Quake proof classrooms built to protect delicate ears

A West London school is taking extreme measures to protect its students from noisy jet planes flying overhead. It’s built earthquake-proof classrooms so teachers can be heard over the loud din of passing aircraft. The school is near Heathrow the British capital’s busy airport. Richard Bestic has the story.

The thunderous roar of yet another jet over Hounslow Heath Infants School.
A noisy fact of life for the kids here, struggling to learn on a flight path from of one of the world’s busiest airports.

"They cross every 60 to 90 seconds and during that time we lose 30 seconds of an opportunity to be heard. The children find it difficult to concentrate, they have to stop, the teacher has to repeat what’s been said, and therefore a lesson that should take 15 minutes will take longer and even within that time they will miss a lot of what they’re supposed to have heard." Kathryn Harper-Quinn, Hounslow Health Infants School said.
The Kids agree the noise is disturbing.
"It’s really noisy and it hurts your ears.
"So when I’m trying to talk with my friends it disturbs me."
"When the plane comes you can’t just catch what the teacher’s saying."
So the school’s taken drastic action.
Learning from the earthquake zones of Asia and Africa ?they’ve installed Superadobe structures.
They’re a form of earth bag construction developed in Iran ?the centre of some of the world’s most violent earthquakes.
They also successfully insulate against noise.
For outside learning these structures are perfect but they do lead in to a wider debate as Heathrow plans to expand even further.
Heathrow is fighting to maintain its place as one if Europe’s leading transport hubs against intense competition from mainland Europe.
So - against highly vocal opposition - it’s demanding a third runway to meet rapidly rising demand.
Those opposed to Heathrow’s widening disruption suggest a 100 billion dollar man-made island in the mouth of the River Thames.
Round-the-clock flights could connect with high speed rail into London; Paris and the rest of Europe, it’s claimed.
For the school kids neighbouring Heathrow that’s pie in the sky, with a running inquiry only ready to report in two years from now.

- CCTV.com