We were recently called in to assist in addressing a noise issue that was the result of a university’s desire to be more “green”. In this case, we were asked to assess the noise produced in the dish wash room of a university student union. This blog is the second of a two-part post about student union acoustics, and you may want to read the first blog on College Campuses and Student Union Acoustics before continuing. (more)

Fundamentally, sound is “that which we hear”. What we hear at any given time can greatly influence us. We use sound to communicate, to express warning, fear, pleasure and excitement. Some sounds can relax us and help us fall asleep, while other sounds can distract us and make it more difficult to perform simple tasks. Different sounds can be soothing and pleasing or annoying and irritating. Accordingly, determining “What is sound?” and “What is noise?” can become a highly subjective task. As engineers and scientists, it’s our job to generate generalized models that have a high level of correlation to humans (or to specific populations). (more)

It certainly isn’t a new idea… How do we maximize our space and minimize our cost without the loss of function? Surely this is the major driver behind ideas like the gymnatorium or the cafetorium. We’ve all seen them, most likely they were in the schools that we attended. They consist of a stage at one end of the room or tucked away in the corner. So, do these budget savers really work like they are supposed to? (more)

On a recent trip to India, I discovered a cute clothing sizing term called “free size” which is equivalent to “one size fits all”. Free size clothing must be a manufacturer’s delight since production and distribution are greatly simplified. Adjustments to the size of the garment are typically made through waist ties of various designs and if needed, permanent alterations.

In the A/E/C industry, diffuser, grille and register (air device) manufacturers have chosen the free size philosophy when it comes to providing sound data. (more)

Some acoustical environments are straightforward in purpose. A movie theatre, for example, needs to project the sound of the movie with precision and clarity to all seats in the house. Most acoustical environments, however, have varying needs which are dependent on their content and delivery, and the Church is no exception. Today’s churches use a wide variety of forms of aural communication - drama, dance, video, soloists, choirs, the spoken word, and so on. But by far, the two most prominent aural elements in church services are music and the spoken word; two elements that require vastly different (and somewhat conflicting) acoustical environments. Today we will explore the optimal environments for both. (more)

At Acoustics By Design we talk a lot about standards.  Sometimes, the standards are hidden behind terms like design goals, baseline design, or even ordinances and specifications… But they are all standards. The reality is almost all aspects of our lives are governed by standards; regardless of how well they work or how well we adhere to them, we still use them in decision making. (more)

Several months ago (10-13-08) I wrote about the current state of the wireless microphone frequency spectrum and how the actions of congress and the FCC are shaping the future of wireless technology. Well, several notable updates and changes have been made since that time. You may recall that February 17, 2009, was the date set for the transition to DTV (Digital TV). Congress (in all its wisdom) decided that it would extend the deadline to June 12, 2009. (more)

Blocking sound is often analogized to plugging the holes in a leaky bucket. If you plug up all the bucket holes except one, the bucket is still going to drain. In acoustics, an outstanding partition design will not adequately block sound if holes and weak spots exist where sound can find its way through. (more)

At Acoustics By Design, we regularly consult on the design of College and University buildings including classroom buildings, dormitories, athletic facilities, performing arts buildings, libraries, research buildings, and student centers. These numerous building types result in our needing to address a myriad of acoustic and vibration issues. Many student centers and student unions face a similar problem: loud noise from the commercial kitchens inhibit the relaxed social environment for the students. Universities want their student unions to be a center for campus life and activity, and if the student center is too loud to provide the desired environment, students will inevitably congregate elsewhere. (more)

It’s official! The all new LEED Version 3 has been launched by the U.S. Green Building Council. The new system makes several big changes that affect everyone from architects and engineers to builders and building owners. This information is especially important if you are working on a LEED project or if you are a LEED Accredited Professional. Here are some of the initial updates at a glance: (more)

