IT MACH, Author at MACH GROUP

MACH Acoustics Update February 2017

29th January 2018Acoustic Design, Updates

As we start 2017 in new offices, we wanted to update our friends and partners about some of the latest developments at MACH Acoustics.

Last year was our busiest year yet and saw us work on over 200 different projects, varying in size and scope. The business grew by 26% and we increased our team to over twenty staff, of which we’re happy to say a third are women.

In January, after ten years with us, Stefan Hannan was promoted to Director. Stefan’s vast acoustics experience covers all sectors, particularly educational, commercial, residential and mixed-use developments.

Ze, the founder of MACH Acoustics, is now focusing on new developments for the consultancy. These include: MACH Energy – thermal building analysis, MACH Testing – sound and air testing, SAP and SBEM assessments, detailed noise planning assessments and MACH Software – integrating acoustic artificial intelligence into BIM.

We are always proud to see our designs win industry and client awards. Recently the Acoustics & Noise Consultants Awards 2015 & 2016 recognised two of our school designs – the Wallscourt Farm Academy design for its ‘advanced understanding of the acoustics of open plan spaces’ and the cross laminated timber-built Steiner School in Frome for its excellent sound insulation.

The Keynsham Civic Centre – an open plan atrium, public library, retail and office space – won both a RIBA South West and a Sustainability award, an impressive achievement and an exciting project to be involved in.

Ze and all the team at MACH would like to thank our progressive clients for their business in 2016. We are always keen to hear from old friends and look forward to working together in the near future to design beautiful, creatively engineered buildings!

Please note our new address is:

MACH Acoustics Ltd

3rd Floor, 4 York Court

Upper York Street

Bristol

BS2 8QF

Tel: 0117 944 1388

info@machacoustics.com

ze@machacoustics.com

Stefan@machacoustics.com

What makes a good engineer?

29th January 2018Acoustic Design, Newsletters, Technology

I asked this question around the office and overwhelmingly the one word that kept coming up was “curiosity”. Curiosity, tenacity, a tidy mind and the ability to identify weak areas and challenge them by finding solutions.

This pretty much sums up a review I’d write up of how truly excellent the current BBC2 series of Big Life Fix (with Simon Reeve) is. This programme showcases engineering and inventions and mixes those skills with kindness and empathy. Initially the challenges of everyday life are sought out – and curiosity prompts these to be overcome by seeking out solutions. Of course, having a technical background is integral to the solution, but it’s imagination and the ability to think differently that greatly assists and frees these wonderful people.

Watch it, enjoy it and marvel at how clever and compassionate people are. This will and should inspire the next generation of would be engineers and inventors – the world needs these skills and enquiring minds to be used as a force for good.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084ztrw

All in a weeks’ work for Josh

29th January 2018Acoustic Design, Lecture theatre, MACH Energy

· There are several social media site dedicated to what engineers get up to on a daily basis – here’s a week in the working life of Josh, and it seems pretty full on with a great variety of projects.

Oxford University Magdalen College – Conversion of squash courts to music studio

· UCA Farnham – performing arts building – lecture theatres, TV production studios and recording studios – near an RAF base with massive noisy chinook helicopters flying over it on a daily basis.

Glastonbury IPRU – a pupil referral unit school with NVB Architects and Midas
Hadspen Spa – auralisation of swimming pool – also interesting fact is that the main country manor building that will be converted into a hotel (Stefan is working on that bit) It was won in a bidding war against Johnny Depp who clearly has a penchant for beautiful country manor houses
Helped out Beard Construction in Oxford, looking at improving the acoustics in their open plan office – a common problem fairly easy to fix

Magdalen College, Oxford University – squash court to make music

29th January 2018Music Spaces

Josh Childs is doing a feasibility study to turn one of the squash courts into a two storey music practice space with Kingshaw M&E and Oliver Architecture – a very good example of using what you have and redeveloping for current demand. The space will work extremely well used for this purpose and will no doubt bring music to the ears of many students.

Passivhaus recognition for MACHs’ Max

29th January 2018Low Energy, MACH Energy, Passivhaus

Passivhaus is the world’s leading fabric first approach to low energy buildings. Following an intensive course of training followed by a 3 hour exam, becoming a certified Passivhaus consultant provides a deep understanding behind the fundamental concepts in making highly energy efficient buildings, from the early design concepts aimed at minimising unnecessary heat loss to the construction stages where detailing and workmanship are essential in ensuring the building performs as well in reality as it does on paper.

MACH Acoustics is pleased to announce that Max Reynolds has now gained this qualification – following his interest in the subject and amassing both academic and practical knowledge. Watch this space for Passivhaus studies and content and how sustainable acoustics can work in harmony with this way of working.

London Green Register bite size session, Thursday 13th October: Window Design and Acoustics

29th January 2018Eco Buildings, Low Energy, Sustainable Acoustics, Window Design

Find out how to take a green, forward thinking approach to all aspects of building acoustics including window design.

In this bite size session, Ze Nunes, founder of MACH Acoustics, has been invited to present some lessons learned from lecturing & studying at the University of Bath (MSc in Sustainable Architecture and Phd “In the Visualization of Sound”). Ze has recently published two hugely significant books ‘Sustainable Acoustics’ and ‘The Future of Windows’. Signed copies of both books will be available subject to printing dates being achieved.

