BAP Acoustics

Sound, Noise and Vibration Consulting Engineers

Have you heard about her?

Women’s innovative contributions to acoustics

Q:  What do Turner’s Classics and the world of acoustic inventions have in common?

A:  They both owe a debt of gratitude to this heroine, right here.

Hedy Lamarr juxtaposed with her influential work.

Although Hedy Lamarr wasn’t an acoustician per sé, the frequency hopping spread spectrum technique she developed with avant-garde composer George Antheil was a milestone invention in the field of information technology, one still used in underwater acoustic communication owing to its anti-interference and anti-fading properties. These same properties explain why the two friends are widely credited with paving the way for later, more complex inventions including WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth.

Best known as a shining star of golden era Hollywood, Austrian-born Lamarr personified the beauty and brains combo.

Picture it: 1941.

Lamarr’s fame soars as Hitler’s forces ravage. Not content to sit by photogenically as wanton destruction prevails, Lamarr draws on military engineering knowledge quietly gleaned during her brief marriage to a Viennese arms tycoon closely associated with both Mussolini and Hitler. Having fled from her domineering first husband a few years earlier, she enlists Antheil’s help to devise a means by which radio signals can guide torpedoes without detection or interception by “hopping” among numerous frequencies.

Sadly, military elite dismissed the technology, and it wasn’t employed during WWII. More sadly still, Lamarr and Antheil’s patent had long expired by the time frequency hopping was used during the Cuban missile crisis. Lamarr received no monetary compensation and lived to become an old and reclusive woman before due recognition came her way.

It seems probable, however, that Lamarr inspired and served as a role model for generations of women that followed… women like Bridget Shield and Dame Ann Dowling.

“Every engineering project is about making something that someone wants. It is very creative.”
— Dame Ann Dowling

Bridget Shield

A preeminent acoustics researcher nominated first female president of the Institute of Acoustics in 2012, Bridget Shield earned her academic credentials at Birmingham University in the UK, going on to serve as Professor of Acoustics at London South Bank University from 1986 until her 2014 retirement. Perhaps best known for her findings regarding the effects of noise on children and their learning abilities, the award-winning engineer expressed concerns that British architects were excessively focused on aesthetics—while overlooking factors necessary for healthy learning environments—in their designs of much-needed new schools.

“The spacious, light-filled palaces going up under the government’s multi-billion pound school building bonanza […] look wonderful,” Shield writes, “and, with their lack of dark corners, make pupils feel safe. But how well can pupils hear inside these educational glasshouses?”

New as well as older schools often feature overly reverberant and/or noisy classrooms in which children struggle to hear while teachers struggle to be heard. Current architectural trends (if you’ll pardon the word choice) amplify the problem, incorporating as they do large, open spaces as well as hard reflective surfaces like glass and steel. “These are precisely the types of material that make for echoing, noisy spaces,” Shield explains, noting detrimental effects including compromised working memory (and consequently, scholastic performance) in children, as well as voice and throat problems among teachers.

The techniques for reducing reverberation and noise in schools are well known, Shield states in a 2008 article. They include:

  • Careful choice of the site, layout and design of school buildings to ensure noise sensitive rooms such as classrooms are not adjacent to busy roads or railways.
  • Adequate sound insulation to reduce the transmission of noise from outside to inside, and between classrooms.
  • Adequate amount of acoustic absorption on ceilings and corridors, and carpets or other resilient floor coverings to reduce reverberation.
  • Use of quiet building services such as ventilation, heating and lighting.

Dame Ann Dowling

A prominent British mechanical engineer, Dame Ann Patricia Dowling OM DBE FRS FREng is renowned for her research in combustion, acoustics and vibration, particularly with regard to her focus on efficient, low-emission combustion and reduced road vehicle and aircraft noise.

Dowling chaired the 2013 Global Grand Challenges Summit, and in an Engineering and Technology Magazine interview around that time expressed her concerns about the critical shortage of British engineers in general and female engineers in particular:

Despite the enormity and importance of these [energy efficiency and noise mitigation] projects, the shortfall in British engineers is huge. Dowling often gives talks in schools, but the message is still not getting across. In particular, it’s not getting across to her own sex.