April 22 was earth day, a fitting time to discuss the “green” movement that we are seeing in the world of architecture and engineering. It seems like every project that comes across my desk has a stated goal of attaining some level of LEED Certification (LEED Silver, Gold, Platinum, whatever). We’re talking K-12 schools, universities, healthcare facilities, churches - they’re all “going green.” But how much does all this stuff cost? And can green design really save you some green $$$? (more)

Whether you watch HD from Blu-ray disks or over-the-air HD broadcasts, the clarity of the image is stunning. With widespread availability of professional HD imaging devices, monitors, and support gear, the clarity we’re seeing at home is now making its mark on the workplace and on the healthcare setting. A new phenomenon in smaller medical facilities is the use of HD videoconferencing with offsite offices and specialists. A properly designed system allows medical professionals to instantly collaborate with offsite experts, delivering an accurate and timely diagnosis while reducing the costs of time and travel for the patient. This stuff really works, and it is fast becoming a new benchmark of healthcare facility design. (more)

Great acoustical design now plays a key role in sustainable healthcare design and the healing environment. If you are the architect, engineer, interior designer, or user of a healthcare facility, we set out to give you the most up to date information regarding the current state of acoustics, noise, and vibration in healthcare facility design. As industry leaders in this rapidly changing market, Acoustics By Design president Kenric Van Wyk delivered a keynote presentation at a recent regional AIA Health Facilities Planning Seminar.  Key points include:

• AIA Interim Sound and Vibration Guidelines for Healthcare
• The critical role of acoustics in LEED for Healthcare
• How acoustics affect Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction survey scores
• Acoustical Case Studies from new, “acoustically green” hospitals
• After the Storm - future implications for architects, engineers, planners, building owners, and medical professionals

Where will future trends in acoustics, noise and vibration take the healthcare market? How will healthcare patients be the ultimate winners?  Find out now! Download The Perfect Storm: Why Acoustics Suddenly Matter in Healthcare Design.

It is common belief that a series of elbows near an air handling unit (AHU) can accomplish the same insertion loss as a manufactured duct sound attenuator. It’s true that elbows are less expensive than sound attenuators, but what acoustical performance is really achieved with this “low cost” substitution?

Let’s compare the two designs. Using the tables presented in the 2007 ASHRAE Handbook - HVAC Applications, for any type of elbow (round, rectangular, acoustically lined or not), the width of an elbow (in the plane that it turns) must equal or exceed  30 inches to get ANY insertion loss at 63 Hz. A 30 inch wide elbow provides only 1 dB of insertion loss (IL) at 125 Hz . These two frequencies are typically of concern when reducing sound from AHUs.

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This past Saturday night we attended the 2009 AIA Grand Valley Honor Awards program at the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts (UICA) in downtown Grand Rapids. As a Professional Affiliate Member of the AIA, our firm serves as consultants to architects.  Although we are not eligible to receive an award, we look forward to the chance to support our friends and celebrate their accomplishments in architecture over the last year. In addition, Acoustics By Design was pleased to be the acoustical and audio/video design consultants for six of the nominated projects!  The real surprise of the night was that the independent judges panel, made up of three distinguished architects from Iowa, declined to give out awards in several categories. (more)

Our company president, Kenric Van Wyk, was recently featured in a Wood TV 8 interview as an expert on noise levels. The local NBC affiliate was covering a story on a teenager who had been killed by a train after walking down the tracks while listing to an MP3 player through ear buds. We brought one of our noise meters down to the tracks and made measurements while a train went by, and the story made the evening news. (more)

Over the years as an acoustical consultant I’ve seen a lot of architectural firms locate rooftop air handling units over or near acoustically sensitive spaces; then they put up resistance to doing the necessary extensive noise controls that are needed for such a situation. The protest usually includes “but we’ve never had to do that in the past…” I call this rooftop roulette, because while not incorporating noise control design may have worked in the past, it does not guarantee future success. (more)

