Industrial noise pollution from back-up generators is a growing problem in the Dominican Republic and throughout the world. One generator designer installed QuietFiber noise absorbing material to lower the decibel levels at the newly constructed Galleria 360 mall in Santo Domingo.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 15, 2012 – Installation of 18,000 square feet of non-fiberlass QuietFiber® noise absorbing material has been completed in the massive generator room of the newly constructed, 750,000 square foot Galleria 360 mall in Santo Domingo.
QuietFiber, a product of Acoustiblok, Inc. in Tampa, Florida, was installed on the ceiling and walls of the mall’s generator and substation rooms. These rooms house the industrial emergency generators necessary to keep power running in this coastal area of the Caribbean, plagued by frequent power outages.
The Galleria 360’s industrial generators, installed by Santa Domingo-based Edelca, are a staple in this island republic. Edelca owner Carlos Montos, Edelca consulted with Jay Boland of Acoustiblok, Inc., and used QuietFiber on the project after achieving excellent results with QuietFiber on a similar project at the La Sirna Superstore in the eastern coastal town of Higuey, Dominican Republic.
“Even though QuietFiber is not the least expensive product on the market, I keep coming back to it because the results beat all the competitors’ noise deadening products with double the noise insulating qualities,” Montos said. “The customer on this job wanted to install a double layer of a different product but I convinced him to try the QuietFiber.
“I’ve been designing and installing these emergency generators for 20 years, and I have never had the results from other noise abatement products that I have with QuietFiber, and now I’m trying to use it everywhere.”
Montos says noise from these industrial generators on which the island has become dependent in order to maintain consistent power is a major problem plaguing businesses and residential property owners when the generators are running. Not only is generator noise bad for business, but its constant drone can cause permanent hearing loss. Another important consideration in the selection of soundproofing material is its fire resistance.
Recently in Santo Domingo a serious fire started in a generator room, and the existing foam sound proofing material was a prime contributor. The fire caused Montos to search for a new fireproof solution. QuietFiber is fire resistant even at 2,000 degrees.
“The noise levels are almost unbearable, so you need to have an adequate level of soundproofing in place when they are running,” Montos said. “I always install noise absorbing material wherever I install my generators, and QuietFiber is the best soundproofing product we’ve ever used.”
Montos and his crew were able to easily cut the QuietFiber to fit around electric conduits, and secured the material to the walls and ceiling with standard insulation stick pins.
The sound deadening qualities of QuietFiber will help to protect the mall’s employees, and streams of tourists and local residents from the high volume industrial noise caused by the generators when they are operating.
Lahnie Johnson, president and founder of Acoustiblok, Inc., says that the application of QuietFiber in the Galleria 360 generator and substation rooms was exactly what was needed for addressing the high decibel, reverberant sound emanating from the concrete walls.
“QuietFiber was designed with this type of hot, humid environment in mind,” Johnson said. “When you’re addressing solid surface noise issues, which in this case with concrete walls, you need a product with proven maximum sound absorption, high temperature rating for fire blocking, and hydrophobic (resistant to moisture).”
About QuietFiber
High sound absorbency QuietFiber is a two-inch thick interior/exterior noise solution that can also be cut to fit and simply hot glued underneath a bar, cabinets, countertops, tables, chairs, behind a wall tapestry or curtains. Slide a QuietFiber “pillow” on top of cabinets, or anywhere else that reverberant noise and echo is a problem. Easily cut to size with a serrated knife, QuietFiber can be concealed almost anywhere.
Used industrially for reducing noise, QuietFiber is a non-fiberglass material designed to absorb the maximum amount of sound (NRC 1.00). Fireproof, totally hydrophobic (will not absorb water or moisture), washable, non-deteriorating, mold and mildew-proof, Acoustiblok offers a lifetime warranty on this product.
QuietFiber® is used extensively for industrial noise reduction in large diesel generator rooms. It is also the answer to any space in need of a quick noise fix. QuietFiber is easy to install anywhere noise is a problem, without spending thousands of dollars to retrofit sound abatement material under drywall, or cover walls with expensive sound panels.
QuietFiber is UL fire rated for floor, wall and ceiling applications, 100 percent recyclable and 100-percent made in the USA.
For more information on QuietFiber, visit the Acoustiblok website (www.acoustiblok.com), send an E-mail (sales@acoustiblok.com), or call 813.980.1400.
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ASPEN, Colorado, May 9, 2012 –Decorative artist Bryan Melillo and his partner Bruce Czopek of Interior Art Design - MelilloCzopek Artisans, have created classic movie poster-inspired artwork in an upscale Lake Tahoe residential home theater with QuietFiber®, a noise absorbing material from Tampa, Florida-based Acoustiblok, Inc. used to absorb reverberant noise in acoustically sensitive spaces, such as this state-of-the-art home theater.
