Education

Dance studios

AJA recently worked with a local dance company – The Workshop Studios – who offer a wide programme of dance training. The organisation needed expert advice in converting a disused Norwich warehouse into a dance studio complex. Upgrades Our input included baseline noise survey work and 3D modelling to predict the noise emissions from activity … Read more

The Great Hall

We recently visited Kent College Canterbury – an independent school dating from 1885. Founded by Wesleyan Methodists with an initial intake of just five pupils, the campus has grown to cover an impressive 70-acre semi-rural site. In 2016 a second school was opened in Dubai and there are future plans for a presence in Hong … Read more

Leyton Green

Leyton Green Partnership

The Leyton Green Partnership is an innovative project, located in the London borough of Waltham Forest.  It was conceived as a mixed development incorporating buildings for social care, therapy, education and residential. RESPITE CENTRE We were appointed by HMY Architects to deliver acoustic design services for Phase One.  The centrepiece of this phase is a … Read more

Starring role in new TV documentary

A new documentary has been screened with one of our projects playing a starring role. The music centre at King’s College School Wimbledon was designed by Hopkins Architects and is the subject of a Sky Arts programme, first broadcast on 23 February 2021. Adrian James Acoustics Associates Andrew Oldridge and Ian Rees worked alongside principal … Read more

More diplomas

We are delighted to announce that three of our staff have recently been awarded the internationally-recognised Diploma in Acoustics and Noise Control from the Institute of Acoustics. George Moore, Martyn Broom and Pete Erskine have all spent the last year studying for the award. All three consultants already hold graduate degrees, so these latest diplomas … Read more

Better classroom design

During the pandemic, many parents have been grappling with home schooling. Perhaps now is the time to look forward and reflect on better acoustic design for classrooms – in particular spaces well suited for pupils with special needs. SEND According to published lists, over 5% of school children are classified with special hearing and communication … Read more

Free CPD: now available

We are pleased to announce our friends at Ecophon UK recently released an excellent new CPD resource. Created by Ecophon’s Concept Developer for Education Shane Cryer, it’s an ideal solution for architects and other professionals who need to keep up with their CPD whilst working from home. The 25-minutes online video seminar is entitled “Designing … Read more

SEND Tribunals

If your child has a hearing impairment, how do you choose the right school? Sometimes the local authority will disagree over the pupil’s needs and the fees payable at a specialist school. In such cases, parents can appeal to a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal, and it’s here that we are often called … Read more

Choosing AV Systems

Theatres, concert halls and school music departments all deserve the best possible AV design within available budgets. With a myriad of equipment available, it is difficult and time-consuming to find the right solution. Getting independent advice can result in a smoother ride for the project as well as savings down the line. At Adrian James … Read more

Hot off the press

A new authoratitive text book has just been published featuring a chapter by our Director, Adrian James. Entitled “Uncertainty in Acoustics: Measurement, Prediction and Assessment”, this scholarly publication is aimed at acoustic specialists, mechanical and building service engineers, environmental health officers, architects and building professionals. The book was compiled and edited by the late Bob … Read more

SEN and the Wherry School

Summer is upon us and teachers are planning for September, when all pupils will be leaving the virtual classroom behind and returning to their schools. For many education establishments, including the Wherry School in Norwich, they have continued to nurture their special educational needs students throughout the lockdown. Opened in 2017, the Wherry School was … Read more

Inspired by a Spitfire

The Isle of Sheppey is known as the UK’s cradle of aviation. A few years after Orville and Wilbur Wright made their historic inaugural biplane flight in North Carolina, the brothers visited Sheppey. Balloon manufacturing was already well established in the area, but aeroplane construction soon took over. By the Second World War, the local … Read more

Victorian school acoustics

Fingringhoe C of E Primary School in Colchester is typical of many schools built in the Victorian era. During its 150 year history the school has undergone a number of changes to its physical fabric. More recently, environmental conditions within classrooms have also come under scrutiny. The groundbreaking Essex Study into school acoustics pointed to … Read more