Whether you’re a fan or not, Obama’s economic stimulus package passed recently, opening the door to gobs of government money (ie: your tax dollars at work) being pumped into the economy. So where do acoustics fit into the puzzle? Well, they’re becoming a key piece. To use an analogy from the car industry, acoustical design used to be viewed as a “Cadillac” service in the world of architecture and engineering. That is, acoustics were seen as an expensive add-on for only the most affluent clients. Not so anymore. 2009 is ushering in a new era of green building practices with acoustical design as a key and indispensable design element for buildings. And as the popularity of architectural acoustics increases, so do its funding and its benefits. (more)

The healthcare industry is booming and your healthcare costs are rising, so what do you get out of it? Well, besides higher monthly premiums and insurance costs, you do get one thing: choice. You have the freedom to choose between everything from primary care providers to hospitals to outpatient clinics to rehabilitation centers. And this choice is driving up the competition between healthcare providers causing them to place a higher priority on, well - you - getting you and keeping you as a loyal customer, uhm… I mean patient. (more)

We regularly receive phone calls regarding closed office privacy concerns. The acoustical challenges of an open office environment are manifold, but crosstalk between closed office spaces can be just as distracting. Typically, when these calls come in, we have a standard list of questions that we ask the potential clients about their current environment to try to get an understanding of why they feel they have no privacy between closed offices. (more)

Perhaps the toughest and most critical element of designing AVL systems for auditoriums is proper coordination with all the other teams. As audio-visual and theatrical lighting designers, we find ourselves being selected to join teams all throughout the process, from design development to construction administration to commissioning, and this can create a lot of challenges for the AVL system integration. (more)

For centuries, traditional church architecture has been pregnant with meaning and symbolism. The building itself, from interior to exterior, is meant to carry a visual message that transcends language. This is why art and aesthetics play an uncompromising role in traditional church architectural planning: because they help to convey the truth of that ancient message. The traditions are upheld by creating spiritually (and aesthetically) rich environments through the use of symbolism and focal points - ornate crosses, stained glass windows, and so on. When our acoustical engineers and audio-visual design consultants (many of whom are dedicated church members and volunteers themselves) meet with churches leaders to discuss their needs, there always seems to be some tension between art and audio. So, which should take priority? (more)

The medical community and design community journals contain many papers discussing noise levels in neonatal intensive care units (NICU’s), how loud they should be and how to achieve those levels. Unfortunately, the recommended noise levels vary and the design recommendations contain few specifics that have been evaluated by qualified acoustical design professionals. Here is a sample of some of the recommended criteria. (more)

It’s time for another semester, and I tell my architecture students that if there’s one thing they learn in my acoustics class, it’s that porous absorbers do not block sound.  A porous sound absorber, by definition, has many tiny interconnected voids that sound travels through.  Fiberglass and open cell foam are examples.  The sound wave loses its energy through friction between the air particles and the fibers/void walls of the material it is passing through. (more)

Are you planning to open a veterinary hospital? A doggy daycare? A kennel? A private dog park? If so, then make sure that you consider the noise issues ahead of time (i.e., the barking)! Although these types of projects only account for a small portion of our work at Acoustics By Design, we end up assisting with noise control for at least a couple of these animal facilities every year. And when it comes to building the perfect doggy daycare or kennel, there is always a common list of acoustic roadblocks. (more)

As long as you haven’t been living in a cave this past year, you’ve probably noticed that America’s new favorite color is green. Even the “big, scary corporations,” like Walmart and McDonalds, have re-worked their ad campaigns to reflect a more-green, environmentally friendly corporate image. Seemingly everyone is going green. The term “greenwashing” has come to describe businesses that project a green corporate image (through ad campaigns, marketing, and so on) but take little action to reduce their own carbon footprint or energy consumption. They are “green” in name only. At the same time, some organizations are embracing a new paradigm of green business practices and sustainability. So, who’s really “green” and who’s just “greenwashing?” (more)