When Lake Tahoe Architect and Designer Craig Bonds designed the home theater in the private residence, he framed and hung the 4 foot x 4 foot pieces of QuietFiber to provide the acoustic treatment desired within the space, while maintaining its minimalist design. Once hung, however, Bonds was less than thrilled with the bland result, which resembled “framed white paper,”
Bonds called in Melillo and Czopek, and asked the artists to create some space-appropriate artwork with the already-framed acoustical material, and what they came up with surprised everyone: four vivid movie poster-style pieces that add color and texture to the space and reflect a bit of the homeowner’s taste in films, sketched and painted directly onto the QuietFiber – no canvass necessary.
“We wanted to be careful not to interfere with the acoustical properties of the QuietFiber, so we just used charcoal pencils, colored pencils and small amounts of acrylic paint to get the authentic movie poster look we were after,” Melillo said.
The artists also used tiny amounts of water with the colored pencils to create a bit of a water color effect in some places, with spot-on results.
“Bruce and I have never worked on a project like this before, so we approached it cautiously using mostly water-based mediums on the QuietFiber. It worked beautifully, and we are excited about the thought of doing more of these for home theater spaces in the future.”
QuietFiber, which can be hung on any wall or hidden underneath curtains, tapestries, on top of shelves or tabletops to provide noise absorption in spaces susceptible to reverberant noise has. QuietFiber has been used decoratively in clubs, restaurants, private residences and other spaces in need of a sound abatement solution that worked with the space’s existing décor. By cutting the QuietFiber to the appropriate wall size and then covering it with fabric to coordinate with the space’s existing décor, QuietFiber instantly doubles as a sound deadening treatment and wall art.
The four completed QuietFiber art pieces include scenes from the movies “Pulp Fiction,” “The Guns of Navarone,” “The Last of the Mohicans” and “Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke,” at the request of the homeowner.
“We can create these QueitFiber art pieces for any movie the client would like,” Melillo said. “I think these are a great alternative to boring sound panels.
“Who wouldn’t rather have authentic-looking movie posters in fine art form doubling as acoustic panels in their space?”
Acoustiblok Founder and President Lahnie Johnson says the QuietFiber-as-art concept is one he has been working to make available since launching QuietFiber in 2011.
“We launched our QuietFiber material with this type of application in mind,” Johnson said. “When you’re addressing solid surface noise issues in well-appointed residences or businesses like this magnificent Lake Tahoe residence, you can’t hang ordinary sound abatement products because, although they serve a functional purpose, they aren’t necessarily going to look good in the space.
“QuietFiber is the only sound damping product on the market that can be directly painted or airbrushed on to create a complementary design element in any space. You have the sound abatement properties you need, in a product that can be completely disguised as an artistic element within the space.”
High sound absorbency QuietFiber is a two-inch thick interior/exterior noise solution that can also be cut to fit and simply hot glued underneath a bar, cabinets, countertops, tables, chairs, behind a wall tapestry or curtains. Slide a QuietFiber “pillow” on top of cabinets, or anywhere else that reverberant noise and echo is a problem. Easily cut to size with a serrated knife, QuietFiber can be concealed almost anywhere.
Used industrially for reducing noise, QuietFiber is a non-fiberglass material designed to absorb the maximum amount of sound (NRC 1.00). Fireproof, totally hydrophobic (will not absorb water or moisture), washable, non-deteriorating, mold and mildew-proof, Acoustiblok offers a lifetime warranty on this product.
QuietFiber® is used extensively for industrial noise reduction in large diesel generator rooms. It is also the answer to any space in need of a quick noise fix. QuietFiber is easy to install anywhere noise is a problem, without spending thousands of dollars to retrofit sound abatement material under drywall, or cover walls with expensive sound panels.
QuietFiber is UL fire rated for floor, wall and ceiling applications, 100 percent recyclable and 100-percent made in the USA.
For more information on QuietFiber, visit the Acoustiblok website (www.acoustiblok.com), send an E-mail (sales@acoustiblok.com), or call 813.980.1400.
###
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MEDFORD, New York, May 2, 2012 – Acoustiblok noise abatement material was installed in the nearly completed Artist Workshop Studios recording facility, an in-the-box (ITB) studio designed and built by Artist Workshop Studios owner Tom Donofrio. Acoustiblok was chosen to provide a sound barrier for the small, 12 foot x 12 foot basement studio that could drop decibels levels within the space and provide a neutral acoustical environment for recording.
Donofrio, an electrical engineer, and musician who has built recording studios in the past using different sound deadening materials, chose Acoustiblok for his newest project after consulting with Marilyn Myers of Acoustiblok, Inc., because of its sound damping and noise blocking qualities, as well as its thin, flexible structure that adds no volume to walls within the studio space. Attached to the studs before drywall is hung, Acoustiblok performs without the need to add layers of rigid drywall or modified drywall, a method Donofrio used in the past with mixed results and significant floor space reduction.
