Residential High-Rise
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Beacon Tower (or 85Adams Street), New York City
Architect: Cetra/Ruddy, New York City
Developer: A.I. & Boymelgreen Developers
Acoustics: Shen Milsom & Wilke, New York City
Size: 115,000 square feet; 79 luxury condos
Completion: Early 2006

Building sites are rare in this highly desirable residential area. This new luxury condo building sits next to the Manhattan Bridge , which carries a significant amount of vehicular traffic as well as above-ground subway trains. Shen Milsom & Wilke evaluated the site for noise by taking detailed on-site measurements. These were used to develop a SoundPLAN noise model, which predicts noise levels from the bottom of the building to the 25th floor penthouse apartment, and at all sides of the building.

It was found that sound levels intermittently peaked at 96 dBA due predominantly to the train passing by every few minutes at the 5 th floor level.

To provide noise control, a 10-inch-thick window system, consisting of 1/2-inch laminated glass on the exterior and 1/2-inch solid glass on the inside set 8 inches apart and isolated through the detailing of the aluminum frame, was specified. To provide natural ventilation, an acoustically tested trickle vent was incorporated into window assembly. Conducting the air along a lined, labyrinthine path, the vent admits fresh air but not noise, meeting the same acoustic criteria as the window.

Photo: Courtesy Cetra/Ruddy

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