Industry Trend Articles
I was tasked by a former client (ROCKWOOL) to write some articles for their new blog with the intent of showcasing their commitment to environmental protection and awareness. In turn, I made sure these articles (shown below) illustrated ROCKWOOL’s in-depth research into what is hurting our planet and how they are doing their part to better it.
Acoustics: What you need to hear!
“I’m sorry. Can you repeat that?”
How many times has that phrase silently crossed our minds – or has even been spoken out loud – while we listened to a presentation or lecture? Often, when there is only one person speaking to many people, it is common for some of the words to get lost within the sounds of the room.
Whether it is other audience members talking amongst themselves or a faulty microphone being used by a teacher or presenter, words sometimes fall on deaf ears and cannot be re iterated or re emphasised when needed. This has become so common that a recent study revealed that children tend to miss 25% of the words spoken by their teachers.
This stems from a recent finding that only 75% or less of the speech in classrooms is intelligible, which results in a lowered understanding of any given subject being taught in the classroom.
Such a large percentage calls for us to find a solution – particularly for the acoustics within classrooms where children are experiencing hearing issues. In these situations, forgotten heroes – such as walls and ceilings – can play a fundamental role, and using these elements made from the right materials properly within the sound design and plan of schools can help ensure that our kids can hear and thus, learn, better.
Recent studies suggest that teachers are prone to vocal damage in classrooms that have too much sound within their walls, whether it be from other students or from the outdoors. A classroom that contains modern acoustic solutions helps instructors to continue teaching with less strain to their voices, while students pay better attention to their lessons.
Although this may seem like a big task just for the sake of being able to listen better, there is good reason for it to take place when you consider the intensity and frequency of acoustics. And this much-needed overhaul does not have to be complicated. A re design to the classroom can help optimize the intensity and frequency of sounds for those who are inside the room’s walls.
Today, many educators believe that some students have difficulty hearing their instructors clearly. To address this problem, classrooms could be fit with materials such as acoustic ceilings and walls, both of which have the ability to absorb sounds that might interfere with what is being said by the teacher to the students.
Any way you look at it, all signs point to a better experience overall for kids and faculty members, and it improves the quality of life within the school.
Schools that have been around for decades lack simple technologies that would improve their acoustics, meaning that it is time to employ practical solutions to bring them into the modern world. If you don’t think so, then it might be time to have YOUR hearing checked.
Putting circularity into our world
The consumption of resources is something that can be lowered but will never go away, which is why it has become vital to manage this consumption for the sake of planetary health.
In a given year, the act of building homes, workplaces and other structures can require up to 42 billion tonnes of resource materials on a global scale. To make matters worse, the sectors that require these materials account for a third of global waste, which tends to end up in landfills all over the world.
What must be done to prevent this waste from mounting is a change in the process of how we create and handle waste. Luckily, there is a way to do so with the concept of circularity.
A circular economy takes the waste and repurposes it to fit either the same job or a different job. This way, the used materials are put back into circulation. This keeps our environment clean and enhances overall sustainability.
Overall, circularity views waste as a valuable resource, which can be on a road of perpetual reuse. As it currently stands, there may not be a greater example of repurposed materials than stone wool products.
One of the things that makes stone wool such a desirable material to work with is the fact that it comes from an unrelenting resource of natural Earth activity. Unlike non renewable resources, which cannot be re used, stone wool is made up of rocks that are reproduced via volcanic eruption and earthquake occurrences. Due to this frequency of re production, there is plenty of opportunity to take advantage of a resource that continues to replenish itself.
Although stone wool products are made from volcanic rock, one of the planet’s most abundant raw materials, ROCKWOOL also practices upcycling on an industrial scale.
This is possible thanks to technologies that enable us to use waste from other industries as a raw material. On average, ROCKWOOL stone wool is made from one third upcycled waste, including slag from the metal industry and sludge from water treatment plants. This means that rather than being sent to landfill, these low value types of waste are used in producing stone wool insulation that makes buildings more comfortable and energy efficient.
Through products and materials such as these, generations to come will have a cleaner planet to work on and a better chance at becoming less dependent on resources that negatively impact our environment.
Change your climate, the right way
The fear of commuting into a city - or the fear of living in a city - used to be based on the culture shock or the crowds that are often associated with high density living areas. However, the new fear that comes to mind with cities is just how vulnerable they are to climate change.
Right now, 70% of cities are dealing with the effects of climate change, with an estimated 80% of predicted cost for climate adaptation going to the cities that need it the most. Furthermore, the fact that some of the biggest cities in the world are located next to a coastline puts these cities at an additional risk for damage from powerful storms and rising sea levels.
This is where the act of renovation becomes important.
At this moment, energy consumption is resulting in a massive amount of CO2 emissions around the world, which only pushes weather changes in a direction that could become irreversible. To bring conditions back to a manageable state, building renovation plays a big role.
For example, new building design can lessen the emissions of CO2 and make for better energy efficiency that lowers costs. Additionally, these buildings are able to stand the test of time - by standing tall in any weather that comes their way.
From a financial and practical perspective, this solution also works by decreasing CO2 emissions and using a smaller cost for energy, all while having the same longevity as the current buildings we have today.
Today, most buildings within our cities are not kept up to date with the latest designs that allow for reduced air pollution, increased energy efficiency and the ability to stand firm in the face of dangerous weather conditions.
However, by using the right materials and techniques such as stone wool insulation in our buildings to change the amount of energy we use, there is a real possibility to alter the trajectory of our climate change and put our cities on the right track to sustainability and resilience.
The overall goal of these solutions is to improve our work and home environments by making energy consumption more efficient and keeping dangerous CO2 emissions away from the places that are highly populated.
In doing so, new construction and renovation solutions are now becoming the best option for buildings that need to be updated and the best go to solution for energy conservation. As we delve into the future, there are reasons for our world to become more aware of different alternatives that could reduce pollution, save costs and create greater resilience towards climate changes.
With renovations, saving on all three becomes a reality.
Phone: (610) 639-5054 - Email: kmg5238@gmail.com