Acoustic Optimization of Classroom Environments Using Oriented Strand Board Panels: Layout Strategy and Simulation Validation

Classroom acoustic quality plays a crucial role in speech intelligibility and effective learning. However, many existing classrooms suffer from excessive reverberation and insufficient speech clarity. This study investigates the acoustic regulation potential of oriented strand board (OSB) panels through a combined approach of field measurements and numerical simulations. A typical classroom was first characterized in terms of reverberation time and speech transmission index within the frequency range of 250–2000 Hz. Based on previous acoustic performance tests of OSB materials, 15 mm thick OSB panels were selected for further spatial layout optimization. Three installation configurations with identical material quantities were designed and evaluated using COMSOL Multiphysics 6.2 simulation. The simulation results were subsequently validated through in situ measurements. The results indicate that the distributed installation of OSB panels on both the side and rear walls provides the most balanced acoustic performance, reducing reverberation time from approximately 1.55 s to 1.42–1.48 s, while increasing the speech transmission index by 1.8–9.4%. This study establishes a layout-oriented acoustic design framework that explicitly integrates material performance with spatial configuration, highlighting spatial distribution as the dominant control variable under constrained material conditions. These findings provide practical guidance for cost-effective acoustic retrofitting in educational buildings and demonstrate the effectiveness of layout-oriented acoustic design strategies.