Secondary School STEM Laboratory Audio
Twenty science and design technology labs received column-array soundfield systems with pendant microphones, so teachers could give safety instructions while moving between benches and equipment.
The Challenge
- Teachers delivered demonstrations from the front bench but needed to supervise students at the far benches at the same time.
- Extractor fans and workshop machinery raised the noise floor well above a normal classroom.
- The labs already had fixed ceiling speakers that were too quiet for practical lessons but still functional.
The Solution
- IR-S1 column-array systems were mounted at each demonstration bench with the line output feeding the existing ceiling speaker circuit.
- IR-520PT pendant microphones gave lecturers a mute switch and volume control within reach during demonstrations.
- Commissioning set a higher gain margin than the school’s standard classrooms to compensate for equipment noise.
The Result
20laboratories upgraded
2audio zones per lab
0ceiling speakers replaced
Teachers can instruct from any bench without raising their voice over the extractors, and the school kept its existing ceiling speakers. The same pendant microphone format is now used across the science block.
