The music building at the University of Pennsylvania underwent some major changes over the past year. While students enjoyed walking through the halls, hearing the sounds of vocal performances and musical instruments they were often thwarted by one problem – sound from outside.
The new building features three formal classrooms, nine new rooms dedicated to practice, a state of the art recording studio, and a computer lab. The building was, of course, modeled with state of the art soundproofing materials – ensuring the sounds of helicopters and ambulances in this bustling district are no longer a disturbance.
The airport at Rotorua has some problems. First they had to battle a change in flight plans based on a nearby neighbor’s refusal to cut down his trees. Now, the Te Arawa Hapu is protesting flight paths because the airplanes will cause a considerable amount of noise as they fly over the marae – the ancestral homes fo the Ngati Uenukukopako people.
Neighbors protested and the protest was eventually called off after the council agreed to arrange a meeting, slated for the end of March, to discuss soundproofing and other concerns. Sometimes we wonder if the reopening of this particular airport was really worth the effort.
The Bay View area recording studio in Milwaukee, known as the Tannery Recording Studio, just ropened. The studio had a great reputation as a top-notch place to make recordings but after a while the owners recognized the need to make some changes.
After remodeling and renovations, the studio is better than ever before. There is now a window between the control room and the ercording studio and the soundproofing throughout the entire building is better than ever before! This is definitely the place you want to go to make music!
The nightclub scene in London is already suffering, with many popular DJ’s and performers opting to hit other major European cities instead of what is becoming a sleepy destination. Now, the Ministry of Sound faces closure as the Allies & Morrison development company considers building a development in the area.
So what’s the problem? If the residential development moves in and just one resident makes a noise complaint the club could be shut down.
In the developer’s defense, they have agreed to pay more than 400,000 pounds towards soundproofing in the club. The club rejected the deal because they don’t want to close down to do the work.
In the hearts of those who lost loved ones, and in those who are still suffering from their injuries, the memories of The Station nightclub fire in 2003 still burn strongly.
This month marks the 7 year anniversary of the blaze, in which pyrotechnics used by the performing bands lit soundproofing materials on fire, causing a rapidly spreading blaze and a maze of panic. More than 100 people died in the fire and many others were seriously injured.
The owners of the club originally pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter but were eventually convicted. Today, lawsuits and judgements are still pending against the owners and the band itself.
The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago has plans for a major expansion. After purchasing a piece of property across from its current location, they plan to move forward with the construction of a new building. It’ll be complete with classrooms, reasonably sized practice halls, and a new theater.
The current school houses 7,000 students every week and many are turned away due to lack of space. The new building, complete with proper soundproofing, will ensure that doesn’t happen again.
A group of NYC residents is relatively annoyed. Brick Underground did a survey of around 500 residents asking them whether or not they could hear their neighbors – at night – uh… being intimate.
Some were concerned because they went as far as to pay for extra soundproofing before buying units in multi-level dwellings. Others simply blame it on thin NYC walls. But what’s the real problem?
People are simply inconsiderate – at all hours of the day – and they’re loud. You might need to consider extra soundproofing – or you might need to let your neighbors know they need to upgrade theirs!
If you’re renovating your home, or simply adding an addition, you may find it important to include soundproofing in your new construction. It’s hard to juggle the position of the rooms in a house you already own so let’s say, for example, you plan on putting a family room near a bedroom. You don’t want events in the family room to disturb someone trying to sleep so you’ll need to sound proof the wall.
This particular contractor is using a very special sheet of drywall (probably with a product similar to Green Glue within it) and some spray foam. We don’t necessarily condone spray foam as the most effective material, but we do appreciate his ideas. Check it out!
One of the many churches in Schuylkill County, PA plans to open a new youth center but this one has some very unique plans. In order to reach the county’s youth, the center is going to open in a mall.
The mall is a great location for the youth center. The church feels the youth will be more likely to attend events if they are held in a location the kids already enjoy. They’re also working to update and soundproof the center to make sure the music and activities don’t disturb other tenants.
They hope to open the center in the mall by the end of March.
The Quieter Home program in Louisville is moving forward. Phase 2 of the program was approved last week, granting the Louisville Regional Airport Authority the permission it needed to soundproof another 93 homes.
Each home will be given sound-insulating treatments to help protect it (and its inhabitants) from the noise caused by the aircraft entering and leaving the airport. Homeowners will need to apply for the program by filling out an application package that will be mailed to their homes. Those who are eligibile will receive more than $50,000 in soundproofing, including upgrades to their windows, insulation, and ventilation systems!