MACH Acoustics recognises the importance of noise control through window design. Where simple traditional design limits the use of open windows, MACH have now developed a range of unique software tools to help overcome noise break-in in residential buildings, offices and schools to prove that open windows can be used in noisier environments than previously thought.

Ze will demonstrate how to take a green, forward thinking approach to all aspects of building acoustics including window design. Best practice, the latest data, as well as useful ‘sustainable rules of thumb‘ are included in this presentation as well as an introduction into MACH Acoustics’ Web Based Design Tools, showing how best to position a building on site, how to minimise levels of embodied energy and select partitions between rooms.

Bath Abbey Footprint – Women in Property site visit

29th January 2018Acoustic Design, Eco Buildings, Sustainable Acoustics

This fascinating Women in Property September site visit to Bath Abbey explored the £19.3 million capital works, which are set to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to fulfil Bath Abbey’s critical requirements. MACHs’ Catherine Adams was lucky enough to get a place on the tour, take it all in and learn a little more.

The project entitled “Footprint” includes stabilisation of the ground beneath the Abbey floor, which is currently in a state of collapse, tapping into Bath’s greatest natural resource to heat the Abbey using energy from the hot springs, installation of energy efficient lighting and storage, all inclusive of internal adaptation and downward excavation to provide a modern, welcoming space and facilities for the Abbey’s local community, choirs and school projects/activities and wider community of the City of Bath.

Project Director Charles Curnock gave an overview of the project, followed by a guided tour of Bath Abbey and its Vaults, where the Norman and Roman excavations exist and where the majority of the works will take place.

Over the summer months MACH Acoustics was privileged to be given access to the Abbey, carrying out acoustic assessments and research. With such a unique space to explore and understand; the MACH team, led by Josh Childs, were able to measure the reverberation time across the space, using this to create a 3D acoustic model as part of the assessment.

The 3D acoustic model for Bath Abbey

The findings of Josh’s report will be presented shortly to Charles and his colleagues and MACH hopes this may go some way in part to assist understanding the demands The Abbey has acoustically for the space to perform to optimum levels and what needs to be done for Footprint.

IOA Annual Conference – MACH Acoustics presents

29th January 2018Acoustic Design, FDTD modelling, Talks/ Conferences, Window Design

The annual Institute of Acoustics Conference was held on 5^th and 6^th September in Kenilworth and MACH Acoustics’ Chris Jones was honoured to be invited to speak and present his paper. Chris has been researching “STANDARDISING THE TESTING AND MODELLING METHODS OF PREDICTING THE SOUND REDUCTION THROUGH OPEN WINDOWS” and this was extremely well received.

The current approach is to simply use a 10 – 15 dB reduction across the open window. This does not account for the window type, open area or angle of incident sound. Whilst research has been conducted into these factors, the lack of a standard method of testing, modelling and quantifying the acoustic performance has prevented the uptake of an improved method by acoustic and facade engineers.

This paper builds upon the research of collaboration with MACH Acoustics and The University of Bath – Blanco, Nunes and Lo (2014) and Jones (2015) in summarising the challenges in quantifying the performance by considering existing test methodologies from British Standards and extensive laboratory testing by Napier University (2007).

The potential of using FEM and FDTD modelling as a tool of visualising and understanding sound propagation through an open window is summarised. 2D FDTD modelling by Jones (2015) has examined the effect of the window variables and the accuracy of simulations by recreating Napier University (2007) test data, before using this to propose the concept of a simple mathematical model.

Visualizing components of sound propagation through an open window

The aim of this paper is not to conclusively recommend a standardised method, but to present existing information and new research in a balanced manner that will inspire a discussion within the acoustics industry as to how such a method might be agreed.

RHS Hyde Hall, Cullinan Studio

29th January 2018Acoustic Design

RHS Garden Hyde Hall is a public display garden run by the Royal Horticultural Society in the English county of Essex, east of London, the largest RHS Garden comprising 360 acres. The venue also includes several buildings, and the new to be completed Hilltop Restaurant and Activity Barn will help to create an enticing destination for visitors to RHS Garden Hyde Hall.

To describe the creativity and structure of the scheme, Architects Cullinan Studio says “the design for the Hilltop Restaurant and Activity Barn is characterised by a rigorous and repetitive structural language – a splayed, glue-laminated timber portal frame will march along the loft Restaurant and Activity spaces, intersecting at a delicate nodel point at the apex. The nodel point will simultaneously brace the structure whilst supporting the long cantilevered gables at the southern ends”. MACH Acoustics is delighted to be supporting with acoustics consultancy. The project is attractive and will no doubt delight many visitors for years to come.

Computational Foundry – Bay Campus, Swansea University

29th January 2018FDTD modelling, Innovation

The Computational Foundry is a key building in the new Bay Campus completing the central square of the site. Working with AHR and Willmott Dixon, MACH Acoustics is delighted to be supporting on this important project.

The building is being design to create a hub for Mathematics and Computer Research and to encourage collaboration through designing spaces for interaction, meeting pods and the “research crucible”. The Bay Campus enables the University to increase its’ footprint – which pioneers the way for co working collaboration with industry and academics. They will share not only the same site, but also laboratories and facilities.

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