A Comprehensive Guide to Swimming Pool Acoustics

The Importance of Swimming Pool Acoustics

There are numerous sound sources that contribute to the soundscapes of swimming pools: lifeguard guidance and whistles, instructor directions, laughter, conversations, splashing, loudspeaker announcements, and ambient music.

These all contribute to the joy associated with swimming pool activities. Strictly regulating them for noise reduction purposes can spoil the fun involved.

Hard surfaces are the primary culprits behind noise pollution in swimming pool facilities. Materials like concrete and ceramic tiles are necessary for durability and moisture resistance, but when sound waves hit such hard surfaces, they reverberate. The overall noise level consequently increases. 

Moreover, sound can appear to be louder when it travels over water due to the refraction of sound waves.^[1]

Here other key reasons why acoustic performance is paramount in swimming pool facilities:

• Safety: When lifeguards or instructors can't be heard or understood due to poor speech clarity and intelligibility, accidents can happen. Safety precautions in swimming pool facilities cannot be compromised considering that drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children aged one to 14.^[2]
• Staff health: According to one study, 20-25 percent of physical education teachers could be subjected to a weekly noise exposure higher than 80 decibels. When lifeguards and instructors are exposed to high noise levels so frequently, their well-being and comfort are at risk, and the likelihood of noise-induced hearing loss increases.^[3]
• More noise: Paradoxically, noise can generate even more noise in a vicious cycle. The phenomenon wherein speakers involuntarily increase their vocal efforts so that they can be heard is referred to as the "Lombard Effect".
• Visitor count: Visitors might choose to go elsewhere when the swimming pool facility is too boisterous and uncomfortable for their taste. This is typically the case in swimming pool facilities that are shared between adults, teenagers, and children.

Selecting Swimming Pool Acoustic Solutions

The acoustic solutions used at swimming pool facilities should be able to resist any potential issues that might arise at one point during their lifecycles. 

Humidity, for one, is notorious for the damage that it causes to materials. While moisture cannot be completely omitted in pool facilities, the damage it causes can be minimised with strategic material selection.

Here are crucial factors to consider when selecting swimming pool acoustic solutions:

• Hygiene: The acoustic solutions selected for swimming pool facilities shouldn’t provide sustenance to any harmful micro-organisms like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
• Sagging: Humidity can weaken the structure of certain ceiling materials and cause them to sag. And in extreme cases, they might even fall out of the grid. Ceilings must remain unaffected by contact with water or high humidity and temperature. Hydrophobic materials such as stone wool repel water and don’t hold water.
• Corrosion: This reaction occurs when materials react with moisture. For metals, the reddish-brown aesthetic result is referred to as rust. Corrosion can be minimised by installing suspended ceilings that have enhanced corrosion resistant (ECR) grids. Mounting solutions should likewise be resistant.
• Mould: Mould originates from fungus that reproduces through spores, which float through the air to find fertile ground to grow in damp, organic surfaces. Installed materials should not have any nutritional value that sustains them.
• Impact resistance: Acoustic solutions in areas that host sports activities and ball play need to be able to withstand tougher-than-average wear and tear – as well as frequent demounting.
• Chemical resistance: The acoustic solutions should be resistant to chlorine as well as harsh disinfecting cleaning products that have ammonia and hydrogen peroxide.
• Light reflection: Depending on the desired mood of the swimming pool, it might be an advantage to select an acoustic solution that increases light diffusion by reflecting natural light.

In Europe, the standard EN 13964:2014 ensures that suspended ceilings comply with many of the above factors. 

For the best long-term performance, it’s highly recommended that a warm roof construction is specified in conjunction with acoustic solutions. Condensation risk analysis is additionally essential. 

Examples of Swimming Pools with Optimised Acoustics

From lap pools to swim spas, explore facilities that optimised their acoustic comfort, speech clarity, and speech intelligibility by installing Rockfon acoustic ceiling solutions.

Sources:

1. “Refraction of Sound Waves.” n.d. www.acs.psu.edu. https://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/Demos/refract/refract.html.
2. “Drowning Prevention & Facts.” 2018. Redcross.org. 2018. https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/water-safety/drowning-prevention-and-facts.html.
3. Maffei, Luigi, Gino Iannace, Massimiliano Masullo, and Pietro Nataletti. 2009. “Noise Exposure in School Gymnasia and Swimming Pools.” Noise Control Engineering Journal 57 (6): 603–12. https://doi.org/10.3397/1.3155385.