Live musical entertainment and recorded music can create noise concerns for clubs, pubs, and music venues. BKL understands how noise from music venues can impact nearby homes, businesses, and other noise-sensitive locations—and has experience assessing sound transmission from venues to residential suites upstairs or next door.
According to city noise bylaws, music venues need to comply with a number of requirements. Often, these bylaw requirements are meant to ensure that noise from venues does not unduly impact residences in other buildings. Some requirements include assessing the impacts on dwellings that share a common partition with the venue.
In the City of Vancouver, the noise bylaw requires noise levels to be assessed 3 metres from the building facade. This is to control noise levels on the public right of way.
The City also enforces bylaw conditions when a music venue applies for an extended-hours liquor license. Consequently, BKL has conducted noise assessments to support clients’ extended-hours applications by evaluating compliance with the bylaws, and detailing the results and any noise control recommendations in a report to accompany the application.
Where a residence shares a common partition with a pub or nightclub, noise isolation must be assessed to establish how much noise is transmitting to the residential dwelling. The City of Vancouver specifies permissible noise levels that must be met, and requires that a noise assessment for supporting an extended-hours liquor license application reports the predicted noise impact levels and whether these meet the bylaw requirements.
BKL can assess and recommend acoustical treatments that minimize sound transmission between spaces, meet bylaw requirements, and also meet a client’s expectations for atmosphere and music levels. Over the years, BKL has provided acoustical consulting for the following select list of clubs, pubs, and music venues: