Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana needed an acoustic treatment for a noisy presentation room. The room hosted a number of healthcare workers that often use telecom and speaker technology in order to collaborate with other offices. The excessive reverberation in the space, due to low-pile carpet and otherwise hard surfaces, resulted in difficulty hearing through the speaker system.
The Commercial Acoustics team was contacted to perform a reverberation assessment of the space, and determine the number of panels needed. As in other acoustic projects, an acoustic calculation was performed to determine the number of Sabins in the room (using the room size and NRC values of the finishes).
Once the proper number of panels was decided on, the acoustic panels were manufactured and shipped from Tampa, FL. The reverberation time was successfully lowered by approximately 30%, from 1.1 seconds to 0.78 seconds. As is often the case with telecom rooms, there is a significant improvement below 1 second reverb in the mid-frequencies. As described by one of the Hospital Administrators, the “room improved by 100%. Before the acoustic panels you couldn’t hear anything, and now you can hear”. Regardless of the exact performance improvement, it should be noted that there is a discrete difference above and below 1 second RT60 time for most ceiling- or table-mounted microphones. Whether in the hospital, commercial office space, or government office, acoustic treatment in telecom rooms should be designed and implemented to bring reverb below this point.
See our List of Healthcare Soundproofing Projects here
New Orleans Acoustic Solutions – Healthcare and Much More
Commercial Acoustics expanded to New Orleans in early 2018. Specializing in soundproofing and acoustic solutions across the United States, our team of acoustic engineers provide custom acoustic treatments on a wide array of projects, from Hospitality and Multi-Family to Healthcare and Education. Projects range from the New Orleans Police Department to a number of healthcare facilities and residential homes. As noted in the New Orleans City Business, Commercial Acoustics plans to expand our New Orleans footprint to include a regional office, supplementing field offices in Houston and Atlanta.
