INCE-USA needs your help to select the new Members’ Choice Project of the Year Award. This award was created to acknowledge notable project(s) completed in the field of noise control or architectural acoustics by an Associate or Full Member of INCE-USA.
The winning project will receive recognition of their achievement and visibility on INCE-USA materials, such as conference materials, website, and social media.
Nominations for the award are now open to members through July 1, 2021! Please join us in selecting a winner for this year’s award.
Taunton Municipal Light Plant (TMLP) is a public utility service provider in Taunton, MA. In 2019, TMLP installed four new 2.5-megawatt generators as part of a global adjustment initiative. The generators were installed such that the plant can switch to standby power during peak consumption times, reducing energy usage from the grid and associated costs. As the generators would operate over longer periods, they were required to comply with MassDEP Noise Policy for stationary noise sources. Post installation, the originally supplied enclosures failed to meet the acoustic performance requirements for the site. To work within site and system constraints, an at-source attenuation strategy was formulated using a vibro-elastic wall mount system that was applied to the exterior façade of the generator enclosure. Through close design collaboration between the acoustic consultant and the noise solution provider, the final retrofit solution was successful in bringing the facility into regulatory compliance.
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A problem arose at a recently completed high-rise condominium building in Philadelphia, PA. Tenants on many levels above a pool located on the second level of the building stressed that they could hear low-frequency sound when an early-morning swimmer was doing laps. Looking through literature, we found nothing to attest to the phenomenon that presented itself. To investigate, we used a 15 lb. rubber medicine ball to simulate the force caused by the swimmer, which also provided a repeatable source. Cavitation in the water created by the arm strokes of the swimmer was exciting the pool shell and transmitting through the structure ultimately converting to audible sound via the lightweight partitions in the living units. Our measurement system included time synchronized triaxial accelerometers to determine the transmission paths through the building. We identified this unique problem, determined the structural transmission paths, and provided recommendations which ultimately resulted in a successful outcome.
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This project involved the renovation of a shop classroom into a state-of-the-art music recording studio. The studio includes group recording and vocal booth spaces, a control room, an audio engineering room, and two practice rooms — all of which are connected to a music instruction space. Acoustical challenges included the proximity of the proposed space to an adjacent electrical shop classroom (with adjoining door), outdoor courtyard (including exterior windows), and corridors. In addition to sound isolation from these adjacent spaces, we provided acoustical design services for internal sound isolation, HVAC noise and vibration control, and room acoustics. During the construction phase, we reviewed submittals and visited the site to review the installation of the acoustical components of the design, and post-installation testing was provided to verify acoustical performance.
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