Acoustics

DDEG provides a full suite of building acoustics services.

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Planning Stage Site Assessments and Advice

We can assist you to navigate the statutory noise requirements applicable to your site, determine the extent of acoustic treatment that will be required to meet any internal or external noise limits, and identify opportunities for cost savings through careful site layout and planning.

Building Regulations Compliance

Cogent can advise on the acoustic treatment required to satisfy the sound transmission and insulation provisions of the National Construction Code (NCC) Volume 1 and 2 Building Code of Australia (BCA). Where the deemed-to-satisfy constructions of the NCC are unsuitable for your project, we can develop performance-based design solutions to save you costs and improve outcomes for your project. We can also provide advice in relation to other design standards where there is a need for higher quality.

Our Performance Solution documentation follows a structured framework that clearly demonstrates that a design meets the NCC performance requirements, ensuring that the design specified is accepted by authorities.

Once your project is built, we have the capability to perform full acoustic verification testing.

Architectural Acoustics

We offer a comprehensive range of architectural acoustics services. From commercial fit-outs and offices, to high-end recording studios and theatres, we can assist in achieving the right acoustic characteristics for your project.

Our team can provide advice in relation to:

• Speech privacy and speech intelligibility

• Reverberation control

• Sound masking systems

• Design of walls, floors and ceilings to control noise between spaces

• Design of building façades and glazing to control noise intrusion from external sources such as traffic or aircraft.

• Control of structure-borne noise and vibration

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Building Services Noise Control

Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning equipment, lifts, and other mechanical equipment are all potential sources of unwanted noise in buildings. Dealing with these sources can be complex as there can be multiple paths of noise transmission. Don’t risk exceeding the noise criteria or spending more on noise control than you need to. DDEG can review building services system designs, predict noise levels, and provide optimised advice on noise control measures.

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Green Star Design

Our people have extensive experience with the Green Star Rating Tools and can provide design advice in relation to the credits available for acoustics on your project.

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Auralisation

Auralisation is an acoustic modelling service we offer, which allows our client’s to hear the difference that various acoustic treatments make to a space. Many clients find this beneficial in deciding whether or not to spend money on a particular acoustic treatment.

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Audio-Visual

We can assist with integrated design of audio-visual and acoustics for higher performance and intelligibility.

Construction Phase Services

From development of construction noise and vibration management plans, monitoring of construction noise and vibration, to commissioning tests for confirming compliance with design criteria, DDEG has the expertise to take your project through to completion.

Our team has considerable experience in environmental noise and can assist you in satisfying the environmental noise criteria set by the State and/or local government for your site or project.

We are able to undertake environmental noise assessments for:

• Bars, clubs and restaurants

• Childcare Centres

• Churches

• Commercial developments

• Mines

• Music venues

• Industrial and manufacturing sites

• Power stations and power distribution facilities

• Residential and mixed use developments

• Wind farms

Our Services Include:

• Measurement and assessment of environmental noise levels

• Modelling and prediction of environmental noise to assess noise impacts or determine changes due to various design options

• Generation of noise contour maps and other visual representations

• Construction noise and vibration management plans

• Design and optimisation of noise control measures

• Community consultation on noise and vibration

• Noise and vibration monitoring

• Expert witness and peer review work

• Planning and policy advice to government

• Wind farm noise assessment

We can assist with addressing Council acoustic requirements for Planning Permit applications and planning permit conditions.  Common requirements we address include:

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• Indoor noise levels due to road traffic or railways.

• Acoustic fencing design and specification

• Environment Protection Regulations 2021 and EPA Publication 1826.4 ‘Noise limit and assessment protocol for the control of noise from commercial, industrial and trade premises and entertainment venue’.

• AS2021 Aircraft Noise Assessment

• Better Apartments Design Standards (BADS) including Victoria Planning Provisions Clauses 55.04-8 (Standard B24), 55.07-7 (Standard B40 / B41), 58.04-03 (Standard D16).

• Live Music Entertainment Noise and Agent of Change (Victoria Planning Provisions Clause 53.06)

• Planning overlays including Melbourne Airport Environs (MAEO), North and West Melbourne Noise Attenuation Area (Melbourne DDO26), Regional Rail Link Noise Attenuation (Wyndham DDO10)

• State Environment Protection Policy No. N-1 and N-2 (SEPP N-1, SEPP N-2)

• Construction noise assessment and monitoring - EPA Publication 1834 ‘Civil construction, building and demolition guide’.

DDEG offers a wide range of capabilities to the industrial and manufacturing sectors. Our experience includes noise control in food production and other environments where hygiene requirements are paramount.

Our services include:

• Factory noise and vibration surveys

• Employee noise dosimetry

• Assessment of noise levels in relation to OHS / WHS standards

• Noise and vibration source identification

• Prioritisation, planning and design of noise and vibration control measures

• Advice and training on correct selection and use of hearing protectors

• Development of noise and vibration management plans

• Machine fault diagnosis and condition monitoring

• Audiometric testing

The team at DDEG have been involved with some of Australia’s most high profile transportation projects.

Whether it is road, light or heavy rail, shipping or air transport, our services include:

• Measurement of existing noise levels

• Prediction of noise levels due to new or altered transport corridors

• Optimisation of road and rail alignments

• Optimisation of noise barrier heights and locations to control road and rail noise

• Vibration measurement, assessment and control advice for road and rail

• Construction noise and vibration management plans

• Assistance with community consultation on noise and vibration

• Construction noise and vibration monitoring

We have a strong background in vibration and control of structure-borne noise.

We can provide detailed advice on:

• Correct selection of spring, rubber and air mounts for vibration isolation of mechanical equipment

• Base isolation for buildings close to railways or other sources of ground-borne noise and vibration

• Isolation of swimming pools in hotel and apartment buildings

• Control of structure-borne noise and vibration from gyms

• Design of vibration sensitive facilities such as electron microscope laboratories.

• Vibration assessments for road and rail corridors

• Prediction and assessment of vibration due to piling, blasting and other construction equipment

We also offer a wide range of vibration measurement services including:

• Attended and long-term unattended vibration monitoring.

• Modal testing

• Mobility measurements

• Damping tests

• Machine condition monitoring

Need to check if you meet your noise or vibration limits? Perhaps you have a machine that is making more noise than it should? Or maybe you need to reduce noise but you are not quite sure where to start? DDEG can help you using state of the art noise and vibration instrumentation.

We can undertake a wide range of acoustic and vibration measurements in accordance with Australian and/or International Standards, under both field and laboratory conditions.

Our capabilities include:

• Sound Pressure Level measurements

• Sound Power Level determination

• Noise source identification

• Acoustic camera

• Short and long term noise / vibration logging

• Sound transmission loss testing

• Reverberation time measurement and other room acoustics tests

• Sound absorption testing

• Impact noise testing

• Frequency analysis

• General vibration measurement – acceleration, velocity, displacement

• Modal testing

• Mobility measurements

• Damping tests

• Design and specification of bespoke acoustic / vibration measurement systems

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