MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS

November 2022 Newsletter: Classroom Acoustics now Code Protected!

An acoustic environment that is conducive to learning requires low ambient sound levels and a high degree of speech intelligibility. Prior to 2021, unless a school was pursuing LEED or had adopted ANSI S12.60-2010 Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirement, and Guidelines for Schools, classroom acoustics were guidelines, not requirements. That all changed with the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) which has incorporated Enhanced Acoustics for Classrooms criteria. Read on to brush up on the new requirements as more schools and states begin to adopt the most recent IBC.

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October 2022 Newsletter: National Protect Your Hearing Month #NPYHM

October can be a great month for sports nuts; if the stars align, all the major sports franchises in your city can be playing at the same time. In Philadelphia, the Eagles are off to a great start, the Phillies and Union are in the playoffs, and the Sixers and Flyers just kicked off their seasons. And if you have ever been to a Philadelphia sporting event, you know that sound levels can be extreme. Read on for a few tips that can help protect your ears from these sources and preserve them to enjoy one of our many well-designed acoustics projects.

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September 2022 Newsletter: Multifamily Offices

The pandemic has changed our work environment. Many people are working under a hybrid model – a few days per week from their office and a few from home; others are completely remote. While these work paradigms vary across industries, working from home (WFH) is now more common than ever and here to stay. Read on to learn more about how WFH is reshaping the acoustical landscape of our dwellings.

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August 2022 Newsletter: Keep on Truckin’

The distribution center industry has seen significant growth over the last few years due in large part to the pandemic and its effect on e-commerce. Many new facilities are being built, often close to residential areas, to fulfill last mile logistics. While it may seem like a good idea to have distribution centers close to the residential areas they serve for quick package delivery, this can result in someone’s backyard sounding like a trucking facility at all hours of the day. Read on to learn more about how sound from these distribution centers can be modeled and mitigated.

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July 2022 Newsletter: A Web of Vibes

In previous newsletters, we have discussed animals such as dolphins and bats that are able to “see” with their hearing, a process known as echolocation, in which the animal can map their environment by sensing sound reflected back to them. There are animals, however, that utilize sound in a slightly different manner – not so much by “hearing” sound waves, but by feeling their vibrations. Read on to learn about audible arachnids.

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June 2022 Newsletter: Sound in Spaaaace…

“In space, no one can hear you scream.” The tagline from the sci-fi classic Alien is mostly true, but not entirely true. The transmission of sound requires a medium, which on Earth is usually air. Space is mostly an empty void, an icy vacuum that does not have the medium necessary for transmission of sound that humans can hear. However, space is not entirely empty, which allows for some sound transmission, if you know where to look. Read on to learn more about how sound travels in space.

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May 2022 Newsletter: Ocean Noise Pollution

It’s May, and beach season is almost here! To humans, swimming in the ocean is a well-deserved vacation, but to marine animals, the ocean is home. Most people know that trash and chemical pollutants can harm ocean wildlife, but did you know that noise pollution is also a problem in the ocean? Read on to learn how animals are affected by ocean noise pollution.

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April 2022 Newsletter: Pickleball

Sports are an important part of American culture, at both professional and amateur levels of play, but they can present acoustic issues. Residents who live near courts and fields are often disturbed by the sounds of basketballs pounding on the pavement, whistles on the football field, or the crack of a base hit. A new sport, pickleball, is dominating the sports scene in many places across the country, with a two-year growth rate of almost 40% and up to 4.2 million players in 2021. Despite its popularity, it tends to generate many noise complaints from nearby residents. Read on to learn more about this banging sport and what can be done.

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March 2022 Newsletter: A Noise Annoys

In the US, local and state noise ordinances have been protecting citizens against sound and vibration disturbances for over 70 years. An ideal noise ordinance would be easy to understand and easy to enforce, but due to the technical jargon contained in these documents and the equipment needed to accurately measure sound levels, this is often not the case. Read on to learn more about the ins and outs of our favorite group of laws.

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February 2022 Newsletter: BOOM!

Supersonic air travel has interested everyone from commercial tourists to the military.  Who wouldn’t want to travel from New York to London in 3 hours instead of 6?  One of the biggest hurdles that supersonic flight incurs is the sonic

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