“I was looking for a product that would lower the decibels in the studio without taking up any additional space,” Donofrio said. “I was able to achieve the neutral acoustics desired in the space, which makes me extremely happy.
“I didn’t want a sound quality that was too dead or too live, so the Acoustiblok turned out to be an excellent choice.”
Donofrio and a friend were able to hang the 3mm Acoustiblok on the newly framed stud walls within the studio space, including cutouts around a window and electric sockets, and seal the seams according to installation recommendations, all in less than four hours.
The Artist Workshop Studios recording space was built for Donofrio to indulge his own talents as an acoustical guitarist and vocalist, and to be made available to artists on a budget who need an affordable studio with high quality production equipment and the expertise of a seasoned technician to record a song or album.
“Acoustiblok is a perfect choice for establishing sound quality within a sound recording studio like this one,” said Lahnie Johnson, president and founder of Acoustiblok, Inc.
“Unlike additional drywall or other solid rigid materials used for sound reduction, the 1/8-inch heavy, limp Acoustiblok allows the room to be a damped, expandable acoustical envelope. As such, a studio or home theater has less reflection and actually sounds significantly better.”
About Acoustiblok:
Acoustiblok, Inc., a NASA spin-off company, has been providing high quality noise abatement products since 1998, earning the industry’s highest ratings from architects, builders, and consumers. Acoustiblok is a proprietary viscoelastic polymer material with a high density mineral content, heavy and yet extremely flexible. As sound waves cause the Acoustiblok material to flex, internal friction occurs and the acoustical energy is transformed into immeasurable trace amounts of heat (adiabatic).
Just one, 1/8-inch layer of Acoustiblok in a standard wall can result in more sound reduction than 12-inches of poured concrete. Environmentally friendly, Acoustiblok contains no lead, barium, or asbestos, is UV resistant and impervious to water and mold; it is UL rated and classified in the US and Canada (CUL) for virtually all wall, floor, and ceiling installations.
For more information, visit the Acoustiblok website, Email sales@acoustiblok.com, or call 813.980.1400.
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(L) A 24 foot tall, three sided Acoustifence barrier was installed around the industrial chiller on an existing chain link fence. (R) The top 10 feet of the adjacent Festival Foods warehouse-sized store is treated with QuietFiber to prevent sound reflection over the top of the chiller barrier.
SHEBOYGEN, Wisconsin, April 30, 2012 – Installation of a 24-foot noise barrier utilizing Acoustifence outdoor sound abatement material at the new Sheboygan Festival Foods store is complete, ending complaints from nearby residents over extreme levels of noise leaking from the store’s industrial refrigeration chillers into the community.
Folks in Sheboygen were celebrating when the popular Wisconsin-based Festival Foods grocery chain opened the 70,000 square foot mega store here on September 16, 2011. Less than two weeks later, the community’s warm welcome had grown icy as neighbors began to complain about noise from the store’s industrial refrigeration chiller that was so loud, it violated the city’s noise ordinance.
Festival Foods enlisted the help of Acoustical Engineer Eric Wolfram of Milwaukee-based Scott R. Riedel & Associates, LTD, who consulted with Acoustiblok’s Jay Boland to choose Acoustifence noise barrier material, a product of Acoustiblok, Inc. of Tampa Florida, to bring the decibel level down below the legal threshold and restore peace and quiet to the neighboring community.
When Wolfram first investigated the site in September, decibel readings ranged between 78.4 and 90.7, loud enough to be a risk for noise-related health problems to nearby residents and workers, had they been subjected to the noise over time. The Sheboygan Department of City Development demanded the level be reduced by at least five decibels, Wolfram said.
“The existing refrigeration pump and motor systems produce extreme noise levels,” Wolfram said. “This noise reverberates within the sheet-metal paneled enclosure interior and escapes through several different exhaust and ventilation openings.
“Additional noise was generated by the cooling and exhaust fans mounted above the enclosure.”
Working with sound consultants from Acoustiblok, Inc., Wolfram designed a two-step solution, creating a barrier with Acoustifence noise deadening material to block noise around the massive system, and incorporating another Acoustiblok product, QuietFiber, to help reduce sound from reflecting off of the taller adjacent building behind the chillers.
Minimal structural changes were required, as the ⅛- inch Acoustifence was easily attached to an existing chain link fence and the outdoor-rated QuietFiber with a perforated metal cover was capconed to the building.
