Universal Studios

Schools

Educational institutions have a unique problem – they require high levels of soundproofing to support concentration and speech comprehension. The problem of noisy classroom is so sever that an ANSI standard has been promulgated.

Achieving high STC ratings for walls and ceilings has traditionally been too costly and risky – until now. Serious Energy offers educational institutions a complete line of high-performance products to soundproof walls and ceilings. The installation can be easily done either at time of new construction or as a rehab project.

Schools occasionally specify resilient channels, hats and clips to try to achieve STC 45. A word of caution: these techniques are famous for failing. Acoustical engineers estimate failure rates of 50% during installation, and a financially dangerous 90% within three years due to tenant “improvements”. A simple installation of a shelf or white board can destroy a resilient channel installation.

The most effective way to mitigate noise in educational institutions is to: (i) identify and measure the noise source, both internal and external; (ii) set a dB goal for the desired level of quiet, and translate that goal into the appropriate Sound Transmission Class using the formula “dB in noisy area minus dB desired in quiet area = required STC”; (iii) select and specify the appropriate soundproofing materials for your project.