It’s January, and that means new budgets for companies that operate on the calendar year. If this year is anything like the last, it means we will be receiving calls from companies inquiring about corporate board room video conferencing systems. As AV Consultants, one of the most common questions we get asked is, “What do other companies have for AV equipment in their Boardrooms?” And the follow up question is always, “Should we be looking at a video conferencing solution?” It seems, in the business world, everyone is concerned that if their technology is behind the curve, then they won’t be as competitive. And we are all concerned about how these new technologies affect our bottom line. But believe it or not, video conferencing may be a viable and cost-saving solution for almost any company that seeks to enhance its communications. (more)

This past week, as we took acoustical measurements at the Calvin College Fine Arts Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a music teacher poked her head into the auditorium and asked if aliens had landed. “Well, not exactly”, I said. But I admitted that it did look and sound a lot like it. Binaural “dummy head” recording isn’t exactly something you see (or hear) everyday, so here is a brief glance at why this technique is used by acousticians. (more)

It seems like everyone is talking about decibels these days: “5 dB of this” and “3 dB of that.” As acoustical consultants, we hear people using these metrics and often wonder to ourselves, “Do they really know what a decibel is?” Occasionally, someone is brave enough to ask the more important question, “Just how much is a decibel?” The answer to that question is, of course: well, it depends. Are we talking about physical sound levels or perceived sound levels?  There is a big difference! (more)

The LEED Green Building Rating System^TM is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED was created by the U.S. Green Building Council to define “green building” through a common standard, and to promote integrated, whole-building design practices. There are several categories of LEED building certification programs including: LEED for New Construction, LEED for Existing Buildings, LEED for Schools, and LEED for Retail, just to name a few. And as of last week, the U.S.G.B.C. announced plans to adopt a new LEED category in 2009: Healthcare. (more)

My wife teaches English to high school freshmen and seniors. It’s a good thing that she’s the one teaching them, because if it were me, I’d probably end up in a mental institution. The hard part about teaching teenagers is finding effective methods of communication. Sometimes it seems like they just don’t understand words. But there are things they do understand. High school teenagers understand images. They understand video. They understand multi-media, multi-sensory communication. This is one of the reasons why we at Acoustics By Design are seeing a significant uptick in Digital Signage system design for K-12 schools. (more)

In the world of architecture, we frequently hear the term “mixed-use development,” and our firm is increasingly called upon to provide mixed-use development acoustical consulting. The term “mixed-use” generally refers to a development that incorporates residential and commercial space in a close-knit fashion. Mixed-use developments have been constructed for centuries, often taking the form of residential space above retail space - such as the shopkeeper living above the shop. As industrialization increased, mixed-use fell out of favor, and segregated land-use became popular. But late in the past century, mixed-use developments resurfaced, often with the intent of revitalizing urban areas and creating walk-able communities - as opposed to communities where a person must drive a car or take some form of public transportation to perform their daily routine. (more)

Last Tuesday, while many of us were casting our votes in the presidential election, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was making a landmark decision of its own. On their private ballot was a proposal to open the so-called “TV White Spaces” of the frequency spectrum for expanded use. And on November 4^th, the proposal passed. Sounds all fine and good, right? Well, maybe not. If the FCC’s current plan goes through, it will lead to a crossroads for the wireless microphone industry and for AV designers. (more)

OSHA, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has long had policies regulating noise in the workplace. Their “Hearing Conservation Program” is designed to protect workers from suffering hearing loss even if they are subject to loud noise exposures over their entire working lifetimes. But navigating the waters of OSHA’s 1910.95 Noise Exposure Standards document can be a difficult (and daunting) task, and many industrial facilities are happy to outsource this task to the nearest hearing protection salesperson. Unfortunately in this case, ignorance isn’t bliss. (more)

For many years, I worked as an acoustical consultant in Southern California. We had seasons in SoCal, but it took several years before I easily recognized the subtle differences between summer and fall or between winter and spring. Summer brought daytime temperatures in the 80’s while wintertime temperatures tended to range in the upper 60’s. But for the most part, the temperate climate meant that days would be warm, dry, and sunny and nights would be cooler, dry, and cloudless. My point: long term monitoring of outdoor noise levels and sound propagation was easy.

