Sounding Off: Our Blog
Thoughts, insights, and perspectives on the latest news, trends, and issues regarding architectural acoustics, environmental and industrial noise and vibration, and audiovisual systems design.
NICU Noise Control Research for Hospitals
The medical community and design community journals contain many papers discussing noise levels in neonatal intensive care units (NICU’s), how loud they should be and how to achieve those levels. Unfortunately, the recommended noise levels vary and the design recommendations contain few specifics that have been evaluated by qualified acoustical design professionals. Here is a sample of some of the recommended criteria.
Doggy Daycare Noise Control – Acoustic Roadblocks
Are you planning to open a veterinary hospital? A doggy daycare? A kennel? A private dog park? If so, then make sure that you consider the noise issues ahead of time (i.e., the barking)! Although these types of projects only account for a small portion of our work at Acoustics By Design, we end up assisting with noise control for at least a couple of these animal facilities every year. And when it comes to building the perfect doggy daycare or kennel, there is always a common list of acoustic roadblocks.
Greenwashing Solution
As long as you haven’t been living in a cave this past year, you’ve probably noticed that America’s new favorite color is green. Even the “big, scary corporations,” like Walmart and McDonalds, have re-worked their ad campaigns to reflect a more-green, environmentally friendly corporate image. Seemingly everyone is going green. The term “greenwashing” has come to describe businesses that project a green corporate image (through ad campaigns, marketing, and so on) but take little action to reduce their own carbon footprint or energy consumption. They are “green” in name only. At the same time, some organizations are embracing a new paradigm of green business practices and sustainability. So, who’s really “green” and who’s just “greenwashing?”
4 Basic Concepts for Corporate Board Room Video Conferencing Systems
It’s January, and that means new budgets for companies that operate on the calendar year. If this year is anything like the last, it means we will be receiving calls from companies inquiring about corporate board room video conferencing systems. As AV Consultants, one of the most common questions we get asked is, “What do other companies have for AV equipment in their Boardrooms?” And the follow up question is always, “Should we be looking at a video conferencing solution?” It seems, in the business world, everyone is concerned that if their technology is behind the curve, then they won’t be as competitive. And we are all concerned about how these new technologies affect our bottom line. But believe it or not, video conferencing may be a viable and cost-saving solution for almost any company that seeks to enhance its communications.
Binaural Recording with a Dummy Head
This past week, as we took acoustical measurements at the Calvin College Fine Arts Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a music teacher poked her head into the auditorium and asked if aliens had landed. “Well, not exactly”, I said. But I admitted that it did look and sound a lot like it. Binaural “dummy head” recording isn’t exactly something you see (or hear) everyday, so here is a brief glance at why this technique is used by acousticians.
Perception Vs. Reality: What Our Ears Hear
It seems like everyone is talking about decibels these days: “5 dB of this” and “3 dB of that.” As acoustical consultants, we hear people using these metrics and often wonder to ourselves, “Do they really know what a decibel is?” Occasionally, someone is brave enough to ask the more important question, “Just how much is a decibel?” The answer to that question is, of course: well, it depends. Are we talking about physical sound levels or perceived sound levels? There is a big difference!
LEED for Healthcare to be Adopted in 2009
The LEED Green Building Rating SystemTM is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED was created by the U.S. Green Building Council to define “green building” through a common standard, and to promote integrated, whole-building design practices. There are several categories of LEED building certification programs including: LEED for New Construction, LEED for Existing Buildings, LEED for Schools, and LEED for Retail, just to name a few. And as of last week, the U.S.G.B.C. announced plans to adopt a new LEED category in 2009: Healthcare.
Digital Signage Solutions for K-12 Schools
My wife teaches English to high school freshmen and seniors. It’s a good thing that she’s the one teaching them, because if it were me, I’d probably end up in a mental institution. The hard part about teaching teenagers is finding effective methods of communication. Sometimes it seems like they just don’t understand words. But there are things they do understand. High school teenagers understand images. They understand video. They understand multi-media, multi-sensory communication. This is one of the reasons why we at Acoustics By Design are seeing a significant uptick in Digital Signage system design for K-12 schools.
Noise Isolation for Mixed-Use Developments
In the world of architecture, we frequently hear the term “mixed-use development,” and our firm is increasingly called upon to provide mixed-use development acoustical consulting. The term “mixed-use” generally refers to a development that incorporates residential and commercial space in a close-knit fashion.
Decision 2008 – White Space Disaster for Wireless Mics
Last Tuesday, while many of us were casting our votes in the presidential election, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was making a landmark decision of its own. On their private ballot was a proposal to open the so-called “TV White Spaces” of the frequency spectrum for expanded use. And on November 4th, the proposal passed. Sounds all fine and good, right? Well, maybe not. If the FCC’s current plan goes through, it will lead to a crossroads for the wireless microphone industry and for AV designers.