Schools
Primary schools are important: irrespective of the country, children in primary school are being taught the rudiments of education, and the general environment of classrooms can play an important part in their educational process.
For example, primary school children often spend long periods of time in one classroom, and a noisy room can adversely affect the occupants of that room.
Studies indicate learning is improved in quieter classrooms. Noise levels influence behavior, reading comprehension, verbal interaction, attention, stress levels, and overall academic achievement. Indoor and outdoor noise pollution can distract students and make it difficult for them to communicate with their teachers.
This is especially problematic for the hearing impaired, those for which education language is a second language, and young students, as the ability to distinguish sounds from background noise does not develop until adolescence.
High performance schools create superior acoustical environments via design and materials that reduce sound reverberation inside the classroom, limit transmission of noise from outside the classroom, and minimize background noise from heating, cooling, and ventilation systems.
