Design and implementation of a tuned low-frequency absorber in a residential music listening/practice room

Abstract

The historic Bradley Mansion in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood was recently completely renovated and subdivided into multiple luxury-level condominium units built to suit to the new homeowners requirements. The historic preservation requirements imposed on the project presented challenges for designing and implementing sufficient acoustic absorption and sound isolation for the design of a new music listening and piano practice room in the lowest level residence. A custom-designed low-frequency absorber was developed to fit within an existing architectural niche at one end of the elliptical music room, and additional absorptive treatment was added to the walls to blend in with the existing finishes. Sound isolation to the neighboring condominium above the music room was improved via floor/ceiling modifications - a task made more challenging by the need to retain the terracotta structure and other historic details. Construction details and measurement results will be discussed in this case study presentation. © 2013 Acoustical Society of America.