Goverment Buildings and Public Utilities

Assuring that all appropriate noise standards are maintained in government and utility operations.

Large hallways and entry areas in public buildings can be very reverberant, making conversation difficult. In extreme cases, the resulting ‘background din’ can reach almost unbearable levels. The strategic application of acoustic absorbing materials in these locations can significantly reduce reverberation while maintaining a pleasant appearance. In many instances, these materials can be integrated into the room designs, such that they do not ‘stand out’ from the surroundings.

For those operational areas where rotating or reciprocating equipment is present, it is critical to assure that governmental facilities and public utility operations are in compliance with OSHA or NIOSH noise-control regulations. Strict noise standards must be maintained to reduce the chances for employee hearing loss, and to assure that the environment is not so noisy as to restrict clear verbal communication. State or local regulations may also mandate maximum allowable noise levels in certain facilities.

Where possible, it is almost always more effective to address noise directly at the source, rather than attempting to ‘cover-up’ equipment to block noise. MEMTECH ACOUSTICAL can perform comprehensive vibration and modal analysis studies to determine noise-causing issues in equipment such as imbalance, misalignment, or resonances. Resolving these types of issues can also increase equipment efficiency and reliability.
In instances where equipment modification is not feasible, effective noise control methods can be implemented to reduce overall noise levels, without interfering with maintenance access. MEMTECH ACOUSTICAL offers a variety of permanent and portable noise-blocking enclosures to reduce noise from rotating or reciprocating machinery that can be designed to attenuate the frequencies being radiated from virtually any source. In addition, the use of noise-absorbing wall and ceiling treatments will serve to reduce noise reflection, and can significantly decrease ambient noise within hard-walled rooms.

Addressing noise concerns from HVAC equipment may involve treating ductwork or improving laminar air flow within the system. Low-noise outlet vents, fans, motors and other systems can be installed without impacting the overall flow requirements.

Environmental noise can also be an issue with public facilities, should exterior noise levels be loud enough to be radiated to surrounding neighborhoods or businesses. This can result in violations of local noise ordinances and the initiation of class-action lawsuits from nearby residents and/or governing agencies. It also gives the impression of being an ‘undesirable neighbor’ within the community.

MEMTECH ACOUSTICAL can verify and document current environmental noise levels, and determine the ‘root-causes’ of annoyance and/or legal noise violations. We have the capabilities to develop computer simulations of noise radiation patterns in the surrounding areas, so that effective barriers and enclosures can be modeled and validated prior to purchasing and installing necessary noise-control structures; this eliminates a ‘trial and error’ approach, and assures the most cost-effective solutions.
MEMTECH ACOUSTICAL has worked with many utility providers, as well as with DOD, NASA and many other Federal and Local government facilities to minimize noise levels and assure that all appropriate noise standards are maintained.