The feedstock of girls reading engineering at university is around 17 per cent, Dowling thinks. Why? The perceived lack of social relevance and flexible working hours perhaps? “Nothing could be further from the truth,” protests Dowling. “Every engineering project is about making something that someone wants. It is very creative.”

However, Dowling says her department has a higher percentage of female engineers than elsewhere. Could this have something to do with herself as figurehead? “I don’t think I can claim that.” Instead, she puts it down to offering a broad strand of engineering. However, later on she concedes that it’s always useful to see someone active in your field and doing well. 

Best of 2019: 9 acoustic services questions answered

Ever wondered what acoustic engineering consultants are typically asked to do when they’re… consulted? Maybe you have an acoustics-related problem of your own but aren’t sure what questions to ask? First of all, please don’t hesitate to contact us and express your concerns, because at BAP Acoustics, we believe there are no wrong questions, especially not when they elicit sound advice. Secondly, we hear certain types of questions so frequently we feel they warrant their own blog post, so please read on. You may see your own question—or one relevant to it—addressed below.

In compiling and reviewing these questions, we realized that much—although not all—of our work entails solving problems as opposed to preventing them. Budgetary constraints, environmental consciousness, and heritage building preservation arise among the reasons people often choose to retrofit rather than build new structures. While we always present the most practical and cost-efficient remedial options available, these solutions can be far more expensive than a strata council, building manager, or homeowner might anticipate. Whether you’re designing, planning, building, or striving to make do with a less than ideal acoustic space, we hope you find useful information in the questions and answers that follow.

1) My company’s new office space has turned out to be disruptively noisy in the open-plan areas where most people work. And even between enclosed offices, there’s a lack of speech privacy. Can you help?

Yes, we can. In past cases similar to yours, we’ve come in after staff has left for the day. Simulating office noise in problematic areas allows us to assess and/or measure:

  • current sound insulation levels between offices or other cellular spaces
  • speech privacy between adjacent offices and circulation space
  • reverberation in open-plan areas.

We also inspect construction assemblies (a combination of materials or other items that serve a specific function when assembled) and identify acoustical issues that may be evident within space above a T-bar ceiling, as well as at the junctions of office separating walls with exterior walls.

Our measurements generate data, and our inspections inform us, enabling us to determine the remedial steps necessary to mitigate troublesome noise in your workspace.

While our services don’t include assaulting noisy office equipment, we do understand the therapeutic potential inherent in a DIY project of this nature.

2) The City has asked us to submit an acoustic report as part of the Development Permit application for our new residential project. Is this something you do?

Indeed it is. We’ve helped numerous developers submit acoustically compliant permit applications. Our process includes:

  • assessing (measuring) the road traffic noise at your proposed development site
  • predicting noise level impacts on building facades
  • calculating levels of noise transmitted into residential units
  • suggesting glazing and exterior wall upgrades to meet CMHC interior noise environment recommendations
  • issuing a report for submission to the City.

3) My client recently moved into an apartment unit, unaware that her upstairs neighbour had just installed new flooring. The resulting noise constantly disrupts sleep and compromises her wellbeing to the extent that she needs legal advice. Can you conduct testing and write an expert report for us in the event of litigation or a Civil Resolution Tribunal dispute?

Absolutely. In a case such as your client’s, we can:

  • measure the airborne and/or impact sound insulation of the separating floor-ceiling assembly by following the relevant ASTM standard(s)
  • document detailed test results
  • compare our measured Impact Insulation Class (IIC) and/or Sound Transmission Class (STC) ratings with Building Code recommendations/requirements, as well as compare results with the sound insulation performance that would have existed prior to the neighbour’s flooring change
  • issue a report suitable for use in litigation or application to the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT)
  • provide evidence in court if required.

4) We’ve recently completed a new building for a client who now claims noise levels exceed those specified in contract documentation. Would you be able to measure the levels and advise us how to reduce them to a contractually compliant state?

