[robmiller]

My response is US-centric, but most hospital projects do have an acoustics consultant involved. Improvements have been made, but not nearly enough. Challenges include the need for sound absorption to be porous, but this is at odds with cleanability. Increased focus has been on patient room doors, which are increasingly sliders. They work well when they're closed, but the challenges include getting a good bottom seal when the threshold has to accommodate beds and equipment being rolled in and out. Hospital equipment manufacturers are also improving the sounds of their equipment, away from the cheap piezo beepers.

Schools very often have acoustics reviews, although more often in cities than rural areas. Classrooms in addition to auditoria, gyms and common areas. Standards exist for those too.

Office buildings are hit or miss. The developer may hire us for a base building review. Tenants' architects hire us as they design their workplaces. There's a lot of push and pull to find a balance of the modern open ceiling industrial aesthetic and glass conference rooms with reasonable acoustical goals.