After ten years on the West Coast, I returned to the Midwest to work for Acoustics By Design, Inc., and found myself back in the midst of weather - real weather - blizzards, sticky summers, and thunderstorms. Most people know that weather can influence sound propagation, but by how much? (more)

“…You can’t handle the truth!” If you’re a movie fan, then you probably recognize this line from the 1992 blockbuster, A Few Good Men. Of course, Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson) delivered the line in response to Lt. Daniel Kaffee’s (Tom Cruise) questioning in that tense courtroom scene. But in the real world, what happens when a loud outburst like this takes place…in a Courtroom, in a Judge’s Chambers, or in a Jury Room? How is that sound stopped from transmitting into adjacent rooms and hallways?  The unfortunate truth is that in many cases, it’s not. (more)

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College, Pennsylvania isn’t just the first LEED Certified ballpark in the world - it’s the only one (to date). Known as “The Med”, the new ballpark raises the bar in “green” sports facility design in several areas: water conservation, waste management, and recycled materials. Acoustics By Design first learned of the ballpark’s achievement while attending the MAPPA conference at the Monona Terrace Convention Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Madison, Wisconsin. (more)

I worked for years in churches as a Technical Director, and during my tenure in that position I had a front row seat on the effects of volunteer-installed equipment. While there is a time and place for volunteers to do some elements of installation, let me say that it’s generally a bad idea. Not because volunteers will always get it wrong, but because volunteers are too valuable to compromise. Here are a few observations/experiences from my years in the trenches. (more)

It’s interesting to watch the broader culture around us as it adapts to new ideas and theories. The “Green” concept (the idea that we need to take care of the environment, reduce our carbon footprint, save energy, etc.) really isn’t new at all, but the mounting “buzz” around the word certainly is. When I was growing up, green was nothing more than my favorite color, but now it’s a top story in the news, a popular ad campaign, even a way of life. (more)

This past spring I was blessed to be married to an amazing woman who thankfully doesn’t mind when I walk into a business and point out the acoustical flaws and potential improvements that could be made “if they had only hired an acoustical consultant!”

During our engagement, the task of planning for the wedding began, and of course, we visited venues for potential places to hold the reception. In the months leading up to the big day, we attended several weddings and receptions and were on the prowl for good ideas as our wedding neared. (more)

There are so many retreats going on this time of year, that we at Acoustics By Design were forced to pick and choose which ones to attend. This year, it was the AIA Design Retreat at Torch Lake and the AIA Educational Facilities Planning Conference at Grand Traverse Bay Resort in northern Michigan. This post will highlight the Design Retreat. Think of it as an abbreviated “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” report, but with a lot less photographs and a lot more alcohol. (more)

Ask typical movie goers for the definition of an IMAX Theatre, and they will likely give you an unclear response about a big screen and loud sound. On these points they would be right - but only as a vague definition. You see, the IMAX Corporation has gone to great lengths to make sure that every IMAX-certified theatre actually delivers what they consider to be “The IMAX Experience ®.” They want to make sure that the IMAX brand truly means something to consumers - something more than “a big screen and loud sound.” And if that IMAX brand is to mean anything, then every IMAX Theatre must deliver the same high quality movie experience from Los Angeles to New York to your hometown, and so on. This is achieved through the process of IMAX certification, which involves enforcing stringent specifications in two realms: film production and theater design. (more)

I am not about to compose a post vilifying the American industrial complex; I’m only expressing the attitude of many people that I come across who live near a noisy factory, processing plant, scrap yard, or other type of industrial facility.  Perhaps in some cases, criticism by nearby residents is justified, but usually it is not, and often it is avoidable.  Multiple times every year I am called in to assess industrial noise and vibration emissions to residential communities.  Often I am hired by the company, sometimes by the local government, and occasionally by a residential group. And by the time I get involved, edgy relations have frequently devolved into contentious confrontations, accusations of purposeful illegalities, and claims of ill health due to noise. (more)

