ABD Named one of Michigan’s Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies
We don’t make a practice of tooting our own horns at Acoustics By Design, but for this we will make a small exception. Great news: ABD was just named to the list of Michigan’s Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies. As a professional consulting engineering firm, we sell no physical products, so we cannot tell our clients to “buy our green widget.” Instead, the challenge is showing the value of sustainable design and how it impacts our clients’ bottom line. In the past this has been an uphill battle, but in many recent projects, we are finding a groundswell of positive momentum for going green. Read the full list of sustainable companies here. (more)
Student Job Shadows as an Acoustical Engineer
Many high school students have never heard of the “acoustical engineering” field so when local student Jordan Van Buskirk  (a Senior at Western Michigan Christian High School) asked his teacher about jobs that have to do with acoustics, it was a first for the school. After being contacted by Joyce Workman, Director of Advancement at WMCHS, Acoustics By Design proposed a project centered around a problematic space for the school. By working with an existing space, both Jordan and the school would benefit from the job shadow opportunity; Jordan was even able to get credit for a physics class by completing the project. Jordan worked with Tim Koldenhoven of Acoustics By Design and identified the gymnasium as a space that needed improvements. Not knowing what to expect, Jordan showed up on time and ready to learn. (more)
ABD to Host 10 Year Anniversary Party
Acoustics By Design, an independent acoustical consulting and audio-visual design firm headquartered in downtown Grand Rapids, will celebrate its 10 year anniversary on October 6, 2011, at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. The invitation only event will host 300 architects and engineers as they celebrate a milestone for one of their own. (more)
I recently attended concerts at two out-of-state prestigious university level music schools, and from a noise control point of view, the auditoria couldn’t have been more different. While the room acoustics of both halls were superb, the background noise level in one was quite distracting. (more)
The other day at a popular chain restaurant, I dropped by the restroom before a long ride home. I’ve heard some loud toilet flushes in my day, and this one was right up there with the loudest of them. While it caught my attention, it didn’t make me jump too high out of surprise. However, when I saw a young girl coming out of the neighboring stall, she had a look of shock on her face. She said, “That SCARED me!” Not something I would think most businesses want to do to their customers. (more)
Evidence Based Design for Healthcare Acoustics
In their November 2010 issue, Healthcare Design Magazine published an article entitled, “Too Noisy to Heal,” written by Dr. Erica Ryherd of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Ryherd lays out a clear case for the importance of acoustical design in healthcare facilities. She uses the term “soundscape” because healthcare acoustical consulting is so much more than just reducing unwanted noise. At Acoustics By Design, we couldn’t agree more. (more)
On Shaky Ground | Healthcare Vibration Problems
A friend of mine recently went to an eye appointment at a doctor’s office where outpatient surgeries are performed. The floor was noticeably shaking as a result of vibration energy from the air handling unit directly above the office. He asked the doctors if they have problems with sensitive medical instrumentation, such as data that seem erroneous. While the doctors didn’t directly admit to having any problems, he could see the look of concern and alarm on their faces, as if my friend had psychic powers to know something was wrong with their instruments. They were extremely interested in what my friend told them about how excessive vibration can be the source of errors, which apparently hadn’t occurred to them before. (more)
Best Audio/Visual Design Awarded to Cornerstone Church
The new Cornerstone Church campus is proof that good design is worth waiting for. After three years of design and eventual construction, the new church facility opened to rave reviews and experienced an immediate jump in attendance. The “wow” factor of the campus is the state of the art audio, video, and lighting system in the sanctuary designed by Acoustics By Design and integrated by Parkway Electric. Recently, the church was awarded for Best Audio/Visual Design at the 2010 Associated Builders and Contractors Awards Program. More
How People Discover Acoustical Engineering
I admit that I like working in a niche field. I especially like the reactions of people who ask me what I do for a living and have never heard of an acoustics engineer. They find it amazing that someone does this type of work, or they start asking questions or making comments about some experience they have had with (usually poor) acoustics. Recently, on my way to an acoustics conference, I crossed the border at Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge, which is the busiest US-Canadian crossing… (more)
HVAC Noise Is Intruding On My Listening
Being a noise engineer, I’m always on the “listen-out” for cases of poor building acoustics. I find that common offenders are noisy air handling (HVAC) systems. Frequently the public venues are restaurants, hotels and cinemas, and on occasion it’s a location most tragic, a performance space. (more)
Electronic vs. HVAC Sound Masking
Occasionally clients ask about using HVAC system noise as a sound masking system. While dual use of the HVAC system would save money and be more sustainable, most ventilation systems cannot be relied upon to produce a constant level of background noise with a desirable spectrum of sound. With the widespread use of variable air volume systems, the inconsistent air flow volume produces varying levels of background sound. At best, it would provide a hit-or-miss situation: sometimes it would be an effective masking system, assuming the spectrum doesn’t annoy the occupants, but most of the time it would not. Furthermore, the sound spectrum cannot be changed; you get what it is, which may not be what the occupants need. (more)
