The impact of good acoustic products on ensuring a quiet, restful, and therapeutic recovery environment in hospitals and other healthcare facilities discussed.
When considering a healthcare environment, what the term ‘sustainability’ encompasses continues to evolve. Once predominantly centred on the environmental impact of a building’s materials and its carbon emissions, now the well-being of occupants has become just as important. Here, Andrea Harman, concept developer for healthcare at Ecophon, which develops, manufactures, and markets acoustic products and systems that ‘contribute to a good working environment by enhancing people’s wellbeing and performance’, discusses how acoustic performance is fundamental to this.
The majority of building product research and development is now dedicated to not only reducing such products’ effect on the environment, but in some instances also to how they might make a positive impact. Products that contribute on a wider level – creating better working and living environments through enhanced comfort – are becoming increasingly sought out – with good acoustics being a key focus.
If we look at hospitals specifically, sleep is crucial for recovery, since our bodies do most of their healing then. However, with hearing being one sense that doesn’t sleep, unwanted noise can be detrimental to sleep, and so to a patient’s recovery. In answer to this, reducing the spread of noise through clever acoustic design is crucial. Such measures will also create a calm space, which helps lower blood pressure and reduce stress – not just for patients, but equally for staff; resulting in happier people, and improved quality of care.
Log in or register FREE to read the rest
This story is Premium Content and is only available to registered users. Please log in at the top of the page to view the full text.
If you don't already have an account, please register with us completely free of charge.
