Classroom acoustics III: Acoustical model studies of elementary school classrooms

A 1:4 scale model was constructed with a series of interchangeable wall and ceiling panels to allow a battery of acoustical tests to be conducted for a variety of classroom designs. The walls and ceiling of the room could be changed from sound absorbent to sound reflective materials quickly. Scale furniture was also constructed for the room. The walls of the model could be adjusted from approximately 7 to 10 meters in length and from 2.5 m in height to 7 m in height. Acoustical measurements of speech transmission index, reverberation time, early reverberation time, early-to-late energy ratios, loudness (or relative strength), and articulation index were made in a number of simulated elementary school classrooms using both a TEF analyzer and impulse spark techniques. Classrooms where field measurements were taken as described in Classroom Acoustics II were modified to attempt to improve acoustical conditions in the rooms. The location and amount of absorbent material, the location and amount of sound reflective material, and the room volume were the major variables considered. In general rooms that followed good architectural acoustics design principles produced favorable acoustical measurements.