The results were better than Wolfram had hoped, with decibel levels reduced to 57.3 the moment the barrier was in place – well below the City’s legal threshold, and more than 20 decibels lower than before the Acoustiblok products were installed. Neighbors are no longer bombarded with the irritating chiller noise, now replaced with the ordinary ambient sounds that existed before.
“Sounds from local traffic and roadways exceeded that of the compressor equipment after installation of the Acoustifence and QuietFiber products,” Wolfram said.
Lahnie Johnson, founder and president of Acoustiblok, Inc., applauded Festival Foods’ quick action in addressing the noise complaints right away, stating that the product combination was the perfect solution for this particular type of noise challenge.
“The Acoustifence and QuietFIber treatments were the perfect solution for the Festival Foods chiller noise, as both of these materials are designed to hold up in inclement weather, and as you can see from the results, they do their job well beyond everyone’s expectations,” Johnson said. “The Acoustifence and Quiet Fiber are also substantially less costly than attempting a structural enclosure solution.”
For more information on industrial noise solutions, visit the Acoustiblok website, Email sales@acoustiblok.com, or call 813-980-1400.
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About Acoustiblok:
Acoustiblok, Inc., a NASA spin-off company, has been providing high quality noise abatement products since 1998, earning the industry’s highest ratings from architects, builders, and consumers. Acoustiblok is a proprietary viscoelastic polymer material with a high density mineral content, heavy and yet extremely flexible. As sound waves cause the Acoustiblok material to flex, internal friction occurs and the acoustical energy is transformed into immeasurable trace amounts of heat (adiabatic).
Just one, 1/8 inch layer of Acoustiblok in a standard wall can result in more sound reduction than 12-inches of poured concrete. Environmentally friendly, Acoustiblok contains no lead, barium, or asbestos, is UV resistant and impervious to water and mold; it is UL rated and classified in the US and Canada (CUL) for virtually all wall, floor, and ceiling installations.
PRESS RELEASE
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BRISBANE, Australia, April 18, 2012 – Acoustiblok USA announced this week that it has teamed with Stephen Nolan of Brisbane to be the sound abatement material company’s main distributor for Australia.
Developed to address a lack of effective and available soundproofing material options in Australia, Nolan saw the opportunity to make Acoustiblok products available to Australians who are ready to address noise pollution problems in their homes and yards, businesses, schools, hospitals, and anywhere noise is a problem.
“Not many sound proofing products are available in this part of the world, so it is about time we changed that,” Nolan said. “Acoustiblok has been tested by independent laboratories in the U.S., which offers testimony to the product’s effectiveness.
“There’s a safety net there that you know the product is going to work.”
Nolan says he expects one Acoustiblok product in particular, Acoustifence, will be sought after to address outdoor noise pollution caused by the mining and rail industries, in addition to other outdoor noise problems like highway traffic, noisy generators, HVAC units, pump systems, industrial plants, barking dogs, and noisy neighbors.
Noise pollution in Australia, like most of the developed world, has reached epidemic levels. One in six Australians has suffered from hearing loss, 37 percent due to noise exposure. By 2050, that number is expected to reach 50 percent, according to Australian Government Hearing Services.
“Sound and noise levels over the past 10 years have become a major health and lifestyle issue to Australians,” Nolan says. “Suddenly, everything in Australia has gotten bigger – highways, cities, even the television sets in peoples’ living rooms. Properties are built in close proximity and subdivisions are common due to the ever-growing population and housing demand.”
These elements, according to Nolan, are stripping many Australians of privacy, peace and quiet, and over time, good health. Studies have linked exposure to noise to heart disease, stroke, sleep disorders, elevated blood pressure, and inability to concentrate. Children exposed to noise regularly are shown to have lower test scores and heightened rates of distraction.
“This is where Acoustiblok products come in and nine times out of 10, Acoustiblok products are the solution,” Nolan says.”
Lahnie Johnson, founder and president of Acoustiblok, Inc., says the new distributorship in Brisbane is a welcome addition to Acoustiblok’s international expansion.
“We’re very pleased to have Stephen Nolan as our Australia distributor,” Johnson says. “Australian consumers and businesses alike can benefit from Acoustiblok, especially now with inventory on hand and easily obtainable to solve noise problems of every size.”
About Acoustiblok:
Acoustiblok, Inc., a NASA spin-off company, has been providing high quality noise abatement products since 1998, earning the industry’s highest ratings from architects, builders, and consumers. Acoustiblok is a proprietary viscoelastic polymer material with a high density mineral content, heavy and yet extremely flexible. As sound waves cause the Acoustiblok material to flex, internal friction occurs and the acoustical energy is transformed into immeasurable trace amounts of heat (adiabatic).
Just one, 1/8 inch layer of Acoustiblok in a standard wall can result in more sound reduction than 12-inches of poured concrete. Environmentally friendly, Acoustiblok contains no lead, barium, or asbestos, is UV resistant and impervious to water and mold; it is UL rated and classified in the US and Canada (CUL) for virtually all wall, floor, and ceiling installations.
