{"id":45521,"date":"2022-08-04T09:51:20","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T07:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/?p=45521"},"modified":"2025-12-12T00:38:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T23:38:52","slug":"quietest-room-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2022\/08\/quietest-room-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Would you dare to enter the quietest room in the world?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1883, the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano caused <\/span>the loudest sound<\/span><\/b> ever recorded by humankind. It was so loud that it ruptured the eardrums of sailors more than 60 kilometers away, and it circled the world three and a half times.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Its intensity was 170 decibels at 160 kilometers away from the site of the eruption. That\u2019s the same as the takeoff of <\/span>a NASA rocket<\/span><\/b> at 100 meters and similar to that of an airplane taking off at only 25 meters.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We often pay attention to loud sounds, the ones that break records and can leave quite the impression. But what about the most sensitive sounds? There are structures designed to study what happens when sound goes <\/span>beyond silence<\/span><\/b>. Spaces where ambient noise is so low that decibels drop below zero.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A space without an echo<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Anechoic rooms are spaces that, as their name suggests, have no echo. These rooms are specifically designed to <\/span>absorb any sound waves from reverberating <\/span><\/b>and prevent them from propagating. These rooms are also isolated from the outside.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"C\u00e1maraA NASA anechoic chamber. NASA<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The result is a space with no ambient sound. When you go into one of these, it\u2019s most likely to start hearing just the sounds that <\/span>we usually don\u2019t notice<\/span><\/b>: our own breathing (which, in a state of calm and rest, barely reaches 10 decibels), our ears ringing, or the noise our bodies make simply when moving.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anechoic chambers create <\/span>a unique atmosphere<\/span><\/b>. At the other end are echo chambers, where every surface is covered with materials that help sound bounce off them, and no sound is absorbed. Inside, it\u2019s all echo.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n