Vibration Studies
Many buildings are located beside or above sources of potentially significant vibration, such as railways, leading to concerns about the transmission of vibration and structure-borne noise into acoustically-sensitive spaces. We conduct specialist studies to assess the impacts of vibrations on a building, including tactile vibration and re-radiated noise.
Vibration from underground railways often manifests itself within buildings not as tactile vibration (vibration you can feel) but as low frequency re-radiated noise, perceived as a low rumble as a train passes along the line.
Our detailed vibration studies address these concerns, while our experience ensures we recommend the right solutions for our clients. Techniques such as using room finishes and treatments to reduce re-radiated noise, enable us to limit the need for whole-building insulation to only situations where vibration impacts are high and cannot be mitigated by other means. In these cases, we advise architects and developers on when and how to install the complex vibration isolation systems.
Construction Noise Management
Construction noise management involves not only the outdoor aspects of noise in the area surrounding a construction site, but also its impact on and within local buildings. We develop noise and vibration control plans to enable contractors and project managers to know ahead of time where problems are likely to occur and what kind of mitigation would be appropriate to proactively implement. We also perform noise and vibration monitoring and oversee contractor compliance on larger construction projects.
Commissioning Testing
Commissioning testing is the analysis of ambient noise levels, reverberation time, airborne and impact sound insulation, speech transmission index and plant noise emissions. Our acoustics testers are registered on the Association of Noise Consultants scheme in accordance with building regulations and BREEAM.
We also evaluate already constructed buildings and provide insights to the owner on how to improve the acoustics.