MELVILLE, N.Y. - Thanks to a unique partnership of industry supporters including Armstrong Ceiling Systems, illbruck Architectural Products, and Trane, the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) announced that its popular classroom acoustics standard is now available online at no cost to the user. Because cost is no impediment, every school official in the country can have this useful resource at hand.

Officially known as ANSI S12.60-2002, "American National Standard Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools," this standard provides helpful guidance to design professionals, educational facilities planners, and the general public. This standard was developed by Accredited Standards Committee S12, Noise, under operating procedures approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The standard, which brings the United States into agreement with the requirements of the World Health Organization as well as many countries around the world, will assist school districts, architects, and building planners in designing classrooms to optimize the ability of children to learn and prosper.

The Acoustical Society relies upon sales of standards to help fund its standards development activities, so it cannot give them away for free. These partners recognized the opportunity to benefit the public by making this important standard available at no cost to the user.

Publication date: 08/15/2005