Q&A with an Acoustics Engineer: Exploring Key Trends in Acoustics Design – Part 1

At TEECOM, our acoustics team is dedicated to elevating the sensory experience in every project within the built environment. Led by a seasoned professional who has honed their expertise at world-renowned firms, our experienced team comes together to tackle our clients’ most complex challenges. In this first installment of our Q&A series with Robby Deem, our acoustics and vibration discipline leader, we explore key trends shaping the future of acoustics and vibration engineering.

Q: How have past experiences enabled you to lead a team of passionate acoustic designers & engineers?

A: My experience at acoustics & technology focused firms and multi-discipline engineering organizations has shown me that acoustic consultants are often key connectors in a project team. We’re truly holistic design thinkers that play a critical role in ensuring a well-integrated and coordinated design and outcome for our clients and the individual users of the spaces.

I love the challenge of making our work seamless and nearly invisible while significantly enhancing the user experience and that our work can be found within any type of space throughout the built environment including spaces where users:

• Work 40 hours a week.
• Seek restful sleep within an urban environment.
• Conduct groundbreaking healthcare research.
• Recover in a hospital.
• Find respite in a neurodivergent-friendly environment.
• Enjoy a night at a symphony center.

Acoustics are vital to how we experience and remember the world around us. Our team sees great opportunity to influence how we experience the world, how we want to experience the world in the future, and how we push forward towards a more sustainable world.

Q: You mention a more sustainable world being one of the team’s goals. Thinking about embodied carbon, why is it important to understand the impact and quantify embodied carbon in the acoustic design of projects?

A: Embodied carbon includes the greenhouse gas emissions produced during the production, transportation, and installation of building materials. Buildings contribute up to 40% of global energy-related carbon emissions, with over a quarter stemming from materials and construction. Interior fit-outs are often excluded from these conversations. However, there’s a growing focus on reusing materials and choosing products with more recycled content, which presents exciting technical challenges and opportunities for the industry.

The acoustic consulting and product industry is often viewed as a carbon adder. Some examples of where we contribute to carbon emissions is due to making recommendations for modified wall types, making assemblies heavier, using additional products to make resilient connections, or increasing sound absorption qualities.

We have focused on strategies to improve how we present acoustic design strategies with clients to ensure informed decisions are made in terms of carbon impact while also championing early engagement to shape design criteria and design strategies effectively, avoiding over-engineered and costly mitigation solutions. This has also allowed us to present a balance between acoustic ratings and embodied carbon impact when important to our clients.

The industry is still learning to balance embodied and operational carbon, and we’re seeing significant advancements and new products coming to market that are allowing us to meet those goals more seamlessly. It’s crucial to continue pushing for progress and challenging the status quo. For me, I’m fascinated by lab-grown acoustic design solutions like using mycelium for sound absorption and leveraging products that are designed with a circular lifecycle in mind.

We’re committed to joining our clients on their path to carbon neutrality. Understanding the environmental impact of materials and processes is vital, and we strive to share our knowledge and workshop with collaborators, clients, and owners whenever possible.

Q: Mass timber and hybrid timber systems sequester carbon & have growing interest in many cases to build more efficiently and promote biophilia. How does this or should it impact acoustic design?

A: Mass timber is a hot topic, especially for its aesthetic appeal and inherent sustainable qualities as a renewable resource. The use of mass timber presents unique design challenges and opportunities across all disciplines including acoustics. It requires innovative solutions to balance safety, performance, and aesthetics. From an acoustic standpoint, multi-family projects need effective floor-ceiling constructions for sound and impact control, while commercial offices, aviation terminals, and libraries may need solutions for controlling vibration from long-span structures, HVAC systems, or occupant noise build-up. Engaging an acoustic consultant with mass timber experience early in the project design process can support exceptional outcomes and the ability to make strategic decisions where trade-offs may be expected.

TEECOM’s acoustics experts have experience addressing these challenges by developing path-of-travel and user experience auralization studies to allow informed design decisions to be made. Our team collaborates closely with architects and engineers to create acoustical solutions that enhance the structural and aesthetic qualities of mass timber and hybrid systems, ensuring the desired acoustical performance while maintaining sustainable principles and visual appeal.

Q: What are the acoustics considerations in office-to-residential and office-to-lab conversions?

A: We are always enthusiastic about bringing assets into a new phase of their life by converting the use. In office-to-residential conversions, some of the key challenges include managing vertical transportation, ensuring natural light reaches into the deep floor plates, extensive modifications to the building systems, as well as, developing consistent details for controlling horizontal and vertical sound transmission. Addressing these acoustic considerations early on can help minimize impacts on budget, schedule, and carbon footprint.

Office-to-lab conversions encounter many similar design challenges; however, the importance of structural vibration performance and mechanical system design, particularly exhaust, increases significantly. Early vibration due diligence studies can identify suitable locations for vibration-sensitive labs or inform necessary budget adjustments. These are often a mix of field studies of existing conditions and 3D predictive modeling analyses. In a recent adaptive reuse project, our team assessed multiple warehouses near commuter and freight rail lines for conversion into a state-of-the-art research facility. The existing ground-borne vibration levels were a critical factor in the final building selection.

Q: What are the key acoustics challenges in historic renovations, modernizations, and adaptive reuse projects?

A: Statistics indicate that 75% of the infrastructure we'll use by 2050 hasn't been built yet. As cities and metro areas grow denser, there will also be an increasing desire to retrofit existing buildings, transforming them into modern, world-class destinations.

Some of my favorite projects have been adaptive reuse or modernization efforts where existing structures and site limitations sparked creative space planning and integrated design solutions. Instead of starting from scratch, we work with constraints such as existing structure, facade restrictions, placement of sound-absorbing materials, and HVAC layouts, all while navigating complex code requirements and securing heritage funding.

TEECOM Can Help

TEECOM is a leader in providing innovative acoustics solutions across a wide variety of project types. With a strong focus on collaboration, TEECOM partners with stakeholders through all project phases to deliver high-quality, tailored acoustic designs that enhance user experience and functionality.

We offer comprehensive acoustics consulting services for conversions of all types. Our team conducts thorough acoustical assessments and develops customized solutions that meet the specific requirements of residential and lab environments. Whether it’s enhancing privacy in a residential conversion or controlling noise in a lab setting, we provide the expertise and solutions to ensure successful project outcomes.

Stay tuned for part two of this series diving into more acoustics design trends and design opportunities our team is excited to explore.

For more information on our services and how we can support your project, click here or contact Robby Deem (robby.deem@teecom.com; 708-808-2446).

About the Author

Robby is a Principal and Senior Consultant at TEECOM, responsible for leading the acoustics design team and overseeing multidisciplinary projects across a wide range of sectors, including higher education, arts & culture, workplace, healthcare, and science & technology. With more than 12 years of experience in acoustic consulting, Robby brings an extensive background in architectural engineering, performance-based design, and delivering technical excellence. His approach prioritizes collaboration and effective communication, consistently integrating sustainability, health, and well-being features into every project.