I’ve consulted on many types of projects, and it still amazes me that each project has its own unique acoustic character, unlike any other. Not one project has been a clone of another. Although the resulting designs are different, the acoustic problems to be solved remain the same. Some problems are designed into the building, some are caused by careless construction and still others are caused by the users of the building. In my experience, the following 10 basic acoustic mistakes are the most prevalent.
#1: Adding acoustic treatments after construction. Although buildings can be acoustically treated after construction, it is generally twice as expensive and half as effective when compared with designing the proper acoustics into the building. Ideally, the acoustic design of a building starts with site selection and building orientation to take advantage of the directionality of ambient noise and reduce the need for expensive sound isolation.