For more information, visit the Acoustiblok Australia website, Email steve@acoustiblokau.com.au, or call 0431 576 667 or 07 3907 0076.
###
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GOUDA, The Netherlands, March 21, 2012 – Noise control engineers from ABC International Trade B.V., in concert with engineers at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and Akoestische Bouw Constructies BV., have incorporated Acoustiblok® noise abatement material into the design of the OtoCube®, the first and only fully equipped desktop audio booth for testing and calibrating the cochlear implants of deaf individuals.
A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to people who are profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. Audiologists currently use test rooms or screening booths that measure between five feet and six feet tall to measure and calibrate CI devices to suit each individual patient’s level of deafness, sensitivity, and CI performance.
By simply connecting the OtoCube via a computer USB port, it is ready to perform all audio logical tests available through its large-scale, non-portable predecessors. In order to meet the standards for blocking ambient noise that would make this portable unit as effective as the large booths, engineers at the University of Antwerp and ABC B.V. applied a 3mm layer of Acoustiblok noise blocking material within the unit, creating a sound insulation layer without adding weight or taking up too much space within the small box.
Development of the OtoCube was based on an idea from Paul J. Govaerts, MD of the Eargroup in Antwerp, and with a grant (European subvention) from Belgium-based Otoconsult (7FP-SME-2266 Opti-Fox) to improve the standards of CI-fitting.
“This is a very small audio logical box into which the receiver portion of the CI is placed and then connected to the deaf patient,” said Haico van Oosten, a Research and Development Engineer in the University of Antwerp’s Biomedical Physics department.
“To perform the testing, it must be quiet in this box, but finding the right material for the sound insulation portion of the design was a difficult task.
“We were able to achieve the overall sound insulation, light weight, and slim design we were after, and an overall sound insulation level of 40 to 60 dBs after the installation of Acoustiblok,” van Oosten said. “Acoustiblok was just what we needed.”
The OtoCube weighs less than 15 kg (33 pounds), according to Ad Vreeswijk, ABC International Trading B.V.’s General Manager Europe. The sound insulation qualities of the Acoustiblok, Vreeswijk says, help the OtoCube set a new standard in precision, usability, and sound insulation for ambient noise.
Programming a cochlear implant is a technical intervention, which is done only by a trained audiologist. Achieving the best possible programming of the bio-electrical device is the audiologist’s primary goal when testing and calibrating each individual’s cochlear implant. The OtoCube provides a portable device that can reach many patients when access to a testing booth is impractical or impossible.
The OtoCube prototype, currently being clinically tested in several European clinics, is expected to be marketed by 2013.
There are approximately 240,000 cochlear implant recipients worldwide, including 41,500 adults and more than 30,000 children in the U.S. Only one in approximately 130 people around the world who could benefit from a cochlear implant has received one. However, since 2004, U.S. health policies have been put in place to increase CI recipients by 10 percent.
ABC International Trade B.V. is a sound designer and manufacturer of sound-insulating and soundproofing products for industrial and civil construction, and Acoustiblok’s distributor in The Netherlands. ABC manufactures products in Asia, and is a dealer-supplier in Scandinavia and throughout Europe. The company’s most recent self-developed products include noise decoupled wall ties and backstage noise barrier systems for theaters. Established in 1996, ABC Sound is a partner of ABC International Trading B.V. and Acoustical Partners B.V., offering high quality soundproofing and sound absorbing products throughout Europe and Asia. For more information, visit the ABC International Trade B.V. website.
About Acoustiblok:
Acoustiblok, Inc., a NASA spin-off company, has been providing high quality noise abatement products since 1998, earning the industry’s highest ratings from architects, builders, and consumers. Acoustiblok is a proprietary viscoelastic polymer material with a high density mineral content, heavy and yet extremely flexible. As sound waves cause the Acoustiblok material to flex, internal friction occurs and the acoustical energy is transformed into immeasurable trace amounts of heat (adiabatic).
Just one, 1/8 inch layer of Acoustiblok in a standard wall will result in more sound reduction than 12-inches of poured concrete. Environmentally friendly, Acoustiblok contains no lead, barium, or asbestos, is UV resistant and impervious to water and mold; it is UL rated and classified in the US and Canada (CUL) for virtually all wall, floor, and ceiling installations.
For more information, visit the Acoustiblok website, Email sales@acoustiblok.com, or call 813.980.1400.
###
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MANALAPAN, Florida, March 1, 2012 – Installation of Acoustiblok® “Hurricane” All Weather Sound Panels at a water treatment plant in the Manalapan-Hypoluxo island community of West Palm Beach is complete, ending an almost year-long battle to quiet noise that was bleeding from the plant into residential areas of the tiny island community.