Yes, we provide both those services. We can measure:

  • levels of background noise from HVAC and/or other building systems
  • reverberation times in selected spaces
  • the sound insulation of partitions separating spaces of concern.

These tests allow us to compare measured performance with contractual requirements, as well as offer informed mitigation advice to bring acoustic performance in line with client expectations.

5) Our team is developing a luxury residential building, and we want to ensure that noise transmission between units is kept to a minimum. Can you help us design suitable separating partition assemblies?

Certainly. We’ve worked with design teams on numerous luxury residential buildings. In addition, we’ve acted, on behalf of condo owners and strata councils, as expert witnesses in warranty claims against developers. We’re aware that Building Code minimum performance requirements seldom meet owners’ expectations, particularly when those owners bought into high-end developments. We’re also cognizant of the need to increase performance when (as is frequently the case) a noise-sensitive room in one unit shares a separating partition with a noise-producing room in an adjacent one. We can recommend partition assemblies built to meet these higher standards.

6) Our apartment building has a fitness studio on the ground floor, and we often hear noise from dropped weights, workout music, and even amplified class instructors. We’re really hoping you can measure such noise and write a report to help us convince the studio to reduce sound levels.

We can help you. We’ve worked with both fitness studios and homeowners to reduce noise transmission from free-weight areas as well as from sound systems. We’ve also acted as expert witnesses in cases where noise from commercial activity adversely impacts homeowners. We’d be happy to come in and:

  • measure the noise in your apartment
  • document these measurements
  • compare our measured levels with published guidance
  • issue a report suitable for use in litigation or application to the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT).

7) A new road has been built close to our house. The resulting increase in traffic noise in our living room and bedrooms is truly annoying, so we’re looking for someone to measure the noise. Is it possible to compare the new noise level with what used to be the case before the road was opened? And if so, can you write a report we might use in litigation?

Yes, and yes. We have considerable experience in measuring transportation noise from road, rail and aircraft. Once we’ve obtained measurements, we can use them together with existing, future, or past road alignments to simulate outdoor noise propagation and determine impact on existing or future property. In this way, we’ll be able to compare your current noise exposure with pre-road construction levels. We’ve written many expert reports for use in litigation, and we can work with your lawyer to provide the service required.

8) I own a condo suite in downtown Vancouver. There’s an unidentifiable noise in my apartment almost 24/7, very loud. I’ve made complaints and reported to strata, but with no proof, I doubt anything will be done. So, I’d like to approach strata again with a report based on professional testing that determines the source of the noise. I’ll potentially go to court with this issue. Is this something you can help me with?

Yes. We can arrange for a suitable time to:

  • measure noise in your apartment
  • compare our measured noise levels with criteria recommended in published guidance
  • document our measurements
  • assess noise levels in a report suitable for use in litigation.

If your building manager can provide access to the rooftop, as well as mechanical and electrical rooms, we’d be able to locate the noise source, and subsequently offer design advice to mitigate troublesome levels.

9) I’m a lifelong hilltop dweller just above the town of Whoville, Suesslandia. I keep to myself and bother no one, yet every December the NOISE gets worse and worse. The insufferable Whos, if you can believe it—the tall and the small—gather in their silly town square and make the most obnoxious ruckus. (They call it “singing”.) My dog Max must be losing his hearing, because he doesn’t seem to mind it. If you can’t help me make these people listen to reason, I fear drastic measures may have to be taken. Sincerely, Mr. I.R. Grynch

Dear Mr. Grynch,
While we’re sorry to hear about your predicament, the Whoville Town Council assures us that residents are compliant with all bylaws and regulations. They suggest that you’re likely conflating “obnoxious ruckus” with “joyful sounds”, and we don’t, generally speaking, mitigate the latter. Quite frankly, we’re also rather concerned about your heart and feel it may benefit from skillful resizing, a procedure offered at Whoville General, we understand. We hope you can reach a mutually satisfying resolution with the townspeople, whom we found very hospitable… They invited us to a roast beast feast! Perhaps we’ll see you there?

