A Sound Effect on People

Saint-Gobain Ecophon UK&I

A Sound Effect on People explores how we're all affected by sound, or to use a technical term, by acoustics. We'll investigate how poor acoustics can be disruptive, even harmful, while good acoustics can help us learn, work productively, even heal. We'll discover that our responses to sound are both psychological as well as physiological, and we'll learn that people with different personalities react in different ways to the same sounds. A Sound Effect on People is produced by Room 7540 in partnership with Saint-Gobain Ecophon, a manufacturer that specialises in developing and producing materials that improve room acoustics. www.ecophon.co.uk www.ecophon.com

  1. 11/09/2017

    Episode 13: Thoughts from ILETC: Improving learning environments

    Welcome to the 13th podcast of our 'A Sound Effect on People' series. This episode is part one of a two-part series recorded at the Transitions Europe conference in September 2017 and  reflects upon improving learning environments for education, as we discuss the change and progression within creating the perfect educational environment with Wesley Imms, Associate Professor and Head of visual art and design education, at the  University of Melbourne. After years of researching the perfect environment for learning, Wesley Imms believes that the learning techniques in primary education years are heading in the right direction in comparison to secondary education. This is due to teachers creating exciting ways of learning for the younger generation in order to keep them engaged with their topics. Primary teachers tend to focus on collaborative work and using both the inside and outside to teach as well as moving the furniture around depending on the topic; but does this stop when students reach secondary education? He believes to create an environment which improves education you must design the area with moveable walls, smart furniture, smart storage and a balance of indoor and outdoor areas… however, a teacher must know how to use the environment to their advantage to improve the learning for the next generation. Wesley discusses his plans to move forward and his current success with encouraging schools to see the importance in learning spaces. We are later joined by Marian Mahat, ILETC Research Manager. The ILETC project investigates how teachers can use the untapped potential of Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs) to improve learning outcomes for students. The goal of this project is to identify whether there is a link between quality teaching and effective use of ILEs; and develop practical tools to assist teachers to adapt their teaching practices to maximise deeper learning.  Learn more about ILETC here. She believes creating the right space to collaborate and communicate produces a positive atmosphere for a student which provides benefits within their results. Marian Mahat discusses the recent surveys within schools in Australia and New Zealand and the research they discovered.

    35 min
  2. 10/16/2017

    Episode 12: The Healing Office and workplace productivity

    Stress and sick leave cause problems within the workplace not only for the employers, but for the employees as well. But can a 'healing office' increase productivity? Today we are joined by Anicee Bauer, Design Researcher, and Coen van Dijck, CEO, from Design Studio D/DOCK, both of whom are specialists in office design.  In this podcast they discuss how they were able to create a "healing office" and how they perceive productivity. Coen discovered from his research that "10 years of working only drove people away from their natural balance" and this was a negative effect on their wellbeing, leading to "people not having their lifestyle in their own hands anymore" and reaching a "breaking point". Coen and Anicee continue to discuss the new ways of working due to social media and technology, and the drastic change is leading to in the way we are creative and how we communicate. Due to technology we can be surrounded by work throughout the day and night; therefore we also need to consider how we will create the right balance of work and social life. Coen discusses further in the podcast about bringing in a level of home comfort to the office environment to recreate the ideal balance. Ecophon are later joined by Trevor Keeling, Senior Engineer, Sustainability and Physics, at Buro Happold Engineering. Trevor discusses his ideas on productivity and how we measure it when there are so many types of personalities within the workplace. He strongly believes that wellbeing includes both being able to function well and feel well and this is a main step in increasing productivity within the workplace.  How do you create a work space without limitations? What boosts your productivity at work? Stay with us and learn further about how you could create your own healing office.

    29 min

About

A Sound Effect on People explores how we're all affected by sound, or to use a technical term, by acoustics. We'll investigate how poor acoustics can be disruptive, even harmful, while good acoustics can help us learn, work productively, even heal. We'll discover that our responses to sound are both psychological as well as physiological, and we'll learn that people with different personalities react in different ways to the same sounds. A Sound Effect on People is produced by Room 7540 in partnership with Saint-Gobain Ecophon, a manufacturer that specialises in developing and producing materials that improve room acoustics. www.ecophon.co.uk www.ecophon.com