Good acoustics central to recovery

At the recent Healthcare Estates conference, Richard Budd of acoustic engineering and noise and vibration consultants Sound Research Laboratories, discussed the revised guidance on good acoustic design in a recently published Health Technical Memorandum, HTM 08-01 – Acoustics.

Introduced in June last year, the new HTM, Richard Budd explained, replaces HTM 2045, providing guidance on effective acoustic design in what he dubbed “plainer English” than its predecessor. Telling delegates acoustics were “fundamental to the quality of the environment in any building”, he said: “In a healthcare setting there is strong evidence that a good acoustic environment promotes essential sleep for recovery, in turn reducing the length of patient stays, while also helping improve privacy and comfort for patients. Such an environment also significantly improves staff working conditions.” The acoustician explained that the new HTM had been written and published to replace the existing HTM 2045, which was published in 1996 at a time when mechanical, rather than natural, ventilation was the norm in UK hospitals. The Department of Health had considered it was time to bring healthcare acoustics up-to-date, and it was also felt that acoustics were still not high enough on the pecking order on the estates front, particularly when new hospital buildings were being conceived. HTM had “turned out to be difficult to use” as a contractual document, and there was conflict with other key design issues. It was considered important that acoustic design should be an integral part of the design of new facilities from the start, with acousticians involved at project inception, “rather than being something of an afterthought”.

Derogations for PFIs