When we need to hire the very best, it’s worth the effort to seek out those candidates. BAP Acoustics recruited Principal Consultant Andrew Williamson early this spring for our Victoria office. A 2003 University of Victoria grad with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Andrew “quickly fell in love with acoustical engineering” right out of the gate as the new hire at a small acoustics firm.
It’s no secret that acoustical consultancy appeals to those who enjoy variety in their work projects, which in Andrew’s experience include:
environmental noise assessment and control
building noise and vibration control
architectural acoustics.
A confident speaker, he has on numerous occasions communicated technical information to the public, municipal councils, government members, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). As well as having attended public meetings, open houses, and government-sponsored working groups, Andrew has acted as an expert witness in British Columbia’s Supreme Court and participated in a joint review panel environmental assessment hearing for a major infrastructure project.
In addition to sharing his expertise as a speaker and discussion panel participant, Andrew has published several articles with the Canadian Acoustics Journal. His 2017 work, Noise Isolation Class (NIC) Testing of Modular Office Partitions, examines the office design and renovation trend to terminate modular partitions at suspended acoustic tile (T-bar) ceilings.
When using modular partitions, special care must be taken to ensure that all potential sound transmission paths have been addressed. Of particular importance are controlling sound leakage via the perimeter seals and sound transmission over the partition through ceiling plenum. Furthermore, appropriately designed double glazing should be used when modular partitions include glazed sections. — Andrew Williamson, P. Eng.
Despite the fact that he lives and works in Victoria—provincial capital and seat of governmental power—Andrew thrives on providing clients with superior acoustical consulting services free from the constraints that can come with a large-scale bureaucratic workplace. “I look forward to opportunities for strengthening relationships with existing BAP Acoustics clients and earning the trust of new ones,” he says. “And I’m excited to help the firm keep growing!”
Of Innovators & Innovation
If you’ll forgive a wee bit of first-person indulgence, one thing I’ve observed about acoustics professionals in the course of writing for and about them is that they tend to value innovation. Oh, and many of them play musical instruments or sing! Dogged of problem-solving approach and eclectic of taste, the ever-evolving BAP Acoustics team seems to have scored big again with the addition of their newest member.
Learning that someone who, as a child, wanted to be “everything from an archaeologist to a comic book artist” enjoys all musical genres (but most often finds himself listening to hip hop) elicits a knowing smile but comes as no surprise. The real gem here is that Andrew also cites as the best concert he’s ever attended Toronto composer John Oswald’s 2017 tribute to the works of Frank Zappa and—how’s this for eclectic—the acclaimed 20th century composer Edgard Varèse, who greatly inspired the Mothers (of Invention) rocker in his youth. Hmm, I wonder if Varèse’s mama also vociferously implored him to “Turn it down!”
“Frank Zappa is usually not far away from rotation,” says Andrew of his listening preferences.
When not delivering exceptional levels of acoustical consulting service, attending public meetings or avant-garde chamber music performances, the Victoria native may occasionally be found playing bass guitar or enjoying his favourite:
Books: The Diamond Age (Neal Stephenson), the entire Dune series (Frank Herbert), The Peripheral (William Gibson), The Book of the New Sun (Gene Wolfe), and Imajica (Clive Barker)
Movies: Anything by Stanley Kubrik, Ghostbusters, Ex Machina, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Foods: Steak or sushi
If he could time travel to 10 years ago, Andrew would offer himself the (IMHO) sage advice to “stick with acoustical consulting!”
Of his hometown, the engineer says “With great weather, beaches, and nature close at hand, what’s not to like! Victoria is such a livable city.” Perhaps this livability factor—as much as the desire to be a conscientious industrial ambassador—informs and motivates Andrew’s commitment to sustainable acoustics? Sounds good to me!
Interested in joining the BAP Acoustics team? Visit our Careers page.
A number of UK and EU-based universities offer Acoustical Engineering degree programs at levels from undergraduate to PhD. If you live in Canada or the US, however, you’ll find that those highly specialized degree programs aren’t offered on this side of the Atlantic.
But if a career in acoustical engineering consultancy sounds like it might be your cup of Earl grey, take heart. Your journey needn’t begin overseas. Here’s how you can get there from here.
In which we introduce our newest team member, Farbod Ghanouni…
A graduate of both Lakewood University (BE, Mechanical Engineering) andBritish Columbia Institute of Technology (Mechanical Systems Diploma, Mechanical Engineering), Acoustic Engineer Farbod Ghanouni joined the BAP Acoustics Port Moody team in late August.
“I’d been working in the field for a while when I heard great things about BAP Acoustics,” Farbod says. “I also saw firsthand the quality of their work, so I started to think about the possibility of joining the company.”
The fact that I’m wearing noise-cancelling headphones as I write strikes me as both ironic and illustrative of how much and how insidiously noise can affect us at work, rest, or play. With all the construction underway in my neighbourhood, I’m relieved to discover that the sounds of recorded waterfalls, surf, rain—or even Drum & Bass—are far more conducive to cognitive focus than, say, the dulcet tones of jackhammers or chainsaws. Though currently home-based, I have worked in conventional office environments, researching and writing amidst colleagues engaged in activities and conversations sometimes no less, um…dulcet, and I suspect wearing headphones to tune them out would probably have been construed as rude.
