Acoustical Experience: Guideline and Policy Development
About This Project
We have worked with all levels of government to provide advice on building acoustics and environmental noise and vibration criteria and assessment. Our experience includes reviewing existing regulations, engaging with stakeholders, developing new regulations and supporting documentation, and presenting to councils.
BC Ministry of Labour, Citizens’ Services and Open Government
We performed technical reviews and updates of acoustical standards for BC government offices and correctional facilities and presented our findings in reports to government staff.
BCIT
To supplement BCIT’s existing technical standards, we developed an acoustical guideline that set minimum standards for sound isolation, background noise control, and reverberation control to ensure the school’s spaces featured ideal acoustics for education.
Vancouver Parks Board
City of Richmond
We consulted on a full rewrite of Richmond’s noise control bylaw, including rationale for change. We presented at council meetings and hearings, as well as business and community stakeholder meetings. We also surveyed the public, attended an open house, and applied the new bylaw to existing noise complaint scenarios. To support City staff, we developed a guidance manual and trained bylaw officers.
City of Vancouver
District of North Vancouver
To address potential disturbances caused by noise from heat pumps and other exterior mechanical equipment, the District hired us to develop acoustical guidelines for homeowners. The guidelines advised on equipment location, noise rating, and available noise control options.
Metro Vancouver
We developed a guideline for Metro Vancouver, which includes 21 municipalities and one First Nation), to advise on how and when to assess construction-related noise and vibration. The document addresses management strategies, risk evaluation guidance, and best practices for assessing and reporting on noise and vibration.
Port of Vancouver
In partnership with the Port’s environment and communications staff, we developed two comprehensive guidelines — a noise monitoring plan and noise management plan — to help the Port manage noise within its four major trade areas. Our scope included in-person interviews with Port tenants to better understand Port operations and constraints.
Township of Langley
We performed a detailed review of proposed revisions to the Township’s noise control bylaw and provided training to bylaw enforcement staff about the revised bylaw and the use of instrumentation, including sound level meters.
TransLink
We developed interim guidelines to assess the environmental impacts of SkyTrain and other transportation and industrial noise and vibration at properties slated for new noise- and vibration-sensitive developments. We worked with TransLink to conduct workshops with five municipalities and create a detailed report outlining applicable projects, appropriate noise criteria, and standards for conducting noise and vibration assessments.
UBC
To understand and mitigate event noise at three venues on UBC’s Vancouver campus, we developed a code of practice that outlined noise management plans and objective noise limits. To develop the code, we conducted background noise surveys and event noise measurements at each location.
YVR
Concerned with potential noise exposure at nearby residential, commercial, and educational land uses, YVR hired us to create guidelines for developers and builders to limit the effects of aircraft noise on their properties.