Whoville’s tall & small, breaking out the joyful sounds.

From all of us at BAP Acoustics,
a joyous holiday season
and all the best in 2020!

Listen to your body

When noise becomes a health hazard

Sure, noise can irritate even the most serene among us. But to label it an actual health hazard, like air pollution? That’s pretty hyperbolic, isn’t it? It’s only noise, after all; it’s not like it’ll kill us or something. Is it? Well, yes and no…

Oh wait, when someone deems noise to be a health hazard, they must be referring to the kind of high-decibel din found in some industrial workplaces, right? Jack hammers, chainsaws, welders… industrial machinery makes industrial noise; that’s why workers wear protective gear. Doesn’t adherence to OHS regulations ensure safety? Again, yes and no.

Growing evidence, such as that gathered in the pivotal 2011 World Health Organization (WHO) study Burden of disease from environmental noise, suggests that surprisingly low noise levels can wreak all kinds of havoc with both our physical and mental wellbeing, especially when we’re exposed to them for extended periods of time. Excessive and/or prolonged noise exposure can disturb sleep, raise blood pressure, impair cognitive function, and increase risk of psychiatric disorders.

Excessive and/or prolonged noise exposure can disturb sleep, raise blood pressure, impair cognitive function, and increase risk of psychiatric disorders.

Since deleterious consequences of noise exposure happen at lower (seemingly innocuous) levels than those causing hearing damage, people may not even realize they’re at risk. Moreover, hearing loss itself can result from less extreme conditions than one might imagine. A 2013 study titled Environmental noise pollution in the United States: developing an effective public health response provides detailed findings and analyses.

The insidious, little-known effects of noise on sleep

Obvious sources of nighttime noise wake up and bring out the inner Grandpa Simpson in most of us. Who doesn’t want to shake a metaphoric cane at those drunk people arguing loudly mere feet from their bedroom window, punctuating extra-important points with thrown bottles? Or let’s talk about sanitation trucks that rumble on up curbside at hours this blogger defines as still, unequivocally, nighttime. On second thought, let’s not.

Sleep deprivation:
We don’t like it. Our hearts don’t like it.

Possibly the most surprising and frequently corroborated information my research for this post has yielded is that inaudible sounds can damage our hearing, and we’re especially vulnerable to a variety of noises at night, even if they don’t wake us up. Industrial hygienist Richard L. Neitzel, PhD defines microarousals as periods during which noise arouses the nervous system, but not quite enough to cause a person to wake up or remember the event and highlights their link to heart disease. “The normal restorative drop in blood pressure at night fails to occur when sleep is fragmented,” Neitzel explains.

Suppose you’re attempting to nod off. Even if you think you’ve blocked out the rumbles of downshifting trucks outside, your body hasn’t. Those adrenal glands are spewing pressure hormones. Your heart rate and blood pressure are increasing while your digestion is calling it a night. Your perpetually busy brain keeps on processing sounds while you slumber. As if sleep deprivation weren’t bad enough… Turns out we need to evaluate sleep both in terms of quantity and quality.

The effects of noise on cognitive function

Mounting evidence suggests that multitasking and interruptions (such as noise) compromise academic and work performance. Excessive noise has been shown to detrimentally affect cognitive function and communication, and thereby generate errors. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in urban environments, including schools and hospitals. The Center for Cognitive Studies in Medicine and Public Health, in collaboration with Columbia University, is collecting preliminary data to assess noise levels in the patient care environment during care team transitions, using sound measurement and simulation technology.

