Architectural Acoustics: A Building Design Essential (Part 2)
Architects generally receive little, if any, education in acoustics. In formulating design goals for projects, acoustics is a low priority – except when it is fundamental to a building’s function (e.g. a concert hall). This is a missed opportunity. Great aural environments can be transcendental. Acoustics is the invisible art. When done well, spaces feel […]
Architectural Acoustics: A Building Design Essential (Part 1)
Architectural acoustics has been described as something of a black art or perhaps more charitably, an arcane science. While not purely an art, at its best it results in structures that are beautiful as well as functional. To produce art, however, the practitioner must first master the science of the craft before useful creativity is […]
Ye olde (©1967) Guide To Airborne, Impact & Structure-Borne Noise Control In Multifamily Dwellings, continued…
TV then & now: Entertaining viewers & disturbing neighbours for over 70 years. Pew pew pew!
(Images from Fandom)
Retro-acoustical guidebook gold (Part 1)
From dusty archival corners both digital & analog, we retrieve a still-relevant noise control overview for architects, designers, builders, & others. Adobe Stock image I stumbled upon the term “armchair acoustician” in a recent article explaining the differences between sound isolation and room acoustics. I’d long known that the former process minimizes sound transmission between […]
Fireworks: The spectacle. The sounds. (Part 2)
Source: CBC News Amidst a heatwave that continued into late August, I was inspired to write Part 1 of this article during the Honda Celebration of Light, an annual fireworks competition here in Vancouver. (Team Canada won! You can watch their dazzling display in this local news clip.) Although we’re now on the other side […]
Fireworks: The spectacle. The sounds. (Part 1)
As West End Vancouverites for nearly 30 years, my partner and I (along with our 4-legged family members) have seen—not to mention, heard—many, many fireworks displays and competitions. They’re a local hallmark of midsummer, beloved and loathed in equal measure by many of us who live in the neighbourhood that hosts the yearly Celebration of […]
Better living through engineered room acoustics (Part 2)
Education, healthcare, and maybe your workplace? Can you hear the difference? Acoustic improvement = life improvement. In Part 1 of Better living through engineered room acoustics, we introduced Ecophon Saint-Gobain veteran Mai-Britt Beldam. The Market Development Manager speaks with conviction of the company’s mission to leave a “sound effect” on the people it serves and of […]
Better living through engineered room acoustics
“For Ecophon, it’s all about the people,” says marketing wizard Mai-Britt Beldam I enjoy my work for many reasons: the steady and diverse supply of learning opportunities at my disposal rewards me on the regular, as does sharing the knowledge gleaned from these sources. As much fun as it is to learn about various industries […]
ISO 22955: Beyond ‘standard-issue’ open-plan office acoustics (Part 2)
Source: Halkin.com In which we learn all about space… Published in 2021, ISO 22955 addresses the longstanding and well-known challenges that open-plan offices pose to occupants as well as to acoustic designers. A more detailed Acoustic Bulletin article, ISO 22955: Acoustic quality of open offices, cites The Leesman Review, Issue 31, Leesman Index 2021, which […]
ISO 22955: Beyond ‘standard-issue’ open-plan office acoustics (Part 1)
Source: Halkin.com No accounting for some workplace acoustic design A kind and witty friend, Kevin is a gifted conversationalist who loves socializing and collaboration. He doesn’t, however, care much for overhearing co-workers engage in those activities while he’s trying to focus on his cognitively demanding work as an organizational accountant. We’d known each other a […]
