The new 60,000 sq ft facility encompasses all city administration municipal court activities. SSA Acoustics evaluated the existing noise levels throughout the building and provided the solutions needed to create the appropriate environment for the function of each space.

Scope 
The building contains three large open offices and over thirty private offices.  We were hired by the architect and the mechanical engineer to evaluate the interior noise levels due to reflective spaces and mechanical equipment.  The existing noise levels were above acceptable levels and were affecting the productivity and usability of the building.

Challenges
Mechanical equipment had been installed that didn't meet the design criteria of the spaces.  In addition, high reflectivity and poor speech intellegibility had rendered the courtroom and hearing examiner's room unusable.

Solutions
We focused on pinpointing the causes of the problems in order to best troubleshoot them.  We systematically evaluated the building room-by-room in order to answer our questions.  Based on this evaluation, we designed solutions for each space, including recommendations to control mechanical noise.  Our solutions were designed to be implemented in the field, during non-work hours.  To minimize impact on the building occupants, we implemented our recommendations in speatate stages.  This involved working closely with the mechanical engineer in developing mock-ups and then completing testing of the space before implementing further recommendations. .