Acoustic consultant

An acoustic consultant can help to design, assess, manage and control sound and vibrations in the built environment. They might provide consultancy for the design or assessment of acoustics in homes, workplaces, leisure facilities, the outdoor environment and so on. They may also be described as acousticians or acoustic engineers.

The duties undertaken by acoustic consultants might include:

• Offering advice to architects and other designers.
• Noise assessments of existing buildings.
• Compliance testing.
• Vibration monitoring.
• Construction site surveys.
• Assessing industrial sites.
• Assessing noise levels and noise nuisance and providing noise mitigation advice.
• Assessing problem spaces and equipment and proposing mitigation strategies.
• Assessing intelligibility and reverberation time.
• Carrying out acoustic analysis and design using specialist modelling software.
• Assessing how changes in design affect sound levels and quality.
• Technical report writing.
• Preparing proposals.
• Liaising with clients, project managers, designers and contractors.
• Designing and working on specialist facilities and equipment such as recording studio and broadcast equipment.
• Developing acoustic environments for specialist spaces such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, teaching spaces, arenas and so on.
• Assessing the impact of developments such as airports and roads.
• Assessing environmental noise and carrying out noise surveys.
• Expert witness services.

Acoustic consultants tend to be practical people and creative problem solvers. They require a broad knowledge of the subject, legislation and standards and will generally hold a relevant degree-level qualification and a diploma or post graduate qualification in acoustics, such as the IOA diploma. They can become members of the Institute of Acoustics (IOA). Consultancy practices and businesses can join the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC). Like many other careers,a budding acoustic consultant usually starts out through a work experience role.

They can choose to specialise in specific areas of acoustics, such as; audio and hi-fi design, auditorium and concert hall design, broadcasting and telecommunications, teaching spaces, laboratory design and so on.

See also: Suitably Qualified Acoustician.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Airborne sound.
• BREEAM Acoustic performance.
• British standards.
• Building acoustics.
• Building Bulletin 93: acoustic design of schools.
• Building regulations.
• Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.
• Decibel.
• Flanking sound.
• Impact sound.
• Noise nuisance.
• Reverberation time.
• Room acoustics.
• Sound absorption.
• Sound insulation.
• Sound v noise.
• Structure-borne sound.
• Suitably Qualified Acoustician.
• Walt Disney Concert Hall.