Archoustics Mountain Lands GSA Sound Masking Office Design Contract in Seattle

Aug. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- Archoustics Mountain, the regional distributor for the Northwest Region specializing in LogiSon® sound masking systems announced they have been awarded an $110,000 contract to provide sound masking for the Federal Center South.

The term of the contract is for the company to design, install and commission an Acoustic Network that will be networked to manage the system’s settings and zones from a central location.

“Poor acoustics is the number one cause of workplace dissatisfaction and the most significant factor affecting employee performance,” said Rolland Fearn, Archoustics Mountain owner.

Work is currently underway in Seattle, according to Archoustics Mountain officials. It includes a hub, loudspeakers, cabling and network control components.  

The company received the contract due to the adjustability of the system, which  can be integrated into any kind of office structure likely to be  used.  “The masking sound can be tuned by software to local conditions, ensuring that it’s comfortable and effective across the entire work space, “said Fearn.  “Also, because control is networked, this level of performance is easily maintained and adjusted when the office layouts change,” he said.

In March of 2009, the US General Services Administration (GSA) received authorization under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to redevelop/modernize the 1202 warehouse site at Federal Center South into a high performance green office building. Construction began in July 2010 and expected to be completed by October 2012.
Since the original construction in the early 1940s by the US Army, the 1202 Warehouse Site has been owned by Boeing, and the US General Services Administration. The new building has a stunning shape, known as the Oxbow. Named after the painting of the oxbow curve on the Connecticut River in Massachusetts, the shape curves back on itself, forming a slightly closed “U”.

In keeping with the Green construction design, the exterior walls of the building have a large amount of glass to allow natural light to penetrate to the center of the building. This lack of blocking, combined with the hard surfaces in the interior of the building, creates an office that allows conversations to be heard from long distance. As a consequence, the only method to increase productivity and confidentiality is sound masking.

This project is ideal for Archoustics Mountain. “Any masking system will introduce a sound into your facility, but the level of speech privacy, noise control and comfort you’ll receive depends on the size of its adjustment zones and the degree of control offered within each one,” said Gary Myre, head of business development for the company. “Our system provides the smallest zones (1 to 3 loudspeakers) with the finest adjustments.”

According to Fearn, the Federal Center South project is one of the largest projects awarded to the business.  “A unique part of the project is integrating the sound masking speakers and their visibility with the special chill beams being used for heating and cooling,” Fearn said.

Fearn says that his company stresses office design to clients. “We know that through sound masking the workplace can be an effective tool for business,” Fearn said.  He cites research by BOSTI Associates (the Buffalo Organization for Social and Technological Innovation), among other research organizations.

A sound masking system is the only acoustic treatment that can maintain the background sound level at an appropriate volume, which is between 42 and 48 dBA (decibel) for most workplaces.

This technology essentially consists of a series of loudspeakers installed in a grid-like pattern in or above the ceiling, and a method of controlling their output.

Sound distributed by the loudspeakers is often compared to that of softly blowing air,” Fearn said.  “Our product, however, has been specifically engineered to cover up speech, as well as noise from general activities.”

“Our experience spans a variety of well known projects,”Myre said.  On the list are:

•   Amazon.com
•   Boeing
•   Department of Energy Idaho
•   E-Bay
•   KPMG
•   Navy Federal Credit Union
•   Nintendo
•   Northrop Grumman
•   Pearson College
•   Peterson Air Force Base
•   WellPoint Denver

“We are proud to have completed 30 projects a year from 200 square feet to a 1 million  (1 city block 40 stories high) since 2002,” Fearn said.

Despite the economy Archoustics Mountain has actually grown and is the fastest growing distributor for LogiSon®. “We are planning to match 2011 where we had a three-fold increase in revenue over 2010,” Fearn said.  

He attributes the growth to the fact that sound masking is the final piece of the puzzle for making an efficient office.  “We are not hesitant to pursue contract work no matter where the project is located,” he said.

For additional information visit: http://www.archoustics-mountain.com
Or, contact Gary Myre, business development at 303.587.9629.

About Archoustics Mountain:   The company is the exclusive distributor of the LogiSon® Acoustic Network in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.  This networked sound masking, paging and music system is a recognized industry leader that’s been installed in hundreds of millions of square feet world-wide and earned numerous awards for innovation, performance and ease of use.  The company also provides a complete range of professional services and highly responsive technical support to include design, installation, tuning and programming the LogiSon® Acoustic Network either independently or in cooperation with the organizational acoustical consultant.  Archoustics Mountain maintains field offices in Salt Lake City, Utah and Seattle, Washington.