Satakunta Children's and Women's Hospital using large printed Ecophon panels
Sound may not be one of the first things we think of in biophilic design but what most people want from the auditory environment is intrinsically linked to nature. Further associations with the natural world are found in our sound preferences. Subjectively many people prefer outdoor sounds, for example the soft sounds of water babbling, leaves rustling and birdsong. However, much of our time is now spent inside and for patients in hospital their stay is often a continuous indoor environment with unnaturally high levels of artificial noise from which there is no escape, not even in sleep, and which are out of our control.
Our hearing is often key in our perception of the world around us; it helps us to interact, communicate and be aware of what is happening and impending change. It is designed for the outside, a world without walls and other hard reflective surfaces that focus sound and allow it to build up to levels where it affects our concentration, increases levels of anxiety, negatively affects performance and interrupts our sleep. We speak with Andrea Harman, concept developer specialising in acoustics for healthcare for Saint-Gobain Ecophon to find out how we should consider and can improve the acoustics for people in hospital. We discuss also the study at Huddinge hospital coronary critical care unit which looked at the effect of improving the acoustic conditions on care and recovery.
A good room acoustic environment is important for everyone; however for people in hospital, both staff and patients, this can have a huge impact on their wellbeing.
To find out more about Andrea, you can read her article on our Journal here, or connect with her via the links below.
Andrea Harman, concept developer specialising in acoustics for healthcare for Saint-Gobain Ecophon.
For more information on Andrea and Ecophon, see her profile on the website https://www.ecophon.com/en/knowledge/meet-the-experts/andrea-harman/
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
If you are interested in commissioning printed panels for your hospital, workplace or other environment to help improve the acoustics and wellbeing of your staff, families and patients, do feel free to call us on 07747 025361 or look at our print gallery where you can buy printed panels direct which combine biophilic nature imagery with the Ecophon panels.
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