Housing for Women by Women
In honour of International Women’s Day, we would like to put a spotlight on the SIV (Soroptimist International of Vancouver)...
08 March, 2024
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Features
The Benefits of Acoustical Site Visits During Construction
An acoustical site visit during construction can bring peace of mind to developers — and peace and quiet to the...
27 November, 2023
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The Realm of Effective Acoustics Part 5: Home Stereo Systems
Our journey is almost complete. Along the way we’ve looked at sound isolation, YouTube acoustics, noise-measuring smartphone apps, and event...
28 February, 2023
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The Realm of Effective Acoustics Part 4: Regulating Event Noise
Our previous foray took us through the world of noise-measuring smartphone apps. Earlier, we discussed sound isolation and viral armchair...
30 January, 2023
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The Realm of Effective Acoustics Part 3: Measuring Noise with a Smartphone App
Last time we entered the realm, we examined sound isolation and room acoustics, and before that we met the armchair...
30 November, 2022
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The Realm of Effective Acoustics Part 2: When Armchair Acousticians Go Viral
In Part 1 we met the armchair acoustician and discussed the differences between sound isolation and room acoustics. In Part...
23 September, 2022
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The Realm of Effective Acoustics Part 1: Sound Isolation Vs Room Acoustics
Here we dispel common misconceptions and take a look at the proper way to solve problems related to noise and...
23 August, 2022
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How to Keep a Lid on Pickleball Noise
Pickleball is among Canada’s fastest-growing sports. It’s also one of the noisiest. As municipalities try to meet demand for the...
30 April, 2022
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The Benefits of Sound Masking
This post looks at the benefits of sound masking, how it works, and why sound masking systems, alongside other acoustical...
28 February, 2022
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Theatre Acoustics: Ancient Intuition Meets Modern Scientific Rigour
Many ancient amphitheaters are recognized for their wonderful acoustics. Legend says that in the Colosseum, the emperor could hear the...
30 October, 2021
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Loud Vehicle Noise: An Exhausting Problem
As the pandemic continues, people across Canada have adopted new daily rhythms. More people are working from home, so fewer...
30 September, 2021
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What Is a Decibel?
Most folks know that a decibel is a measure of sound, but there’s much more to it than that. This...
30 August, 2021
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7 Ways that Noise and Hearing Have Changed Since the Lockdowns, For Better or For Worse
Noise, the increase of or lack thereof, can make an enormous difference in the ambience of a space. Since COVID-19–related...
30 June, 2021
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BC Energy Step Code and Acoustics
Our buildings are going to look a lot different in the not-so-distant future. British Columbia is on the cusp of...
25 March, 2021
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How to Meet Acoustical Requirements While Reducing Embodied Carbon
On April 29, 2019, the City of Vancouver declared a climate emergency. At the same time, the municipality announced “six...
27 November, 2020
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The Evolution of Open-Plan Office Acoustics
Office space is changing.During the industrial revolution, factories started bringing huge numbers of people together to work. Not long into...
19 October, 2020
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Good Speech Communication is Possible in Restaurants, Even During A Pandemic
In the months since COVID-19 took over the news cycle, restaurants have adapted to stay open and observe the recommendations...
11 September, 2020
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Outdoor Noise Prediction: The Advantages and Limitations of Computer Noise Modelling
During BKL’s 54 years of acoustical consulting, the method of calculating and predicting outdoor noise propagation has evolved from hand...
30 August, 2020
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Transit Centre Acoustics
Where do buses start and finish each day? At a transit centre. These facilities are the hubs of public transportation...
04 June, 2020
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How to Make Your Home Office Video Conference Sound Its Best
Even before the pandemic, more and more people were working from home regularly. Thanks to contemporary computers and cellphones, with...
30 April, 2020
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Do Trees Block Sound? How Do We Soundproof a Room? We Answer Some Common Questions About Acoustics
Do trees block sound? How do you soundproof a room? Why is there a fountain in the lobby? As acoustical...