In March, 2011 residents of the secluded community, tucked between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Beach County, began complaining about noise from the island’s water treatment plant that was disrupting their tranquil setting. Town officials at first requested the plant be enclosed, but later deemed enclosure impractical and requested other options that would allow the sound insulating structure to be moved or removed, and would also allow easy access to the plant equipment for maintenance and repairs.
They eventually turned to Kurt King, an engineer with West Construction in nearby Lake Worth, to find a solution. King, an expert in creating noise barrier solutions for water treatment plants and other facilities with loud pumps, blowers, compressors, exhausts and industrial machinery, chose to install Acoustiblok’s Hurricane All Weather Sound Panels at the Manalapan Water Treatment facility.
“The kind of equipment used at a water treatment plant can be quite loud,” King said. “In this case, the noise was coming from two sites and bleeding into the adjoining neighborhood.”
Noise at the water treatment plant stemmed from a stand-alone pump station and a separate station with a blower and vacuum pump intake/exhaust, scrubber exhausts, compressors, vents and blow-downs.
With the help of Acoustiblok consultant Marilyn Myers, King designed an assembly of nine Acoustiblok Hurricane All Weather Sound Panels to place around the noisy pump station, and a 14-panel assembly around the exhaust blower site, using a combination of 4 foot x 8 foot and 4 foot x 10 foot panels. Immediately upon installation, King said the decibel levels were reduced by 70 percent or more.
“In my opinion they worked very well,” King said. “The architect and property owners were very pleased, and the panels suited this job because they are engineered specifically to withstand outdoor elements in some rough weather areas like this one directly on the Atlantic shoreline.”
Lahnie Johnson, founder and president of Acoustiblok, Inc., said the Hurricane model of the company’s All Weather Sound Panel was specifically designed for settings like this one on the Manalapan-Hypoluxo island.
“The decision to use Acoustiblok All Weather Hurricane Panels to reduce the industrial noise from this water treatment plant was a win-win for everyone,” Johnson said.
“Whenever you have high maintenance equipment like this, you need sound barriers that allow for easy access to it, and you need a solution that can withstand the high winds, humidity, salt air, dirt, dust, sand and other elements that are unavoidable in an oceanfront environment.
“Extreme dust conditions can disable conventional sound absorbing systems, while these panels are engineered to perform as well in the worst conditions as they do under calm conditions; and since they both block noise and absorb it, you could not have found a more all-inclusive solution to this community’s noise problem,” Johnson said.
About Acoustiblok “Hurricane” All Weather Sound Panels:
Acoustiblok, a NASA “Spin-off” company, developed the Hurricane All Weather Sound Panels, engineered specifically to withstand the most rigorous outdoor and industrial environments. Water, moisture, humid salt air or salt water, dirt, dust, UV, chlorine air, corrosion, and most harsh chemicals do not affect them. The industrial Hurricane panels are available with an acoustically transparent five milron stainless steel dust filter for outdoor use in the world’s toughest environments, from the mining industry to the desert areas of the Middle East, and other applications where dust is a concern. Acoustiblok sound panels are extremely durable and are currently in use by the United States Army in the Middle East.
Washable, durable, long lasting and usable in hundreds of areas and applications, the Acoustiblok “Hurricane” All Weather Sound Panels are not just "sound absorbing" but also "sound blocking." This allows the panel to not only absorb sound but also stop the sound from penetrating through the panel, a very meaningful advantage over conventional "sound absorbing" panels that stop sound reflections but are poor sound barriers.
With an unprecedented noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of 1.00 (Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories test results), they are the only noise barrier wind-load tested to 270 mph. Rigid and self-supporting, they can be used like building blocks to permanently or temporarily enclose any noise source, such as chillers and industrial machinery.
For more information or to view a video demonstration of Acoustiblok’s sound deadening capabilities, visit the Acoustiblok website, Email sales@acoustiblok.com, or call 813.980.1400.
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ONTARIO, Canada, February 16, 2012 – In response to complaints that noise from the school cafeteria and loud plumbing rendered two classrooms unusable to students and teachers, Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario has installed Acoustiblok® in two classrooms to reduce noise leaking from a busy cafeteria below.
Fleming College Facilities Manager Mike Peart decided to install Acoustiblok 3mm noise abatement material after researching sound deadening products to find an affordable solution, and discussing his options with Steve Hibbens, an acoustical consultant from Acoustiblok, Inc.
Peart said that the cafeteria noise was infiltrating the classroom above it through the wall cavity and a series of exhaust vents that acted as a conduit for noise between the floors. This type of noise problem is not uncommon in schools and other public and commercial buildings that were designed and built without acoustical principles in mind.
