In this week’s blog, we look at neighbour noise disputes – from both the emotional and technical side.
There is no doubt that noise disputes can be incredibly stressful for the parties involved. A good example is the current situation with Manchester’s Night & Day cafe; the article in the link shows that there are always two sides to any argument. The owners of the venue are concerned about the cost of reducing noise, and whether they will be able to remain open at all, and have been able to generate a great deal of support from their customers and acts. But at the same time, the complainant no doubt has lost sleep and lives with the constant stress of wondering if tonight will be a ‘noisy’ night (not to mention the death threats which is appears they have received!).
This 20 year old article from the Independent graphically highlights that noise disputes can cost lives, in the most extreme cases being the cause of both murders and suicides. and even in less extreme cases stress can affect our physical and mental wellbeing. It’s important, therefore, to sort out noise disputes as quickly as possible, so that life can return to normal, hopefully before any long term damage is done. In the majority of cases the warring parties will continue to be neighbours for some time after the dispute, so preventing relationships breaking down entirely is a key concern.
One of the things which we consider absolutely critical when working on noise disputes is that the acoustic consultant’s role is to be neutral. We are there to measure and assess the noise, and to look for ways to mitigate the situation. It can be difficult for all parties to accept the conclusions reached, as inevitably one side will not get the answer they were hoping for! We therefore always suggest that the acoustic consultancy cost is shared equally by both parties, so that there can be no accusation of bias or of the desired opinion being “bought”.
A good acoustic consultant in these situations also needs to be aware of the sensitivities of both parties and even act as a counselor. Clear communication about what form the investigative work will take, as well as understanding both sides of the issue, means that all involved are happy that they are being treated fairly and that their point of view is being heard and taken seriously.
If you want noise measurements made to help with your case, it’s important that these are credible. There is a great free iPhone app which lets you record noise and keep a diary of disturbance, however measurements of noise levels need to be made by a competent person, using calibrated Class 1 sound level meters. If you end up in court, measurements made with your phone or with a cheap “off the shelf” meter will quickly be discredited.
It’s not just about the equipment either – where and when measurements are taken, and other conditions around the measurements, are important too. Make sure that you employ a member of the Institute of Acoustics so that you can be sure your consultant knows what they are doing, else you could be wasting your money.
Returning to the Night & Day case in Manchester, the owners are clearly worried that resolving the issue will be costly. We aren’t involved in that specific case so can’t comment on what the ultimate solution will be. Certainly, if you have to go to the extent of installing independent wall or ceiling linings, or upgrading your glazing, that can be costly. But in some cases, the answers are much simpler. Many venues have installed noise limiters which keep sound at a level which is acceptable to the venue and to the neighbours. The elephants who live upstairs from you may be quietened by installing a resilient underlay to their laminate floor, or even better, a carpet.
Employing an acoustic consultant isn’t likely to break the bank either – especially if the costs are shared between parties. You may be able to resolve your dispute for much less than you think. If you’d like an informal, no obligation chat, please do contact us!
dBx Acoustics worked with TTSP architects and project managers Storey on the fit out of two floors in London’s iconic ‘Scalpel’ building. The project created an activity based, agile workspace for the new European HQ for enterprise software company SAP.
The client provided in-house US acoustic design standards to us as our starting point. As the standards vary from UK terminology in several subtle ways, our first task was to review the requirements and convert them into a specification that could be used to tender the fit-out using a UK contractor.
During the work we identified areas where the specification was inconsistent or unclear and helped the client to develop a more coherent and well-defined set of acoustic requirements.
The fit-out included open plan office areas, a suite of meeting rooms, breakout and cafe space and quiet working areas. Speech privacy between meeting rooms was initially challenging due to the landlord’s limitations on connections to the mullions and the desire to have an open ceiling with suspended rafts. Good design and detailing ensured that, upon commissioning, the required level of speech privacy was achieved.
As SAP’s European HQ, the fit-out also includes an open plan area which can be used as a presentation space for external clients. Excellent speech intelligibility throughout this area was a key requirement and an acoustic model of the space was created to establish the most effective quantity and placement of acoustic treatments.
The project was completed in Spring 2021. You can find out more about the HQ here.