27 March, 2020
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The Science of Singing in the Shower
All of us have broken into song during a shower at least once. Many of us go all out. As...
22 November, 2019
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Everybody Hertz: How to Deal with Annoying Low-Frequency Noise
Often constant and usually monotonous, a low-frequency noise or hum in your home can make you feel like you are...
30 September, 2019
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Acoustics and WELL-Being: A Closer Look at the WELL Building Standard
What makes a building sustainable? In the past, a mix of building design standards sought to provide guidelines for environmental...
18 July, 2019
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Modular Buildings and Acoustics: 3 Key Principles
Compared to traditional construction, modular buildings offer shorter build times, less wasted material, and lower overhead. These benefits have popularized...
25 June, 2019
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The 2018 BC Building Code Encourages Better Acoustics in Multi-Family Dwellings
Back in 2015, updates to the National Building Code ushered in new acoustical requirements for sound transmission between adjoining suites....
25 April, 2019
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Measuring Footfall Noise
Ever wonder how we assess impact sound isolation in floor/ceiling assemblies? Well, for starters, we don’t send one acoustician upstairs...
29 March, 2019
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Design Your Restaurant with an Ear for Acoustics
The modern-day restaurant, bar, or tasting room is a place to relax and enjoy food, drink, and the company of...
08 November, 2018
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Noise Control in Fitness Centres, Gyms, and Workout Studios
In recent years, the number of fitness centres, gyms and workout studios has increased greatly. New apartment buildings, shopping malls,...
02 November, 2018
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Broadcast, Recording, and Film Studio Acoustics
Every successful radio, television, or film studio provides an environment where voices are reproduced to exacting standards—without interference from unwanted...
13 September, 2018
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Resilient Channel: If You Use It, Don’t Screw It Up!
According to building codes, party floor/ceiling assemblies must provide a minimum Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating of 50. To achieve this...
10 July, 2018
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A Quiet Place: An Acoustical Review
A Quiet Place tells the story of a family in plight—the Abbotts—fighting for survival against killer aliens that are sightless,...
24 May, 2018
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Long-Term Measurements: Because noise and vibration don’t keep banker’s hours
Environmental noise and vibration can rankle at any hour. From first light (we’re looking at you, songbirds) to the stroke...
30 April, 2018
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Acoustical Design for Houses of Worship
Few buildings have more demanding acoustical requirements than houses of worship. Because the delivery of spoken word and the offering...
29 March, 2018
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Staying Up to Date with the Latest Acoustical Standards
At BKL, we stay up to date with the latest standards, developed by the world’s leading researchers in the fields...
22 February, 2018
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Improve Your School Music Program with Good Acoustical Design
Whether you are building a new school or upgrading an existing facility, properly planning the acoustics in your music rehearsal...
31 January, 2018
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Late Reflections, Echoes, and Speech Intelligibility
While human ears and brains are remarkable speech processors, our ability to understand speech is easily degraded by a little...
02 November, 2017
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Music Venue Acoustics: Optimizing Reflections for Audiences and Musicians
Reflecting sound waves significantly affect how a room sounds, so optimizing these reflections is an essential part of the acoustical...
06 September, 2017
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Theatre Acoustics: Designing Drama Spaces for Speech and Music
Storytelling is one of the oldest human traditions, and a great drama space connects the audience to the actors, setting...
28 July, 2017
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Acoustics of Concert Halls, Rehearsal Rooms and Music Facilities
Music, in all its styles and forms, interacts with its environment. Because the acoustical environment is part of the musical...
29 June, 2017
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The Myth of Privacy in an Open-Plan Office
“It’s the best of both worlds,” says the salesman. “All you need are these little screens, an acoustical tile ceiling,...
31 March, 2017
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Intelligible Design: Reverberation time and hearing
Reverberation time (RT) is a measure of how long it takes for sound to decay in a space. It can...
