INTERNATIONAL M&E consultancy CPW has further expanded its operations and appointed two accomplished acousticians. Jon Willmott now heads up the newly formed acoustics department, with the support of senior acoustics consultant James Large, in order to meet the growing demand across multiple sectors for acoustic input. Jon, who has been
London’s Canary Wharf, home to the European headquarters of Barclays, Citigroup, HSBC and many other businesses is currently operating at 10 per cent capacity, with most employees working from home. To put that in perspective, that’s about 12,000 people of the total 125,000 workforce using the buildings. Here, Adam Fox,
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
INTERNATIONAL M&E consultancy CPW has further expanded its operations and appointed two accomplished acousticians. Jon Willmott now heads up the newly formed acoustics department, with the support of senior acoustics consultant James Large, in order to meet the growing demand across multiple sectors for acoustic input. Jon, who has been in the industry for more than 20 years, has assumed the position of associate director and head of acoustics following successful tenures at several other major consultancies, where his expertise took him as far as the Middle East for the FIFA 2022 preparations. The acoustics department is a complementary service to CPW’s MEP consultancy and provides specialist advice on all aspects of the acoustics, noise, and vibration in the built environment. Based primarily at CPW’s Manchester office, Jon is tasked with offering specialist advice on projects across the UK as well as growing the team and client base. He said: “It’s been incredibly busy since joining CPW and taking on the responsibility of the acoustics department, but I’ve enjoyed every minute. “CPW’s work culture and values immediately drew me in. The forward-thinking nature of its employees and collaborative approach to solving problems within the built environment is something we’re keen to continue nurturing. Following a raft of new project appointments, we’re looking to grow the team and take on engineers across a range of positions. “This is a really exciting time for CPW following a companywide rebrand and the expansion of four offices, so further investing in the acoustics team will offer our clients even more added value on projects. As a business we are continuing to invest in the acoustic tools and software to enable exciting 3D modelling and auralisations. However, our core objective is to produce cost-effective practical design solutions to our clients, and communicate these in jargon-free, plain-English.” James, who has worked alongside Jon previously in his career, will also play a key role in driving the department’s future growth strategy. He brings nine years of industry experience to the team, having worked on several high-profile developments such as the refurbishment of Waterloo Train Station. James said: “I’m really pleased to be part of CPW’s new acoustic department. There are so many exciting opportunities on the horizon, and the acoustics team is already home to vast amounts of technical expertise ready to be put to good use for CPW’s growing customer base.” Having noticed the increased demand for acoustic services from the healthcare, education, residential and commercial sectors, CPW expects the department to quickly grow and complement its existing team of experts specialising in sustainability within the built environment. Antonios Agapakis, director at CPW, added: “I recognised that we needed an acoustics expert to head up our new specialist department – and to have Jon join us is a real win for the business. We’re delighted to build on our in-house capability, which will be bolstered by James’ expertise and support. “The department serves as a ‘one-stop shop’ for clients, offering peace of mind through both challenging regulation adaption and design recommendation. As we grow this new arm of the business, we look forward to expanding the team and furthering our service offering, whilst providing opportunities to the next generation of acoustic specialists.” Understanding that noise and poor acoustics can have wide-reaching implications on health and wellbeing, the acoustics department offers a range of services such as environmental noise impact assessments, acoustic modelling, sound insulation testing and BREEAM noise assessments – all of which add to the depth off offering to clients. CPW is an international M&E consultancy with more than 250 staff based across 11 offices – including Bristol, Derby, Huntingdon, Leeds, Leicester, London, Manchester, Nottingham, and Solihull as well as Poland and India – specialising in designing and integrating a full range of energy solutions into existing and new buildings. For further information visit www.cpwp.com or follow @CPWengineering on social media.
London’s Canary Wharf, home to the European headquarters of Barclays, Citigroup, HSBC and many other businesses is currently operating at 10 per cent capacity, with most employees working from home. To put that in perspective, that’s about 12,000 people of the total 125,000 workforce using the buildings. Here, Adam Fox, director of vibration control specialist Mason UK, explains how these quieter times could change the face of London forever. Changing perceptions People’s perception of noise, or tolerance of it, may be different post-Covid. The busy office blocks that were synonymous with London work life have taken a different shape. They’re much, much quieter. Of course, less commuters, also mean London’s roads are a lot quieter too. In fact, in the height of lockdown, reports revealed London was quieter than it was back in 1928. As London begins to return to normal — or closer to normal — will people have become acclimatised to the quieter world? Will returning workers start to notice noise and vibration that they had previously been habituated to? Maybe. On the other hand, working from home for many hasn’t been silent bliss. More people at home, means more people walking around blocks of flats, playing music and undertaking DIY tasks they finally got round to doing. While noise and vibration in London hasn’t completely been obliterated, its shift in form has resulted in increased pressure to manage its effects in both office and residential environments. Changing buildings Buildings that are no longer the packed offices they once were, are likely to become mixed use to rebuild occupancy levels. This will result in office blocks having a mixture of residential and commercial inhabitants. Picture this. While one person is sleeping in their bedroom at night, someone is putting in a late-night overtime shift on the floor above using the photo copier. Similarly, while a business is holding its annual review meeting the next day, a resident above could be playing loud music and exercising. This is a complex challenge for developers. This medley of building applications puts significant onus on noise and vibration control to keep all building users happy. This control could be in the form of floating floors to break vibration transmission, or isolating commercial equipment, such as an industrial photocopier. As we begin to see more of these mixed-used buildings in the post-Covid world, we’ll no doubt begin to see some other challenges emerge too. For example, it is highly likely that both the residents and workers will want a communal gym facility. Gyms are becoming commonplace, but so too are the noise complaints that follow if vibration control isn’t implemented. To make sure weight drops don’t result in nuisance thuds and shudders, vibration breaks will need to be implemented. For gyms, a spring-loaded floating floor is normally the best option for free weight areas but there is not a ‘one fits all’ design as each structure responds differently to impact. The new face of London Property developers need to acknowledge the rising trend in mixed-use buildings and thoroughly consider the increased dynamism of these buildings, the array of people using them and the large range of activities taking place in them. Any acoustic consultants brought onto projects like these are welcome to reach out to Mason UK, to discuss how we can solve your vibration problems. For more information, email info@masonuk.co.uk or visit mason-uk.co.uk.