Children are at particular risk not only for noise-impaired cognitive development—but a host of other serious health issues—even before they’re born. In the 2016 study Noise as a health hazard for children: Time to make a noise about it, researchers from the University of New Delhi and the Hind Institute of Medical Sciences concluded:

Noise, a modern day curse of advancing infrastructure and technology, has emerged as an important public health problem. Exposure to noise during pregnancy may result in high-frequency hearing loss in newborns, growth retardation, cochlear damage, prematurity and birth defects. Newborns exposed to sound above 45 decibels may experience increase in blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate; decreased oxygen saturation; and increased caloric consumption. Noise exposure in older children may result in learning disabilities, attention difficulties, insulin resistance, hypertension, stress ulcers and cardiovascular diseases. Sudden exposure to loud noise can lead to rupture of eardrum. The damaging effects of noise pollution are more noticeable in large metropolitan cities, the hubs of urban settlements and industrial growth. Another concern is noise pollution inside the hospitals (particularly intensive care areas) that can lead to serious health consequences both for caregivers and for children. The issue needs to be addressed by both researchers and policy makers on an urgent basis. (Emphasis mine.)

Noise Annoyance and mental health

Also known as sound annoyance, noise annoyance can indeed be annoying enough to drive you mad, and it can certainly play a role in depression and anxiety. Wikipedia defines sound annoyance as “a feeling of displeasure associated with any agent or condition […] that is believed to affect adversely an individual or a group.”

While little research on how noise affects mental health have been conducted, a rigorous 2016 study based on 15,000 German residents concluded that noise annoyance is directly correlated with depression and anxiety in the general population. Though the residents lived under a flight path and aircraft noise emerged as the biggest culprit, road traffic, aircraft, railways, industrial, and neighborhood noise were also contributors.

A few studies have also addressed the effects of noise in hospitals and other healthcare environments, bringing to light, among other findings, the disturbing occurrence of ICU psychosis, a disorder in which intensive care patients experience a cluster of serious psychiatric symptoms. While medication (or lack thereof) can also play a role, the frequent distressing sounds that occur in such environments factor significantly.

Closing thoughts

Prior to the WHO’s ground-breaking 2011 study, very little was known about the multi-faceted extent to which excessive and/or prolonged noise can affect human health, and that of other species. The volume (no pun intended) of scientific evidence now available to us makes clear the importance of continued awareness raising and public education. Most urgently, the message that we need to mitigate harmful noise should reach the ears of policy makers everywhere.

When common property use results in common noise complaints: Part II

A few afternoons ago, gunshots woke me from an intentionally meditative state. Only they weren’t gunshots, as it took me a nanosecond to realize, but the sound of someone’s vehicle entering our building garage, driving over a tube-encased door control mechanism as it did so. I’ve lived here for several years now and the noise seldom bothers me, but it would if I lived over, below, or next to the garage. Fortunately, our building was designed and constructed such that no one does, and as a noise both air- and structure-borne, that unsettling bang-bang would be truly nightmarish if anyone did.

What the retro-startled heck was that?

In the last instalment of our continuous observations on noise issues in multi-family dwellings, I noted that strata corporations are legally bound, in accordance with Standard provincial Strata Bylaws, to address and mitigate unreasonable noise when it originates from common property.

Other key takeaways included the facts that:

  • These Standard Bylaws, however, fail to define what constitutes unreasonable.
  • Strata corporations are encouraged to customize, clarify, and enforce these Bylaws. But too often they don’t.
  • Nuisance law presents an avenue to explore when Bylaws prove inapplicable. I’ll explore it further here.

Much of what can read as homeowner and strata group complacency may stem from a (perhaps sometimes unwarranted) trust in building codes.

Many developers do not address structure-borne noise issues quite simply because there is no regulative requirement to do so.

The Canadian Building Code, as well as the provincial and municipal codes based on it, relate only to the control of airborne sound transmission. However, noise disturbance can also be experienced through the transmission of “structure-borne” noise, which occurs when building fabric is excited by impacts such as items dropped on or dragged across hardwood flooring. In addition, mechanical or electrical equipment (pumps, air-handling equipment, transformers or elevators) can impart continuous vibration into the structure.

As noted in an earlier post, the Building Code contains no provision for controlling structure-borne noise, so it’s hardly surprising that many developers do not address these issues quite simply because there is no regulative requirement to do so.

From A Guide to Airborne, Impact, & Structure Borne Noise Control in Multifamily Dwellings, published in 1967 by the US Dept. of Housing & Urban Development. Available as a free e-book, this work offers an interesting historical perspective. Spot the common property.

