The Cahors Institute for the Blind Youth is a medical and social facility designed to accommodate people with visual or hearing impairments or deafness. The institute includes accommodation, care, and dining areas, educational activity rooms, and studios dedicated to artistic creation.
In this type of environment, acoustic performance is a major challenge: it affects sensory fatigue, intelligibility, concentration, and spatial orientation, which is essential for residents.
The challenges involved acoustic insulation between sensitive areas, controlling reverberation in communal spaces, and limiting background noise from technical equipment in a particularly quiet outdoor environment.
The presence of a mixed concrete/wood frame structure also required specific measures to limit lateral transmission.
Image credit: Vincent Boutin.
We carried out a full acoustic study, from design to acceptance, to ensure acoustic comfort tailored to the specific sensory needs of the public.
Our work covered the design phases, technical specifications, construction support, and acceptance measurements. The studies focused on airborne noise insulation, impact noise reduction, facade insulation, acoustic correction of spaces, and noise from technical equipment.
Appropriate insulation solutions were defined (separate frame partition walls, reinforced linings, high-performance joinery), as well as high-absorption materials for communal living spaces (suspended ceilings and wall coverings).
Image credit: Vincent Boutin.
In a project designed to accommodate people with visual or hearing impairments, sound quality is not just a technical requirement: it becomes a key factor in promoting independence, safety, and social interaction.
Thanks to our intervention, spaces have been designed to offer intuitive orientation, where the perception of sound and volume contributes to understanding the environment, reducing anxiety when moving around. Controlling reverberation in living spaces has made it possible to limit auditory masking, which is essential for verbal communication, particularly for people who wear hearing aids.
The solutions implemented now promote calm, clear, and non-aggressive atmospheres, avoiding the sensory fatigue associated with noisy or reverberant environments. Our support enabled the project owner and project manager to make coherent, constructive decisions, ensuring lasting acoustic comfort in line with the uses, the target audience, and the social purpose of the space.
Image credits: Vincent Boutin.