Recently we were called in to consult on some highway noise that was affecting a residential community. The state had added a new exit ramp that diverged right through the back property lines of several of the residences. While we talked with one of the home owners, he asked about the acoustical effects of planting more trees and foliage between his house and the new exit ramp. As Acoustical Consultants, this is something we hear all the time: the idea that trees and plants can effectively mitigate loud noise. Hopefully, this blog will help put to rest some of the myths about acoustical attributes of trees: where they fail and where they succeed. (more)

Urban legends claim that a good way to calm your nerves before giving a speech is to imagine the audience in their underwear. But what if you could attend class in a T-shirt and underwear without anyone else ever knowing it? Well, at many colleges and universities around the world, you already can.

To understand this miracle of science, we have to examine the link between two rapidly changing technologies: distance learning and classroom connectivity. These two might seem unrelated, but in fact they are deeply intertwined. (more)

In the “old days” of trial litigation, lawyers were expected to present their arguments and evidence through one of several basic modes of communication: namely the spoken word, the written word, and physical evidence. And the best evidence always seemed to be an eye-witness account or a “smoking gun,” as it were. But as we learned in the 1990s, sometimes even the best of leather gloves won’t seem to fit. (more)

In a former life I worked for a very large engineering company with over 1,000 engineers working in an open plan office, everyone working on one floor. We lovingly referred to our floor as the “cube farm”. One day I arrived at the office just as the lunch crowd was making their mass exodus. Although I was frustrated by my inability to enter the building, I couldn’t help but think of the old “how many college kids can fit into a VW Beetle” gag as I waited for the never-ending trail of people to exit the building.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that most companies are decreasing the amount of working space allotted for individual employees. (more)

Mixing noise pollution with an intimate auditorium setting is almost always a bad idea, and as the song says, “You gotta keep em’ separated.” There’s nothing like untimely noise pollution to ruin the flow of a good theatrical performance or vocal recital. For our purposes today, we will define “noise pollution” as any unwanted sound impeding at an unwanted time. When you’re engineering acoustical solutions for an auditorium, the importance of noise isolation is paramount, and it’s the only way to really keep the “bad sound” out. Noise pollution can hinder speech intelligibility and greatly reduce the ability for an audience to hear and understand what is being said. In auditoriums, noise pollution can come from a wide array of culprits from within or without the facility. (more)

The challenge with contemporary church architecture is that the term “contemporary” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some, it means a praise band and a projector. For others, it means the service is full of drama, dance, video, interactive preaching, and more. With all the different styles, a lot of contemporary churches feel stuck in the middle with facilities that are in between “where it is” and “where it ought to be.” (more)

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s the walls, the floor, or the ceiling. It seems like every hospital I’ve visited in the last five years is under construction, renovating their current space or planning for large additions. With all the changes, it’s easy to forget about the “unseen” aspects of the design, such as Mechanical Noise and Vibration Control.

A common problem is loud mechanical units going in over operating suites. Vibration and noise from the mechanical units can cause problems with the medical equipment inside the suite. Too much noise and vibration can ultimately compromise the accuracy of the equipment. This can lead to misinterpretation of medical data and serious health issues. Operating suites are also very active places with lots of health caregivers interacting with each other. Excessive noise levels in the operating room can cause communication issues at a critical moment in time. (more)

When most people hear about the new Acoustic Standards in the LEED for Schools Rating System, their eyes start to glaze over like day-old Crispy Creams. With over thirty pages of detailed acoustical design criteria, the ANSI Standards are a force to be reckoned with. Today we will take a few moments to highlight the basic principles of acoustical design that will “LEED” to enhanced learning environments, happy school board officials, and of course…impressive LEED scores. (more)