Acoutect · A sound fundament for our future buildings

A sound fundament for our future buildings

To ensure a healthy environment for people living and working in buildings, research and engineering in the area of building acoustics is essential. Developments in modern building concepts, such as sustainable low energy consuming buildings, buildings with lightweight materials and open plan working environments, as well as the need to build in extremely noisy areas, require involvement of acoustic experts in order to successfully (re)design buildings without negatively impacting upon people’s health and well-being. Taking up current and future acoustic challenges requires innovative solutions based on a thorough understanding and mastering of modern methods and tools, as well as a holistic acoustic approach involving acoustic design, products and subjective evaluation. However, in the complex field of building acoustics, research activities typically are not holistic and have become slightly marginalized. As a consequence, there is a lack of building acoustics experts. The main goal of Acoutect is establishing a training network in the field of building acoustics: 1. Training Programme. Establishing a long-lasting European-wide programme on building acoustics (https://assaeindhoven.org) 2. Research Programme. Launching an innovative research programme. Acoutect has delivered excellent career perspectives to highly-educated building acoustics researchers. Acoutect project has impacted the career perspectives of the ESRs in the short- and long-term. In this respect, the ESRs have: ● Participated in frontier research projects, in particular their own project; ● Worked with and gained expertise from leading scientists in the field of building acoustics, who have offered state-of-the-art equipment and facilities; ● Gained complementary, intersectoral and innovative training in all building acoustic sub-fields and transferable skills; ● Undergone multi-disciplinary and intersectoral training by working in the Demonstrators (including secondments), preparing them for career paths in both academic and industrial fields, as well as the public and private sectors; ● Developed their own perspective by working at different locations, with different people and with different facilities in an international setting; ● Gained experience with valuable management roles, both related to their own projects as within the various management boards of Acoutect; ● Built a sustainable network for future collaborations, from the other ESRs, project participants, visiting scholars, the network of host institutes, external attendees of the Acoutect summer schools and attending and contributing to conferences; ● Participated in a scientific training programme, as well as gained training on transferable skills as entrepreneurship.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union