IAC Acoustics Audiology Rooms
January 9, 2020 | AudiologyThe use of acoustic audiology rooms is important in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing issues. These rooms need to provide a comfortable environment for the staff who work there and a relaxing space for patients. They also need to provide noise reduction levels of 35 dB or more in order to offer a controlled testing space.
Building an Audiology Room
Creating an audiology room is a specialised task, and IAC has many years of experience of creating and installing these rooms and booths. Whether the requirement is for a single room or a full hearing test facility, they are able to specify and design to the customer’s requirements. The IAC team will work with you to provide a facility to meet your requirements as well as comply with the latest ISO standards. This is then designed in-house and assembled on-site using components such as isolated wall and roof sections, allowing IAC to create installations of pretty much any size and shape.
It’s important that the integrity of acoustic audiology rooms is maintained, so ventilation and other systems need to be planned to ensure minimal interference with the audio environment. This means installing silent ventilation systems so that testing can take place while the ventilation is active. Air conditioning can be via connection to an existing building system or using an independent unit.
Other important features include installing acoustic doors. These use technology like twin magnetic seals to provide quiet operation and preventing slamming. Similarly, windows need to be suitable acoustic versions. These can also be fitted with special features like one-way glass and integrated blinds.
Standards of Finish
This type of chamber is commonly used in testing machinery and vehicles in order to pinpoint sources of noise and vibration. The walls and roof of the chamber are lined with sound-absorbent wedges, and a movable microphone array is then used to measure sound at different points. Microphones positioned at the sides can also be ‘pulsed’ in order to simulate how sound might be created by a moving vehicle.
Design Issues
Audiology rooms need to be finished in a way that provides a pleasant atmosphere for both patients and staff, but they also need to be durable. IAC can offer a wide choice of finishes – these may be powder-coated paint or wood grain, with both offering a good-looking, long-lasting finish. Antibacterial finishes are available to ensure a safe and easy-to-clean work space. A number of decorative options, including wall fabrics, carpets and suspended ceilings, are available too.
Of course, it’s important that people are able to access the facility easily, and rooms can be supplied with low thresholds and other features to provide easy disabled or wheelchair access for patients.
Whatever your needs, acoustic audiology rooms from IAC offer high performance thanks to a modular construction system that offers many advantages over more traditional techniques – not least that the technique offers considerable flexibility and can be installed in less time, thus getting your facility up and running quickly. It also means that the audiology rooms can, if necessary, be dismantled and moved to another location, ensuring that you get maximum value from your investment.