architectural acoustics
BABICHacoustics completes document and design reviews for sound isolation, mechanical noise control, and room acoustics.
In Pursuit of Silence
“Silence is the inexpressible….the inevitable.” Do we have silence in today’s world with the bombardment of technology? Benefits to having silence for both mental and physical health has been studied and proven. Being able to unplug from the world’s distractions is advantageous. I am often overwhelmed by the many types of media that invade my
Too quiet to work?
Is there such a thing as a space that is too quiet? In what rooms do you feel that it’s too quiet to work? Is it a personal preference or is there science behind this?
Apartment and Condominium Noise Control
jeffrey e. babichenvironment, residential, soundsacoustics, apartments, condos, flanking, IIC, noise, residential, sound, STC, transmission
Happy New Year! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. I had a very busy 4th QTR 2012. I’ve seen a resurgence in noise concerns in multi-family dwellings: condos, apartments, etc. In the past, I’ve worked primarily with sound isolation in condominiums. However, a lot of high-end apartments are being constructed and residents are demanding just as much sound isolation as condominium owners.
Designing Spaces for Sound Experience
jeffrey e. babichcommercial, corporate, environment, healthcare, hospital, psychoacoustics, residential, schools, soundsacoustic design, acoustics, classrooms, corporate, environmental noise, healthcare, homes, hospitals, noise control, offices, residential, room acoustics
Architects often hire acousticians to solve problems in spaces such as concert halls and other critical environments where acoustics and noise control are important. However, more often than not, architects, designers, engineers, etc. are forced to develop a building design without the help of consultants like Babich Acoustics.
Trends in Conference Room Acoustics
jeffrey e. babichcorporate, soundsacoustics, conference rooms, facetime, google chat, office space, open office, room acoustics, skype, sound isolation, video-conferencing
The video above is a witty introduction to video-conferencing. The humorous etiquette is important since this trend is likely to become even more popular with the introduction of affordable desktop and mobile video-conferencing solutions such as FaceTime, Google Chat, and Skype. However, it is important to understand some of the important design considerations in rooms where these conferences take place such as sound isolation, room acoustics, and mechanical noise control.
Perfect Pitch, Amusic, and Hearing Loss
jeffrey e. babichpsychoacoustics, soundsamusic, perfect pitch, presbycusis, psychoacoustics, relative pitch, tone deafness
Can you carry a tune? Do you have a hard time hearing high pitched tones? The answer to the first question is probably one of nature, while the second most likely has an environmental component. Absolute pitch or “perfect pitch” is the ability to identify a tone without an external reference. For example, if I
Orchestra, Jazz, and Rock Music in One Room
jeffrey e. babichperformance, sounds, theatersauditorium, concert halls, jazz, orchestra, room acoustics, theater, variable acoustics
The title says it all — as acoustical consultants, we’re often give the task to make acoustics work in a space that has multiple functions. We often hear: “The owner does not have the budget to build dedicated spaces for the different types of ensembles that they host.” or “The school is downsizing so the gymnasium will be used as the school auditorium as well.”
Noisy Open Offices
jeffrey e. babichcorporate, psychoacoustics, soundscall rooms, cubicles, green offices, noise, office noise, open offices, sound masking
I’m sure that many of you reading this work in an open plan office environment. It is more common than uncommon these days – with an emphasis on green buildings, employer cost savings per square foot of office space, and worker collaboration. However, there are major detriments to productivity, visual distractions, and reduced speech privacy.
Don’t forget to protect your ears!
jeffrey e. babichenvironment, soundsequipment, hearing loss, hearing protection, lawn mower, noise, OSHA
Spring is here! Time to break out the lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and other noisy equipment. My lawn mower recently broke down and started sounding like a freight train. Unfortunately, it was less expensive to get a new mower than to fix the old one. But it did remind me of the dangers of being
The sound of silence
jeffrey e. babichenvironment, psychoacoustics, soundsacoustics, environment, national parks, noise, silence, sound, wilderness
As I sit in my “quiet” home office at night in a lively Pittsburgh city neighborhood; I hear traffic and the hum of a neighbor’s air conditioning unit. It was much more relaxing when the A/C unit finally shut off and I heard a bird chirping. I hear loud engines of motorcycles in the distance
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