MAGNUM LOURDES COLLEGE

This project refers to the development of the acoustic design for the new Magnum College unit, located in the Lourdes neighborhood of Belo Horizonte. Implemented in a building originally designed for banking use, the challenge was to conduct a retrofit capable of completely transforming the spatial experience, adapting it to the contemporary demands of an educational environment.

Acoustics were treated as a structuring element of the project, integrated from the initial decisions to guarantee performance and quality in the different uses of the building—from work and social areas to, primarily, the classrooms. In an educational context, sound quality is not a detail, but a determining factor for learning.

In the classrooms, the acoustic design focused primarily on speech intelligibility, ensuring that communication between teacher and students occurs clearly and efficiently. To this end, reverberation control and sound absorption solutions were adopted, balancing the response times of the environment and reducing interference that could compromise comprehension.

Furthermore, the project directly contributes to the vocal health of teachers by avoiding the need to constantly raise their voices, and to increasing the focus and concentration of students by reducing distractions caused by internal and external noise. In this sense, acoustic comfort becomes a pedagogical ally.

In the common and circulation areas, the acoustics were also carefully designed to prevent excessive sound propagation and ensure more pleasant and balanced environments, even during periods of higher usage.