Ahhh…peace and quiet at last. That’s what patients at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital will be saying when it opens in 2016. Through sophisticated acoustic studies our scientists have shown that, once complete, it will be the quietest hospital in Australia.

Perhaps surprisingly, the hospital’s serenity is all thanks to a helipad that will sit atop its south west corner. While this will assist in patient transportation, from 20 metres away helicopters create over 100 decibels of noise – which is equivalent to being in the front row at a rock concert.

As this noise is not very conducive to patient rest, the South Australian Government has put stringent sound proofing requirements in place for the hospital’s building materials.

From 20 metres away, helicopters create over 100 decibels of noise (equivalent to being in the front row at a rock concert).

We’ve been helping facade manufacturer Yuanda and builder HYLC Joint Venture test the glazing that will be used for the hospital’s 70,000 square metres of external windows.

The results show that the windows will effectively reduce the impact of helicopter noise on patients and make the new Royal Adelaide Hospital the quietest hospital in the country.

Check out this video for more:

Transcript available here. Read more in the media release.