Acoustics in Healthcare Environments meeting

The Institute of Acoustics will be holding a one day meeting on Acoustics in Healthcare Environments organised by the Building Acoustics Group of the IOA.

The meeting will be held at at the Victoria and Albert Hotel, Manchester and will look at how acoustics in healthcare buildings has been recognised as a key driver of design and a positive influence in therapeutic environments.

Acoustics in Healthcare Environments will also look at how the acoustics of an environment affect healthcare outcomes.

Do 'good' acoustics actually help people get better quicker and lead to quicker turnaround of patients, or lower overall readmission rates and by how much? Has the introduction of HTM08-01 in 2008 increased the cost of design and construction to the NHS or the building industry? Is it worth it and can the standards be achieved in practice? The meeting will bring together key speakers in the area of healthcare acoustics to discuss all these major issues and provide an opportunity to meet with important figures in this sector.

Adrian Popplewell, one of the organisers of the event, said: "It is vital for healthcare designers to understand how the acoustics in healthcare environments affects the patients and staff".

"Research shows that good acoustics can potentially decrease recovery times and readmission rates bringing significant benefits to a cash-strapped NHS and enhanced comfort and quality to a consumer choice driven private sector".

Topics being discussed include: HTM 08-01 - The new acoustic design guide, Richard Budd, SRL.

Healthcare architecture and acoustics, Richard Mazuch, Nightingale Architects.

Design of restorative environments for healthcare using the Tranquility Rating Assessment Tool, Greg Watts, RJ Pheasant and KV Horoshenkov, University of Bradford.

Research into the effect of the sound environment on staff and patients in healthcare facilities, Anthony Thomas, Saint-Gobain.

Effects of non-acoustic factors on acoustics in healthcare facilities, Jian Kang and Michael Phiri, University of Sheffield.

Impacts of environmental noise on health, Bernard Berry, Berry Environmental .

The experience of using HTM 08-01 in smaller healthcare facilities, Philip Hankin, Cole Jarman Associates.

Acoustics in Healthcare Environments is a must for anyone involved in healthcare design including; environmental and building acousticians, builders, engineers, architects and architectural designers, estates officers and facilities personnel in both private and public sectors.

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