Hearing loss placed greater demands on acoustics

For most families with young children, it can be hard to maintain peace and quiet around the dining table. However, for the Holm Simonsen family in Hammerum near Herning, noise had a much bigger impact.

When Rut Holm Simonsen and her husband built their house in 2005, they had no idea that acoustics would come to play such an important role for the family. This was because their two boys, aged six and nine, lost much of their hearing when they were five, and were finding it difficult to hear– especially when they were in a noisy room with considerable echo. This hearing defect was due to damage to hair cells in the inner ear.

Like most modern homes, their house was designed in a minimalist style with tiled floors and bare surfaces. "It was very echoey in our kitchen/living room where we spend most of the time and where mealtimes are often noisy. If you are wearing a hearing aid like the boys, the noise would sound terrible," said Rut.

In 2011, Rut’s mother saw that Troldtekt A/S was holding a competition for an acoustic ceiling. Even though the family did not win, Troldtekt decided to donate a free one which would be installed in the utility room, entrance areas and the kitchen/living room. The hope was that the ceiling, in addition to reducing noise levels, would also lead to fewer misunderstandings and stressful situations on a daily basis.

"It is amazing how effectively it has dampened the echoes. The ring and spread of the sound in the rooms is now completely different and the Troldtekt ceiling has made the stressful period around the dinner table much easier," says Rut, who is delighted by the aesthetic appeal of the white  acoustic panels with their ultrafine structure.