Not All Acoustical Surfaces Are Created Equal
The orchestra that I play in used to perform at local public schools. The high school auditoria that we regularly used were so-so for acoustics, but we learned to appreciate them when a scheduling conflict bumped us to a junior high school for one concert. This auditorium ceiling was treated with a spray-on absorbing material that made it feel like we were playing into a sonic black hole. After we finished, it sounded like twenty people were clapping, which I hope there were more…maybe not if they couldn’t hear us. (more)
Reflections at Little Beaver Lake
On a beautiful autumn day a long time ago, I was on a glorious backpacking trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. One still morning while rinsing off in Little Beaver Lake, I was alarmed to hear voices that sounded very near, as I was sporting my birthday suit. After quickly sinking into the water up to my neck, I searched for the people and to my relief found them on the opposite shore of the small lake, out of “detailed sight” range. That was a memorable lesson in how well water reflects sound. (more)
Several weeks ago, a client invited me to a rehearsal in their highly reverberant space that ABD was hired to test and correct. I declined, as I already had plans to attend a play that evening at a different facility, and joked that during the performance I’d also be listening to sirens from the main street outside the theater. Nearly every time we attend a performance in this space, we hear sirens going by the building. Sure enough, on cue in Act II, “errrrrreeeeeerrrrrhhh” slices into the hall. My husband and I shake our heads. This is why sound isolation of performance spaces from outside noise intrusion is so important. (more)
Mechanical Background Sound in Exam Rooms
January 2010 held a highly anticipated milestone for acoustical consultants. The definitive guide called 2010 FGI/ASHE Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities has a greatly expanded acoustics section in this year’s edition. How will you deal with the new noise, privacy, and acoustical requirements for healthcare facilities? Join us at SoundHealthcare 2010, a Health Care Acoustics Training Seminar, and find out what you must know about the new FGI Guidelines for HIPAA Compliance and LEED HC. This is a brand new chapter in the 2010 FGI Guidelines, which went from a solitary partition transmission loss table in prior issues to an eighty page guideline that comprehensively covers exterior noise, acoustical finishes, background noise, sound isolation, vibration, sound masking systems, audio systems and alarms. As a result, acoustical consultants are hoping that architects and engineers will appreciate the breadth and importance of acoustics and consequently incorporate acoustical design early in a project when it is most cost effective. (more)
How to Gradually Reduce Employee Noise Exposure
Industrial plants are most often loud and dynamic work environments. Noise fields are complex with varying levels of noise produced by many different pieces of equipment, and employees spend varying amounts of time near the different noise sources. Sound levels are even impacted by the building, with taller spaces generally quieter than single story spaces, sound absorbing room finishes sucking up some of the noise, and partitions blocking sound. Measuring worker noise exposure is simple. (more)
Noise Isolation for Hospital Mechanical Rooms
Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities have requirements for large volumes of ventilation and strict control of airflow, and the greater the airflow, the greater the potential for noise. Building mechanical services equipment, fans, pumps, cooling, and heating equipment are all sources of high noise levels. When Acoustics By Design works on a new hospital, we typically expend half of our effort on attenuating building mechanical systems noise. In order to avoid the need for extensive noise and vibration isolating constructions, project designers and engineers should pay careful attention to mechanical room sizes and locations during schematic design. Here are some issues to address early on… (more)
Psychoacoustics: Annoyance from Tonal vs. Broadband Sounds
For today’s topic, let’s think of driving our car with the wind rushing by, when all of a sudden our attention is drawn by that annoying squeak coming from the dashboard. The changing of the squeak with time was the topic of a recent blog, but this time we’ll examine its tonal nature. (more)
Planning for Acoustical Separation of MRI Rooms in Hospitals
In my last post, I discussed the acoustical design of hospital patient rooms, minimizing disturbance from noise produced by activity in the corridor, by phone calls and discussions at the nurses’ stations, and by noise from nearby patient rooms. But that’s only the beginning. There are additional sources of noise in hospitals and there are more noise sensitive spaces. The truth is, healthcare facilities will only be as strong as their weakest link in the design. So what are some of the loudest noise sources and most noise sensitive rooms? (more)
Acoustics for Video Venues & Portable Churches
From mega-churches to small town congregations, the video-venue concept is becoming a staple of church growth. For those not “in the know”, a “video-venue” is a church meeting where parts of the service (typically the sermon or message) are piped in via video signal and projected on a large screen, while other parts of the service (like the music or announcements) are done live. Since the sermon is filmed in the “main sanctuary”, it can be broadcast to different rooms within the same church building (onsite video-venues) or to campuses across town, out of state, and beyond (offsite video-venues). As a devoted church member and as an acoustical consultant, I have experienced many different types of video venues firsthand, and I have found a common thread of acoustical “challenges” they typically face. If you are planning a video-venue or portable church ministry, here are some important items to consider before selecting your new space… (more)
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