Classrooms and ceilings are insulated at the Goethe School
31.10.2019 – When 25 bright primary school children discuss, sing, talk, clap, laugh or unpack books in a room, the noise level is impressive. If the classroom then also has reverberation, a school day becomes a real acoustic challenge for pupils and teachers alike. Above all, however, it can create a mishmash of sound in which words can no longer be heard clearly.
This is why GBM Service GmbH from the Stadtwerke Group's Geschäftsfeld Immobilien division is currently reducing the reverberation at the Goethe School on behalf of the city and thus ensuring a more pleasant teaching atmosphere.
Lessons without disturbing reverberation
From the first floor to the fourth floor, reverberation-absorbing elements will be installed primarily on the ceilings and the upper part of the walls in the classes and in the corridors. "Especially for schools, where many children with a migration background learn German, it is important that the children can distinguish sounds, pronunciation and endings accurately," says city councillor Paul-Gerhard Weiß, who is also responsible for urban planning and education.
The costs for this are covered by the pot that is fed by the Regional Burden Equalization Act of the state of Hesse. This means that the state of Hesse provides 4.5 million euros a year for municipalities in the vicinity of the airport that are particularly affected by aircraft noise. The city of Offenbach will receive 300,000 euros to reduce the reverberation at the Goethe School.
Work mainly during non-school hours
The third and fourth floors of the Goethe School have already been refitted. In order to disrupt lessons as little as possible, work is mainly being carried out during non-school hours. "In the old building, 3900 square meters of ceilings and 1000 square meters of walls need to be fitted with the 50-millimeter-thick panels," says Annette Schroeder-Rupp, one of the two managing directors of GBM Service GmbH. "Beforehand, we measured how many panels needed to be installed in each room to absorb the reverberation. After that, people can continue to read and laugh in the rooms, but it no longer echoes off the ceiling and walls."
31.10.2019