florida. The sanctuary was renovated to accommodate a growing congregation and to improve the natural acoustical qualities of the space, particularly for natural acoustic propagation of liturgical music. A custom designed coffered ceiling and choir enclosure with details to match the historic character of the room were designed to reflect and diffuse natural acoustic sound from the platform to the congregation as well as to direct sound reflections across the room so choir members could hear each other.

Worship Spaces: 751–1000 Seats

Temple Israel is a Reform synagogue located on a 14-acre parcel in Omaha, NE. The Sanctuary, which seats 900, expresses itself to the exterior via luminous material in the upper portion of the room that glows like a beacon in the park. The building also features a Community Court, a 125-seat Chapel, a large Social Hall, and a range of other public and support spaces.

Reflections from Key Design Team Members

Gary W. Siebein, FAIA, FASA is a Professor of Architecture at the University of Florida. He has written five books, 16 book chapters, and over 150 technical papers and presentations on architectural acoustics. He directs a graduate research program where masters and doctoral students from around the world study building and environmental acoustics. He is also the Senior Principal Consultant with Siebein Associates, Inc. (www.siebeinacoustic.com), an acoustical consulting firm located in Gainesville, Florida that specializes in design for natural and reinforced acoustics in worship, music performance, and theatrical spaces. He has worked on over 1,600 projects since the firm’s inception in 1981.

Worship Spaces: 2001–5000 + Seats

Al Farooq Masjid of Atlanta is the largest mosque in the Southeast and was designed with traditional Muslim and interfaith concerns in mind. All mosques must face Mecca, the Saudi Arabian city where Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born in A.D. 570. Making this work within the limitations of a modern city required orienting the mosque’s prayer hall towards the northeast while the rest of the building sits squarely on the mid-town Atlanta block.