|
New October 2009: Barking puppies lead to sound advice: (Institute of Acoustics press release).
30 October 2009: Acoustic experts are used to examining and alleviating the effect of noise in the workplace.
But acoustic consultants, and members of the Institute of Acoustics, Donald Quinn and Paul Bassett of Hepworth Acoustics had a job with a difference in Scotland recently. They were commissioned to investigate the noise exposure of dog care staff at the world-class Guide Dog Training School in Forfar, Scotland.
Dog accommodation at the school, officially opened by HRH Princess Alexandra in 2008, is open-plan to encourage the dogs to socialise.
While the open-plan environment was a positive key feature, the chorus of delighted barking from the guide-dogs-in-training as they greeted staff first thing in the morning needed to be addressed.
So, the challenge for the acoustic consultants? To ensure that staff were adequately protected from the intermittent and unpredictable noise levels and the noise was reduced where feasible, without altering the open plan layout of the school.
In a paper being presented at Euronoise, the European conference on noise control, in Edinburgh October 26-28, the consultants said they focused on one of the kennel blocks at the school. The kennel block is a double storey room, with a viewing window for visitors at the first floor level unlike the other blocks which feature a low ceiling. However, this larger room meant more reverberation and “marginally higher (noise) levels” than the other accommodation blocks and the acoustic environment was “less desirable during periods when dogs were barking”.
The solution? Installing a highly absorptive acoustic ceiling below the soffit and fixing acoustically absorbent wall tiles to the walls.
The result? Reduced noise and reverberation levels, for both dogs and staff.
IoA: Link (External)
For more information about The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, please visit: www.guidedogs.org.uk
The Association provides services to allow blind and partially-sighted people to get around and live life to the full.
March 2009: Commercial confidence is rare in the current climate but Hepworth Acoustics are demonstrating belief not just in the present but also the future of acoustics consultancy. here.
October 2008: Leading Acoustics consultancy Hepworth Acoustics Ltd is continuing its impressive expansion plan with the opening of two new offices in September 2008, Plymouth and Leeds. here.
July 2008: Chris Parker has joined the East Midlands office as Consultant, building on the team headed up by Principal Consultant, Richard Housley. For further details, click here.
January 2008: Established Home Counties acoustics consultancy firm, Bird Acoustics joins Hepworth Acoustics. For further details, click here.
July 2007: The final report on a significant project which has been on-going since 2004 is now available. In 2004, Hepworth Acoustics was appointed by Defra to provide a fully up-to-date database of the noise produced by construction-type plant. The first part of the database was published in 2005. Now the final phase, relating to plant used in quarries, has been published For further details, click here.
June 2007: Hepworth Acoustics has recently been appointed, as a member of a consortium of four firms, to provide noise maps of Northern Ireland in fulfilment of the EU’s Environmental Noise Directive. For further details, click here.
June 2007: Hepworth Acoustics continues to expand, with new offices opening in the East Midlands, and a new consultant being appointed to head up the company's Bristol Office. For further details, click here.
May 2007: The Lumière Building: Hepworth Acoustics appointed acoustic consultants to the construction of one of the tallest, most prestigious and most exciting residential buildings in Europe. For further details, click here. lumiere
March 2007: Hepworth Acoustics funds full scholarship for MSc acoustics students at Salford University. For more information, see here (External).
August 2006: Noise Bulletin carries out its first web site review. Hepworth Acoustics is ranked in the top 10 overall, and number 1 for consultancy sites.
In the Noise Bulletin rankings for non local authority websites, the Hepworth Acoustics website has come 6th over all. This is the highest of any consultancy website. The site scored 4 (out of a potential 5) on ‘nice to use’ and ‘helpful’, and 5 on content. The inclusion of case studies, client lists and testimonials was one criterion used in the Noise Bulletin review. The Hepworth Acoustics range “highlights the scope of work undertaken”. The ranking comment is, “Extensive, logically structured with wide-ranging information. Nicely done.” Link (external).
Summer 2006: Hepworth continue as the UK distributors of ENC software, made by Causal Systems Pty Ltd.
Please click here to find out further details.
2006: The beginning of 2006 saw the continued expansion of the Hepworth Acoustics network of offices, with a new office opening in Bristol to serve Wales and South West England.
Autumn 2005 witnessed more exciting developments from Hepworth Acoustics, with the launch of a completely new website and newsletter.
The website provided the range and depth of information associated with Hepworth’s, but arranged in a fresh and dynamic way to reflect the company’s increasing growth in both the consultancy and noise-mapping fields.
Clients and company team members alike were thrilled with the publication of the new bi-annual newsletter, superSONIC, available on subscription.
|