In the dated but still woefully relevant US government publication A Guide to Airborne, Impact, & Structure Borne Noise Control in Multifamily Dwellings, writers state:

Surprisingly, the frequency of complaints appears to be independent of income bracket in virtually all types of apartment buildings, including high-rise as well as low-story garden-type apartments. Luxury, middle- and low-income apartments register approximately the same number of complaints because most of the buildings utilize the same type of wall and floor assemblies. This fact clearly demonstrates that builders and architects do not consider privacy and quiet surroundings as necessities, much less luxuries.

The causes of most noise problems in multifamily dwellings originate in the early design stages of the buildings because of […] lack of concern about noise problems and […] failure to foresee where and under what circumstances noise might be a problem. (Emphasis mine.)

Most people will agree that what pleases one’s senses enhances one’s comfort. Oddly enough, a peaceful and relaxing environment apparently is not recognized as essential to comfort, judging from the fact that it is lacking in a high percentage of buildings. Obviously, we are approaching the time when [the building industry] must pay adequate attention to acoustical problems.

Before buying an apartment, consider asking your realtor or developer about the acoustic design standards of the building and confirm that they go beyond minimum Code requirements. With any luck, you’ll never have to deal with nuisance of the noisy variety.

The process of researching nuisance law took me down a rabbit hole that looks something like this:

Nuisance law: It’s a piece of tort.

Practiced in the UK, Australia, Canada, and many other parts of the world, common law (aka case law) is a body of unwritten laws based on court-established legal precedents set via individual cases. It comes into play when existing laws fail to provide an adequate foundation for judicial decision making. In contrast, civil law is, by definition, official legislation stemming from established civil codes.

So, where and how does nuisance law fit in? Although it sounds like a tasty baked treat, tort plays a role across legal categories. A cornerstone of the Canadian legal system, tort law provides compensation for people who have been injured or whose property has been damaged by the wrongdoing of others. When someone’s misactions result in, for instance, serious bodily harm, the criminal justice system may employ tort law in seeking a fair ruling. A lesser offence may be seen as more nuisance than crime; hence, nuisance law. I know more about it now than I did a week ago, and in future articles will rely on the mnemonic device “Nuisance law: It’s a piece of tort.” to help me remember it.

When strata corporations fail to mitigate unreasonable noise situations, affected unit owners can, as alluded to in Part I, apply to the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) for dispute resolution. As applicants make their way through the five-part CRT Process, they may consider engaging an acoustical consultant at any stage, ideally early on.

With the help of BAP Acoustics consultants, two Vancouver-based apartment owners recently won a dispute with their strata council, which had failed to maintain and repair elevator equipment. The elevator, and related mechanical room machinery, had caused what was ultimately deemed an unreasonable level of noise and vibration in their master bedroom. The owners’ claim, that the noise interfered with “quiet enjoyment of their strata lot”, was agreed valid by a senior-level Tribunal member, who ordered the respondents (i.e. strata corporation) to compensate the applicants in numerous ways.

In a lengthy document detailing how decisions were reached, the overseeing CRT member states “I find the BAP report persuasive, and I rely on it.” Summarized here as per the CRT document, the BAP Acoustics report included the conclusions that:

  • The maximum elevator noise levels measured in the two bedrooms exceeded the recommended criteria in both sets of guidelines*.
  • Noise levels experienced in the unit […] are subjectively approximately twice as loud as the recommended maximum when the ensuite door is closed, and three times as loud when the door is open.
  • The maximum noise criterion level from elevator noise was over 30 in the unit […] bedroom, 30 in the living room, and 35 in other areas. The CMHC’s guidelines set a maximum elevator noise criterion objective of 20 in bedrooms and living rooms.
  • It is reasonable to expect noise complaints may arise from the occupants of unit […], and that remedial measures can be implemented to reduce noise levels by using the best available techniques (i.e. vibration isolation of structure-borne noise sources).
  • While it may be that the noise levels are typical of the [the manufacturer’s] elevator, comparing [previous] noise readings [to our test results] indicates that industry noise standards are exceeded.
  • BAP agreed with [a previous engineer’s] findings are elevator motor and the brake contactors are the source of the noise transmitted into unit […], and that while the control room wall maybe acoustically week, the main issue results from structure-borne noise transmission.
  • BAP agreed with [a previous engineer] that the controllers should be isolated from the concrete slab. BAP also said that the control room fan should be resiliently mounted if supported within the structural slab, to reduce fan noise transfer.
  • While acoustic weaknesses in the control room wall identified by [a previous engineer] should be addressed to increase sound insulation, the wall weaknesses were not responsible for the elevator noise transmission, [and that] the elevator noise can only be remedied by decoupling the elevator controller from the supporting floor slab and walls.

