Best Practices

Absorptive ceiling, wall and floor materials will help projects meet RT requirements.

Meet with the owner, teachers, or principal to review programmatic uses and layout of individual classrooms and core learning spaces.

The reverberation time compliance path depends on the size of the classrooms and core learning spaces. Rooms smaller than 20,000 ft³ will not have to run any calculations and will find it much easier to meet the prerequisite requirements.

A good acoustic design takes into consideration classroom and building orientation, size and shape of the classroom, adjacent spaces, wall construction, materials selection (doors, windows, wall covers, ceiling, and floor), placement of the mechanical system, and duct design.

Many design teams will hire an acoustical consultant to run an acoustical analysis, make necessary calculations, and make recommendations for meeting the prerequisite and credit requirements. This is not necessary, but is highly recommend for projects attempting EQc9: Enhanced Acoustical Performance, and for architects and mechanical engineers without extensive experience designing for acoustics.

Calculating outdoor water use is not required for this prerequisite . However, understanding how indoor water use compares to outdoor water use can help you gauge where to focus reduction efforts for the greatest benefit. Some water saving strategies address both indoor and outdoor water needs holistically. For example, graywater from interior sink fixtures can be collected for landscape irrigation.

A documented ventilation performance plan can help ensure that systems reach the expected ventilation thresholds.

Getting feedback on ventilation performance from occupants through surveys can help to identify potential problems that may become expensive if they go unnoticed.

Identify available products and furniture that combine glazing and building elements for optimum access to views while maintaining privacy—for example, workstations with low partition heights and interior perimeter glazing.

Test all dedicated building exhaust systems including chemical areas, bathroom, shower, kitchen, and parking exhaust systems to confirm proper fan speed, voltage, control sequences, and set points as applicable. Provide operations and maintenance personnel with manuals and educate them about any atypical maintenance requirements.