Dragon Hall

Dragon Hall is one of Norwich’s finest medieval buildings, built between 1427 and 1430. It is thought to be unique in Europe as the only trading hall to have been owned by one man – entrepreneur Robert Toppes. The hall fell into decline after Toppes’ death, but it was magnificently restored in the 20th century. … Read more

Gresham’s School Dyson Building

The Dyson Building is an educational centre for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) which is being built at Gresham’s School in Norfolk. Former Gresham’s student Sir James Dyson has donated £19 million to create this prestigious new establishment with Wilkinson Eyre architects, winners of the Stirling Prize and Lubetkin Prize.  The new Building will stand alongside Greshams’ recently-opened Britten Music … Read more

Adrian James Acoustics and BB93

Building Bulletin 93 (BB93) is a set of guidelines first published by the Department for Education in 2003. It was last updated in 2015. The document sets out minimum performance standards for the acoustics of school buildings. Company director Adrian James was one of the two original authors of BB93. As a recognised expert he … Read more

Barbirolli Room

Tucked away over a thirteenth-century gateway and at the top of two steep flights of stairs lies an old music room. Part of the Norwich School music facilities, the Barbirolli Room is located opposite Norwich Cathedral in the historic Cathedral Close area of the city. The space is surprisingly imposing, with thick stone walls, leaded … Read more

The Atrium, North Walsham

The Atrium is a government-funded “co-location” project to improve arts facilities for students during school hours, along with making these amenities available for use by the wider community at other times. The project transformed an existing site at North Walsham High School by adding a new space, including a 170-seat auditorium. This cinema / theatre … Read more

Into Opera

The inaugural Norfolk Into Opera Festival has recently taken place, and Adrian James Acoustics was delighted to be one of the festival’s sponsors. Three operatic performances and a gala concert were staged in the Octagon Barn, just a stone’s throw from the AJA office. For a few days, this remarkable venue was transformed into an … Read more

Hampton School Sixth Form Centre

Hampton School was founded in 1557 and lies close to one of England’s greatest historical sites – Hampton Court Palace, residence of Henry VIII.  When the school decided to build a new Sixth Form Centre they needed something ready for the demands of the 21st century.  Now that this project is almost complete, we look … Read more

Pipers Corner

Pipers Corner School for girls is nestled in a rural setting overlooking High Wycombe. When the decision was taken to build a new Performing Arts Centre, we were called in to provide both acoustic consultancy and as theatre consultants. The aim was to create a theatre, dance studio and rehearsal rooms as well as a … Read more

Liverpool Hope University Eden Building

When we are appointed to a new-build project our aim is always to keep sight of the architect’s vision.  In the case of the Eden Building at Liverpool Hope University, we worked alongside Halsall Lloyd Partnership and were tasked with reducing noise within a complex structure.  The Eden Building houses the University’s Education Department and … Read more

Another Award for the George Green Library

Back in 2013 we were awarded the first-ever UK prize for architectural acoustic design.  This was for our work alongside Hopkins Architects and contractors Galliford Try at the UEL Stratford Campus Library. Five years later, and as part of a group led again by Hopkins, we have received another accolade – a Highly Commended award from the … Read more

Magnificent new music building opens

We have recently commissioned the magnificent new music building at King’s College School in Wimbledon, which has acoustic and audio-visual systems design by AJA. The three-storey building houses music classrooms, practice rooms, rehearsal rooms of all sizes and a recording suite. Pride of place goes to the extraordinary 200-seat concert hall, for which we designed … Read more

National Youth Choir at Greshams

We were delighted to hear that the National Youth Choir of Great Britain made good use of the new music school at Greshams, where they were resident for their Spring 2018 course.  Several AJA staff turned up for their final concert in the rather less acoustically distinguished St Andrew’s Hall in Norwich, with occasional accompaniment … Read more

NUA Boardman House wins ANC Award

UEA Bob Champion Building commended in ANC Awards