The noise permeating the classroom created a serious distraction for students and teachers, and eventually the classroom had to be abandoned until the problem could be resolved. Fleming College hired Beavermead Construction of Peterborough to install Acoustiblok on the walls and in the drop ceiling of the first classroom, resulting in a 12 decibel sound decrease.
“The room measured at 58 dBs before we installed Acoustiblok, and it measured at 46 dBs as soon as the installation was complete,” Peart said. “We are really impressed with it; it did exactly what we were told it would do.”
John Kraetzer of Beavermead Construction said the product went in easily, and made such an impact on the noise problem that his company decided to purchase it for another Peterborough project he was working on, a government building that required soundproofing between government building offices and a prayer center that shared a common wall.
“They told us to use a product called Green Glue, but we had already installed the Acoustiblok at Fleming College and I knew how well it worked there, so I decided to use it on this project as well,” Kraetzer said.
“They were thrilled with the results too.”
After the first installation, Peart said he had Acoustiblok installed in a second classroom plagued with noise problems coming from plumbing pipes within the wall, with the same excellent results they had in the first classroom.
“We’re really happy with the Acoustiblok treatments,” Peart said.
Acoustiblok Founder and President Lahnie Johnson says that the Acoustiblok noise abatement material is the perfect solution to classroom noise, particularly in academic buildings designed before architects began taking acoustics into account in their designs.
"The hollow walls and multiple vents between the cafeteria below and the classroom couldn't have been more effective in creating a noise chamber," Johnson said. "This type of design flaw is not uncommon in late 20th century public building design architecture, and many schools are now being forced to address the issue when classrooms become too noisy to be useful.
"We are finding that more and more academic institutions - from elementary schools to universities - are struggling with noise problems that are easily remedied with Acoustiblok."
About Acoustiblok:
Acoustiblok’s high quality noise abatement products, available since 1998, have earned the industry’s highest ratings from architects, builders, and consumers. Acoustiblok is a proprietary viscoelastic polymer material with a high density mineral content, heavy and yet extremely flexible. As sound waves cause the Acoustiblok material to flex, internal friction occurs and the acoustical energy is transformed into undetectable trace amounts of heat.
Just one, 1/8 inch layer of Acoustiblok in a standard wall will result in more sound reduction than 12-inches of poured concrete. Environmentally friendly, Acoustiblok contains no lead, barium, or asbestos, is UV resistant and impervious to water and mold; it is UL rated and classified in the US and Canada (CUL) for virtually all wall, floor, and ceiling installations.
For more information visit the Acoustiblok website, Email mailto:sales@acoustiblok.com, or call 813.980-1400.
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PRESS RELEASE
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Liz Ernst, Director of Public Relations
Lizernst@acoustiblok.com
813.980.1400 x 210
Contractors installed 21,000 linear feet of Thermablok aerogel insulating strips as an eco-friendly measure to prevent thermal bridging at the newly constructed Fabens U.S. Border Patrol Station in Clint, Texas.
CLINT, Texas, February 1, 2012 — Crews working construction on the environmentally sustainable Fabens U.S. Border Patrol Station in Clint, Texas have just completed installing 21,000 linear feet of Thermablok® aerogel insulating strips on studs throughout the 51,000 square foot facility.
Incorporating NASA aerogel technology, Thermablok reduces thermal bridging (heat transfer) – the prime cause of energy loss in buildings. When RVK Architects of San Antonio collaborated with Jacobs Engineering Group of Houston to design the eco-friendly structure already years in the planning, they included Thermablok in the original design.
Thermablok consultant Marilyn Myers of Acoustiblok, Inc. advised Marco Barrio, architectural QC/BIM specialist for the project’s General Contractor, SpawGlass, on the product.
“We had to look it up, we had never heard of Thermablok before,” said Barrio, who helped install the aerogel insulation strips. “Being an eco-friendly product is what led the architects to it; we were impressed with what we learned about it.”
Barrios said the strips went up easily since they have peel and stick adhesive already attached to the back of the product. The facility is fitted with solar heaters, sky lights, glazed windows, and energy efficient equipment for a low carbon footprint.
The compound consists of five structures that include a 50,585-square-foot patrol station with administrative offices, holding/detention spaces, and training rooms; a 9,834 square foot maintenance building with storage; fueling stations; vehicle washing station; and canine shelter and horse corral.
The site, scheduled for completion in June, 2012 will include controlled access, staff and visitor parking, an impound lot and helicopter landing pad.
Construction at the site, about 30 miles southeast of El Paso along the Rio Grande, began in April 2011, seven months after SpawGlass was awarded the contract in September 2010.
“It’s exciting to see Thermablok used in such an environmentally sensitive area,” said Lahnie Johnson, president of Acoustiblok, Inc. in Tampa, Florida. Acoustiblok is the parent company of Thermablok.
