Noise & Vibration Control

• Noise and vibration control includes many aspects of architectural, environmental, and industrial acoustics with the addition of the mechanical acoustics field.  Mechanical acoustics focuses on background sound and vibration levels due to Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment.
• Control of background sound and vibration levels is important in just about any building.  Performing arts and recording environments often require very low background sound and vibration levels so as to not distract from the performance or be present in an audio track.  The classroom is an especially important environment where excess noise results in a loss in a student’s learning ability and concentration.  Offices that suffer from excess noise and vibration directly impact worker’s productivity, costing precious time and money for the employer.  Noise also is a health issue in hospitals where excess noise reduces the patient’s comfort level, causes sleep deprivation, and can increase recovery time.  Excess noise in lodging can result in low occupancy rates and unused meeting and conference facilities.
• There are also specialized areas of noise and vibration control engineering.  One example is monitoring vibration levels from construction activities to prevent damage in existing buildings.  A second example is the careful design of buildings housing sensitive imaging equipment, where excess vibration is detrimental to image quality.  Another unusual application is the use of the HVAC system or a loudspeaker system to maintain a level of background sound to mask conversations in an open plan office environment.