Melville, NY, August 2, 2005 – Thanks to a unique partnership of industry supporters: Armstrong Ceiling Systems, illbruck Architectural Products, and Trane, the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) announced today 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, as well.  This Standard was developed by Accredited Standards Committee S12, Noise, under American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved operating procedures. The Standard, which brings the US 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.  The partner companies are: Armstrong Ceiling Systems, illbruck Architectural Products, and Trane.  Armstrong manufacturers acoustical ceilings and wall panels, metal and wood ceilings, as well as i-ceilings (R) sound systems. illbruck Architectural Products manufactures ceiling and wall panels plus a variety of other architectural products for acoustics and noise control.  Trane manufactures heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, and building controls.   
 
"These businesses, all innovators in their fields, are demonstrating their great leadership by partnering with us to make this important classroom acoustics Standard freely available to all.  Application of this Standard will assure that no child is left behind because they cannot hear or be heard by their fellow students or the teacher," said Paul Schomer, ASA's Standards Director.  Additional partners are welcome to join the program.
 
The Standard is available through the ASA Standards Store at http://asastore.aip.org/.  Users will be asked to establish a username and password and accept the End User License before downloading the standard. 
 
The Acoustical Society of America is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1929.  It is the premier international scientific society in acoustics, dedicated to increasing and diffusing the knowledge of acoustics and promoting its practical applications.
 
Susan B. Blaeser
Standards Manager
Acoustical Society of America
Standards Secretariat
35 Pinelawn Road, Suite 114E
Melville, NY 11747
USA
+1 631 390-0215 (telephone)
+1 631 390-0217 (fax)
sblaeser@aip.org
asastds@aip.org
http://asa.aip.org


For additional information contact:  Susan B. Blaeser, Standards Manager; (631) 390-0215