“Thermal bridging is the number one cause of wasted energy from buildings, and this is the perfect application for Thermablok, in the dessert climate of South Texas. We are providing an environmentally sound answer to thermal bridging using aerogel technology – the highest insulating material known to exist.
“We expect Thermablok will set a new standard in green design and construction for preventing energy from leaking out of the building envelope.”
SpawGlass is a Houston-based general contractor, construction manager, design/builder and civil contractor with expertise in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and green building, serving clients in corporate, higher education, healthcare, government/public, senior/campus living and more.
The Fabens Station’s area of responsibility encompasses 24 miles of International Boundary. The continuous 24 miles of rough desert and Rio Grande terrain are a hotbed for illegal trafficking of aliens and drugs. The primary duty of the Fabens border patrol agents is linewatch operations.
About Thermablok:
Made in the USA, aerogel-based Thermablok is 100 percent recyclable, impervious to moisture and mold, and unaffected by age. Green, energy-conscious architects and builders are currently incorporating this new NASA aerogel technology into energy conservation and CO2 emissions reduction.
Just one, 1/4-inch x 1½-inch (10mm x 38mm) strip of Thermablok aerogel insulation applied to the edge of each stud before hanging drywall breaks the conductive “thermal bridging” and can increase the overall wall R-factor by more than 40 percent (US Department of Energy/JM Laboratories). NASA named Thermablok aerogel insulating material to its prestigious “Spinoff” list of companies that have successfully adapted NASA technology to everyday products and made them available to consumers.
Thermablok is most often used in construction as a preventative measure against thermal bridging.
For more information, visit the Thermablok website, email sales@acoustiblok.com, or call 813-980-1400.
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PRESS RELEASE
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Liz Ernst, Director of Public Relations
Lizernst@acoustiblok.com
813.980.1400 x 210
TAMPA, Florida, January 19, 2012 -- Eighteen months after adopting Hubspot’s all-in-one marketing platform, Tampa, Florida-based Acoustiblok has increased website traffic by 210 percent, increased organic search leads by 307 percent, and increased customer transactions by 40 percent, contributing to Acoustiblok’s record sales increases in 2011.
Hubspot named Acoustiblok a “Best Practice” customer based on its application of Hubspot marketing tools for website management, blogging, search engine optimization (SEO), lead management, marketing analytics, social media monitoring, and website analysis.
“Being recognized by an industry leader as a “best practice” customer is a real accomplishment, and one we’ve worked hard to achieve,” said Liz Ernst, director of public relations for Acoustiblok, Inc. “We have a small marketing and PR team, and we had been trying different approaches to increasing traffic and drawing attention to our Acoustiblok soundproofing product line, and our Thermablok aerogel insulating strips.
“Hubspot gave us some serious one-on-one attention and guidance to understand where to best devote our efforts for the greatest return on our marketing and PR campaigns.”
Acoustiblok President and Founder Lahnie Johnson says that Hubspot provided the traffic building tools he had been looking for in order to achieve the huge growth goals the company had set for itself.
"We knew we had to get more web traffic, and that more traffic would equate to more leads,” Johnson said. “We were able to use the HubSpot software to help us with our traffic building initiatives, and our leads increased dramatically as our traffic increased.”
HubSpot, Inc., based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, provides an all-in-one marketing software platform used by more than 5000 companies in 34 countries. HubSpot is also the developer of WebsiteGrader.com, a website analysis tool with more than 3 million users. HubSpot, Inc. was founded in 2006.
About Acoustiblok:
Acoustiblok’s high quality noise abatement products, available since 1998, have earned the industry’s highest ratings from architects, builders, and consumers. Acoustiblok is a proprietary viscoelastic polymer material with a high density mineral content, heavy and yet extremely flexible. As sound waves cause the Acoustiblok material to flex, internal friction occurs and the acoustical energy is transformed into undetectable trace amounts of heat.
Just one, 1/8 inch layer of Acoustiblok in a standard wall will result in more sound reduction than 12-inches of poured concrete. Environmentally friendly, Acoustiblok contains no lead, barium, or asbestos, is UV resistant and impervious to water and mold; it is UL rated and classified for all wall, floor, and ceiling installations.
Acoustiblok received first place product awards from the British House of Commons, and was named Builder News Magazine’s Product of the Year. The company was named in NASA’s annual list of top 49 Spin-Off companies for its use of aerogel technology in its Thermablok insulating strips.
For more information visit the Acoustiblok website at www.acoustiblok.com, Email sales@acoustiblok.com, or call 813.980-1400.
###
PRESS RELEASE
Download PDF
For Immediate Release
Contact: Liz Ernst, Director of Public Relations
Lizernst@acoustiblok.com
813.980.1400 x 210