A CASE STUDY FOR IMPROVEMENT OF ACOUSTICAL ENVIRONMENT OF OPEN-PLAN CLASSROOMS

Abstract

In Japan, open-plan type classroom is getting popular in elementary schools. This planning type has various benefits for educational activities. However, sound propagation between adjacent classrooms tends to cause a serious acoustical problem. In this study, a field survey and numerical analysis on acoustical environment of an elementary school, which was newly built with acoustical consideration in its architectural design, were conducted. Based on the results, validity of the acoustical design to mitigate the sound propagation between the classrooms was examined.