BAP Acoustics has been called upon to provide expertise in numerous similar cases, and once again, it turns out that structure-borne noise—for which the Building Code makes no provisions—is the sleep-robbing culprit that needs remedial attention. Wherever and however unacceptable noises originates, we can help you win back peace and quiet.

When common property use results in common noise complaints: Part I

British Colombia is known nationally and beyond not only for its abundant natural beauty, but the real estate prices—the highest in Canada—that beauty inspires and enables. This holds particularly true for large urban centres such as Vancouver and Victoria, where owning a detached house remains out of reach for most middle class people. So it’s easy to understand how condominium (or strata) living presents a more accessible alternative. My husband and I live in the second Vancouver condo we’ve owned in the many years we’ve lived here and can attest to numerous advantages strata living offers, which, aside from relative affordability, include shared property maintenance costs and freedom from responsibilities like shovelling what little snow falls here.


But—and you knew this was coming—there’s a dark side. Or, to address my topic more precisely, there’s a potentially noisy side, in both the metaphoric and literal senses of the word. It took us two years of searching to find our current home, and that was because, as any good realtor will tell you, expecting to find a property that meets all the criteria on your wish list will lead to either disappointment or compromise. Make that wish list, by all means, but prioritize the wishes because they won’t all be granted.

Be aware that federal, provincial, and municipal governments regulate condominium properties as strata corporations that must have bylaws. While guided by a default list called The Standard Bylaws, individual stratas enjoy considerable latitude in amending and customizing this default. It might be hyperbolic to say each strata is unique as a snowflake, but it wouldn’t be out of line to characterize some of them as such, precious and persnickety as they can be. Having been pet owners for all our years together, we were astonished at the number of buildings out there in which our fur family wouldn’t be welcomed.


My husband and I are neither silence-obsessed seniors or kegger-throwing frat boys, but we do enjoy listening to music and entertaining occasionally, so it was important to us to find a place with good “soundproofing”, which I’ve since learned isn’t even a word. Unless we were fortunate enough to get a top floor corner unit (we weren’t), we’d have to pay close attention to room layouts as well as shared flanking walls and ceilings. We found a place we liked enough to consider making an offer, but when I asked the seller’s realtor about how well soundproofed the unit was, he looked at me as though I’d asked him how many Martians lived next door. Not a clue about anything to do with what I now know is called airborne sound insulation. We could have gambled on the hope of reasonable neighbours, but a suspicious discrepancy on square footage set off our trust sensors and we lost interest. Not long afterwards, we found and purchased our current home in an older but well-maintained strata building where neighbours are considerate and canine companions are welcome.

When the offending noise transmits to a residential unit from common property—to use the parlance of strata living—unexpected layers of complexity can develop.

From BAP Acoustics blog post I don’t like the sound of your strata investigation: How to make noise about noise

What’s that sound?

And where’s it coming from?

Resolving complaints about disruptive owners unwilling to comply with their strata corporation bylaws can prove very difficult and may require the strata to apply to Court for an injunction. In a Condominium Home Owners’ Association (CHOA) article titled The Case of the Partying Penthouse Owner, contributor Adrienne Murray writes about The Owners, Strata Plan LMS 4255 v. Newell, an interesting case in that the owner caused significant disruption with the hot tub and loudspeakers he installed on his deck, as well as with the frequent parties he hosted there into the wee hours. (A fun and informative read, Murray’s article left me concluding that while I’d probably enjoy being Mr. Newell’s guest, I wouldn’t want to be his neighbour.) What many people unfamiliar with strata living don’t realize is that decks, even those attached to private units, fall under the category of common property.