21 January, 2017
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New Requirements in the 2015 National Building Code: Flanking Noise
The recently updated National Building Code (NBC) of Canada 2015 presents a new way to control airborne sound transmitted between...
14 October, 2016
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Noise Barriers: How do they work?
Outdoor noise barriers can effectively reduce the transmission of noise from source to receiver. When placed between source and receiver,...
08 August, 2016
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Speaking Tips for Friends of People with Impaired Hearing
Last fall, we wrote about how acoustical design can improve speech intelligibility for people with impaired hearing. Yet even in a...
21 July, 2016
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Smart Acoustical Design Helps Listeners with Impaired Hearing
When designing your care facility, rest home, classroom, university lecture hall, amphitheatre or house of worship, consider incorporating acoustical design...
05 October, 2015
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LEED and Green Building Acoustics
A recent survey of green buildings (mostly in the United States) indicated that the main drawbacks from the users perspective...
07 September, 2015
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Reflections on Noise Modelling
Constructing a noise barrier or enclosure can be a significant investment. BKL works alongside owners and project managers to help them...
21 July, 2015
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Understanding the Health Effects of Wind Turbine Noise
In 2014, approximately $30 billion was invested in clean energy sources in Canada. That’s an increase of 9 percent from...
01 June, 2015
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BKL Brings Music to the Ears of Audiences and Performers
Evidence of BKL’s leadership in acoustics can be found in live performance venues across Western Canada. For example, BKL consulted...
07 November, 2014
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Wind Turbine Noise Conference Presentation
BKL Partner Mark Bliss prepared a paper and presentation about environmental noise assessment of proposed wind farms for the 5th International Conference...
10 September, 2014
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Mark Bliss Noise-Con 2013 Presentation
BKL Partner Mark Bliss prepared a paper and a presentation for NOISE-CON 2013 Denver summarizing two music-related assessments we performed for the City...
26 June, 2014
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Fenestration West – Acoustic Performance of Windows
BKL was invited to talk about the acoustic performance of windows at the latest Fenestration West conference, as summarized in...
14 May, 2014
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Sound and the City
Infuse Vancouver 2013 was the Canadian Institute of Planners' (CIP) annual conference, jointly put on with the Planning Institute of...
18 March, 2014
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A Note on the Acoustical Benefits of Styrofoam
Acoustical Benefits: NONE! ...
17 February, 2014
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Looking for Sound
"Where did that sound come from?" is a question often asked. It can also be a difficult question to answer....
10 January, 2014
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Control of Noise Exposure to Residential Buildings
Noise exposure to residential dwellings can come from a number of exterior sources ranging from aircraft overhead to the neighbour's...
15 August, 2013
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Some useful acoustics, noise and vibration-related websites and resources
SoundSmart Noise Control Manual YVR Aircraft Noise Tracking Port of Vancouver Noise Monitoring Terminals HEAR: Hearing Education & Awareness...
14 April, 2013
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Footstep and Impact Noise in Multi-Family Dwellings
Noise issues are common in apartments, condominiums and other multi-family dwellings, and footstep/impact noise is currently the most significant. Footstep...
25 September, 2012
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Do’s and Don’ts for the Noise Sensitive Home Buyer
(before you make the offer) Buying a house or apartment is a traumatic time. The decision to purchase is often driven...
15 February, 2012
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Noise: Annoyance and Zoning Regulations
Noise creates annoyance through a combination of factors, both physical and psychological. In the physical realm, we include:The level of...
15 February, 2012
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![By David J (Flickr: Friend's studio) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://bkl.ca/wp-content/uploads/Friends_home_studio_by_David_J.jpg)
Home and Project Studio FAQ
We get a lot of inquiries regarding studio design in homes, garages, apartments and condos. Most people involved in building...
15 February, 2012
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Shear Bracing
(originally circulated on paper January 25, 1994) Interpretations of the British Columbia Building Code requirements for shear bracing of wood frame...
15 February, 2012
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