Thinking of starting a career in acoustics and noise? Wonder what a noise consultant gets up to? Not knowing where to begin? Hopefully ParkerJones Acoustics provides some insight into the life of an acoustics, noise and vibration consultant.
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A big part of being an Acoustic Consultant in ‘normal life’ is getting out to sites to conduct noise surveys and sound testing. Some weeks this can be a lot of driving, one day I’ll be in Cornwall, the next I’ll be in London, the day after I might be in North Wales…
Right now, like most, the entirety of my day is spent at home in front of a computer. I can’t complain too much. We’ve been having some great weather so the lockdown gives me a perfect excuse to get out and do some work in the garden. I’ve even got a two screen set-up!
A lot of noise surveys can be conducted with very little human interaction, so I could still go out right? In some cases maybe, however, a noise survey is usually to establish what the existing day to day noise levels are at a site. When there’s very little traffic on the roads or in the air, then it’s going to be unrepresentatively quiet.
Fortunately, for the foreseeable future, there is an alternative to the noise survey, which is supported by the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC). Local councils and Environmental Health Officers are being very supportive to allow the planning process to continue running as smoothly as possible, with minimal delays.
A noise climate can instead be estimated from a very detailed 3D noise map model. The model can be based upon a number of information sources. Firstly, data from other noise surveys conducted in the area in the last few years. Secondly, traffic count data from the Department for Transport (DFT), using the Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN) methodology. Thirdly, strategic noise mapping data for major transport routes from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
So whilst a day in ‘normal life’ could be out on a noise survey sunning it up (or freezing my fingers off and getting caught in stinging nettles), I now could easily spend a day giving myself a headache by spending hours trawling through the local councils planning portal looking for noise survey data, and tweaking every aspect of the noise model to the nth degree.
But the result can be quite satisfying. It’s a bit like the hours spent playing SimCity as a child. And it’s great to still be able to produce noise assessments without delay, in fact, they can often be done quicker.
Quite a lot actually. Outside of noise surveys, much of an acoustic consultant’s work is already a desktop assessment.
Building Acoustics (or Architectural Acoustics) is one such area, particularly for new-builds. As the development isn’t built, we’re already working off drawings anyway. There are a whole range of calculations and assessments to look at sound insulation, reverberation times (room acoustics), and indoor ambient noise levels.
For example, in a school or a healthcare facility, sound insulation calculations are quite a big task. BB93 and HTM 08-01classify every room with a different requirements for acoustic privacy, noise-sensitivity, and typical activity noise levels. This means that walls and floors don’t all have the same sound insulation requirements, they all require a specific calculation. An acoustic consultant then has to relay this information by producing a sound insulation ‘mark-up’, coloring the sound reduction requirements of all the walls, doors, and glazing. A similar procedure is needed for calculation the sound reduction requirements of external glazing to limit noise ingress, and to specify areas of sound absorbent treatment to control reverberation times. So, nothing’s new here, this can all be done at home.
Construction noise assessments are another area. Sites in dense urban areas may have to produce a Construction Noise Management Plan before commencing works. This can involve producing calculations to predict the noise impact on local noise-sensitive properties during the various phases of construction. Providing I have a good idea of the scheduling and type of equipment which will be used, I can do another noise model and figure out what measures the Contractor may or may not need to take to mitigate noise.
One last example, Industrial plant noise can still be assessed, by you guessed it, a noise model. I can easily go down a rabbit hole looking through reems of M&E specifications and datasheets to find the all elusive noise data. Then I need to figure out where in-duct attenuators are required, or noise enclosures/barriers, or maybe a different item of plant altogether.
There are probably about 20 other examples I can think of, but if you’ve already reached this point of the article without falling asleep, then I might be about to push you over the edge…
No not really. I’m still keeping relatively busy as a small business, probably doing a more normal working day rather than a 14 hour one for 6 days a week! But 3 – 4 enquiries a day might now be only 3 – 4 a week, if that. Confidence in the construction industry and the economy is understandably shaken right now. I’m sure a lot of other acoustic consultancies have had to strip back by furloughing staff, or cutting wages for the short term, which is unfortunate.
I can’t complain too much, because as a small business owner, I’m never short of things to do, even if there’s no project work. I do everything myself (for now…), so whether it’s working on the website, doing the accounts, maintaining equipment, or writing articles like this. So, to some extent, the lockdown is good chance to catch up with a bit of admin.
I hope you enjoyed this short article, and keep an eye out for more articles on the common questions that I get asked by clients in my job as an acoustic consultant. Feel free to connect and message me through LinkedIn, send me an email at chris@parkerjonesacoustics.com, or through our Contact Us page.
The COVID-19 might be impacting our ability to do noise surveys, but there are alternative methods for noise assessments using noise modelling/mapping, without delays.
The coronavirus lockdown has put a temporary stop to noise surveys. But, we believe noise assessments can still be done without a noise survey.
Thinking of a career in acoustic consultancy? What qualifications do you need? How do you get started? What can you expect as a young acoustic consultant?
How can one our noise consultants help with your architectural acoustic design, noise surveying, or noise assessment requirements?