Most common property, however, is easily identifiable as such (e.g. a shared hot tub room), and it’s important to realize that not all annoying sounds or vibrations originate from noisy neighbours.

When dealing with noise complaints, strata councils are well-advised to avoid making assumptions and take the time to investigate. Strata corporations bear legal responsibility to enforce bylaws, make reasonable decisions and provide owners with fair adjudication processes.

While late-night soirées or barking dogs are obvious problems, many persistent noise issues prove structural in nature. Strata corporations are responsible for the repair and maintenance of common property between residences, and when common property is a contributing factor in noise transmission between units, the strata corporation may be obligated to repair or minimize the transmission of sound.

Based on these Ontario statistics, it appears that significantly more noise complaints arise from common property emissions than residential ones. The Usual Suspects include pumps, HVAC equipment, elevators, fitness facilities, and party rooms. BAP Acoustics continues to work with a condo owner and her strata council on a case that started with a noise complaint several years ago. An earlier blog post details measures taken to subdue the Hot Tub from Hell.

Fixing the problem:
Whose responsibility is it?

If you’ve read this far, you’ve already gleaned that strata corporations are nearly always liable for common property noise emissions. And once a strata meets legal obligations, individual owners generally bear any further costs.

So, what do we do about it?

To be clear, the pertinent (or more to the point, liable) “we” here seldom includes the property developer, who is only required to meet minimum building code standards. Even if that weren’t the case, indoor common property (at least in Canada) remains cheerfully uncomplicated by regulations or bylaws of any kind.

While these realities render dealing with bothersome noise from common property quite difficult, taking the following measures (based on condoinformation.ca recommendations) may get results:

  • Document the timing, frequency and nature of noise disturbances.
  • Wait at least a day, then phone the management office. Document the time and details of your call.
  • Your property manager should inspect the situation within a few days.
  • If you’ve received no response within a week, follow up with a letter and a copy of your noise disturbance log.
  • Still nothing? After another week, write a letter to your strata council, and attach copies of your letter to the manager and the log.
  • Remember that there’s power in numbers. Talk to other residents to see if the noise disturbance has affected them, and encourage their participation in addressing the problem.
  • If the situation is serious, you may wish to engage a lawyer to help you seek a court order, under Section 163 of the Strata Property Act of BC, that would require your strata council to comply and do something about the noise source.
  • If the situation is serious enough to require legal counsel and/or adjudication, consider hiring an acoustical consultant, who can measure airborne as well as impact sound insulation and compare results to requirements found in typical standards or lease agreements.

Strata bylaws:
The proverbial ounce of prevention

In the absence of relevant strata bylaws or adherence to existing ones, unacceptable noise disturbance situations can be addressed through nuisance laws (explained here by the BC Law Institute) and taken before a court. In BC, these laws fall under the jurisdiction of the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT).

Putting literal structures in place to address sound insulation in the design and construction stage of a building will go a long way towards preventing troublesome noise issues. Drafting and enforcing fair—as well as specific—strata bylaws can achieve the same goal.

The above-noted litigious approach, however, strikes me as pretty last-resortish. While it may feel good to know “taking it to court” is an option, wouldn’t something more proactive feel better?

Noisy Newell’s strata council may not have needed to seek a court injunction if its bylaws included, for instance, “No amplified music in common areas between the hours of 11 pm and 8 am,” or “Don’t be putting a damn hot tub on your deck (which isn’t actually yours anyway), even if it can be deemed temporary, because yeah, we’re wise to that.”

But if a persistent noise issue is regularly causing you to lose sleep, rest (as best you can) assured that BAP Acoustics has, on numerous occasions, acted in expert witness and advisory capacities for condo owners and stratas. We encourage you to contact us with these and any other acoustic concerns.