The Communication Acoustics Simulator (KAS) is a room in which a wide variety of acoustic conditions, from a railway station concourse to an opera hall, can be generated under laboratory conditions. "Visitors to the "Landmark in the Land of Ideas 2008" awards ceremony were able to experience for themselves how different rooms can sound. "It's amazing how sounds and noises alone can create a situation in the mind's eye," explained Prof Birger Kollmeier.
Since its completion in 2004 by HörTech gGmbH, the KAS has enjoyed an excellent reputation. In addition to scientists and companies, public institutions are also among the external users of the simulator. A team of researchers from the University of Oldenburg and the Oldenburg Hearing Centre are using the KAS to investigate the effect of room acoustics in offices and classrooms on the working and learning behaviour of adults and pupils. The KAS has also established itself as a cultural programme in recent years. In co-operation with the Förderverein Haus des Hörens e. V., the Oldenburg hearing researchers regularly organise public concerts in the customised sound space.
After the Oldenburg Hearing Garden, an original theme park dedicated to
hearing, was honoured as a "Landmark in the Land of Ideas" in 2006, the coveted award now also goes to the KAS
- and thus for the second time to a project of the internationally renowned Oldenburg hearing researchers. The "Land of Ideas" initiative, which is under the patronage of Federal President Horst Köhler, is supported by the German government and German industry, represented by the Federation of German Industries.