Classroom architectural design evolution: Acoustic evaluation of public-school classrooms in Malaysia

Abstract

Education transformation greatly emphasises curriculum modification to produce impactful future generations and yet often disregards the impact of classroom design in achieving desired education outcomes. The prioritisation of optimal acoustic quality in classroom design is crucial due to the inherent reliance on auditory abilities in the process of teaching and learning. Therefore, a comprehensive acoustic standard guideline for classrooms, ANSI Standard 12.60, was launched in 2002 and adopted for school classrooms in the USA. However, the scenario might be different in Malaysia, as there is no acoustic standard guideline established. Therefore, this study seeks to identify the actual acoustic conditions of classrooms that were constructed in the post-independence era. On-site acoustic measurements were performed to evaluate significant acoustic parameters, including reverberation time (RT), background noise level (BNL), speech transmission index (STI), and sound pressure level (SPL). The findings revealed that the RT for both classrooms was within the recommended value, while the BNL and STI of both classrooms failed to comply with the established recommended guidelines. In a similar vein, these findings translate the degree of awareness among the education institutions and construction sector of the importance of classroom acoustics in providing a better learning experience among students.