Last April 6 Knauf Asia Head Naresh Duble and Raf Dionisio, President of AVD Marketing Corporation (Philippine distributor) did a double presentation for the education sector.
The day started with. TEDx talk at the Chinese International School Manila, where AVD’s Raf talked about the issues that climate change and warming weather create for today’s youth. In his presentation, he discussed the importance of the restoration of the environment – showcasing a 43,000 tree forest restored since 2016 – and how it pulled out carbon from the air. He then talked about the construction industry – a key part of the global future, and how it could aid in the fight against climate through more mindful purchasing of products that use recycled content, provide heat insulation against this blistering Asian summer and empower schools to teach better through sound quality in rooms.
Today, more than half the classrooms in the Philippines are untreated acoustically, which means that students in the 3rd row and beyond sometimes hear only half of what is being said by teachers.
Teachers also have to exert more effort to be heard – raising their voices, spending precious energy that could be used in coaching students and analyzing how they learn.
With the natural porosity that Knauf acoustic ceilings bring, these ceilings can also reduce heat that is now causing public schools to cancel classes.
After the TEDx, the tandem moved to Enderun Colleges where Naresh lectured on acoustics at the schools Architectural class. With the help of the class’s professor – Arch Garcia, an experienced professional at Aidea (Home – Aidea Inc.), a leading architectural firm in the Philippines and Middle East, they were able to bring acoustics to life using sound demonstrations, visual descriptions and healthy discussion on the nuances of acoustics.
Naresh discussed topics such as frequency and how they affect our work flow and how the pitch of different noises can be addressed through acoustics with the right mathematical calculation.
He also showed before and after effects of acoustic treatment on classrooms which can really enable students to focus and teachers to be heard.
In his final demonstration, he also closed the AC inside the classroom to demonstrate white noise – and how acoustical treatments of the ceiling should also take the AC into consideration.
Professor Garcia and the class shared that it was their first time to understand on a deeper and more practical level why acoustics matters.
At the end of the day, construction is meant to aid humanity, and the products of Knauf continue to take steps to integrate the sustainability needs of the new generation.
These initiatives of Knauf and its Philippine distributor, AVD, are just the beginning of an effort to educate the Philippine construction and education industries about climate, acoustics and sustainability.
If you are a school or organization interested in free workshops and lectures on acoustics and construction sustainability, please reach out to Naresh.Duble@knauf.com or raf@avdph.com so that they can provide educational program options for your org. Certificates of attendance can be issued upon request.