In the heart of a bustling hospital where the symphony of cries and footsteps never ceases, Stantec are attempting to turn down the noise.
Especially in children’s hospitals, the cries of newborns harmonise with the hum of machinery, and the hushed conversations of parents create a noisy and stress inducing backdrop for the doctors, nurses and patients.
Amidst this labyrinth of life and sound, Meisha Stevens, Associate, Acoustic Project Technical Leader at Stantec is on a quest to reshape an overlooked aspect of healthcare: the acoustics of children’s hospitals.
Her mission? To turn down the volume of stress and uncertainty, and orchestrate a quieter, more peaceful environment for the tiniest patients and their families.
For the staff the constant onslaught of noise elevates stress levels, disrupts sleep patterns, and diminishes well-being. Meanwhile, parents, grappling with their own anxieties, find their emotional reserves further depleted by the noise.
In this crucible of care, the battle to heal and nurture extends beyond medical expertise – it is a struggle to create a haven of tranquillity amidst the chaos, alleviating the burden of noise-induced fatigue.
Ms Stevens said the Engineering Services Guide (which offers guidelines for health infrastructure) was designed for sedentary patients and not paediatric hospitals, which frequently experience increased levels of noise due to the nature of babies and children crying.
She said finishes in the rooms are critical but need to strike a balance between softening noise and being hygienic to the level required of s hospital. This can create tension and difficulty in the designing phase.
“We really need to be looking at adding absorbent finishes into those bedrooms because we’re compounding the problem which is the loud noise. And the louder it is in the room, the louder it is outside the room,” she said.
Listen to an auralisation of a baby crying in a room with a set plasterboard ceiling in the neighbouring room; and then the same example with patient rooms using a mineral fibre tile ceiling.
“We need to design above the guideline because the guideline is designed for sedentary adult patients. For example, having a suitable ceiling tile that’s going to be absorbative for sound is really important. Building walls full height and installing heavy doors with good seals are critical to controlling and containing noise.
“Those are things that some designers and contractors might say, ‘that’s above the criteria, we don’t really need that we’ll just try to meet the minimum requirements and say that that’s fit for purpose’ but in reality, the minimum requirements are not fit for purpose when it comes to infants and children’s health care.”
“It is crucial to establish adequate separation,” Ms Stevens emphasised, noting that while this approach could potentially lead to higher costs, the long-term benefits in noise reduction are well worth the investment.
This principle can even be applied to the inclusion of walls that extend to full height and meticulous attention to preventing sound leakage through doors. Ms Stevens shared examples of a recent case study using Stantec’s in house software which emulates the audible differences in both doors and wall constructions to show users the tangible implications of these design choices, giving a taste of what they may experience once installed.
Listen to an auralisation of a baby crying in a room next door connected by a typical glazed sliding door, and then the same example with a solid acoustic hinged door with adequate seals.
Listen to an auralisation of a baby crying in a room next door with a wall finishing at ceiling level, and then again with the same wall continuing to the underside of the slab above.