The Quiet Mark Podcast

Episode 36: The Top 10 priorities for our Homes in 2022 - Jane Blakeborough - Research Director at Trend-Monitor

There is little doubt that the lockdown months have forced many of us to reassess our homes and how we live in them.  As we head into 2022 with a certain amount of relief, we look at the impact of Covid-19 on our behaviours and highlight how the pandemic has driven the new priorities we now have for our homes.

In this episode Trend-Monitor Founder & Research Director, Jane Blakeborough shares with our Hist, Simon Gosling, some of the Top 10 priorities consumers now have for their homes, as highlighted in their Post-COVID Trend Map for the UK Home Improvement Sector. 

Trend-Monitor is a leading insight resource for the UK home improvement industry, providing targeted consumer and market insights and trend analysis for major brands, multiple retailers, trade associations and the trade press for over 16 years. 

Alongside 'Easily Sustainable Homes', and 'Clean Air at Home', the Top 10 priorities also includes 'Quiet Homes', saying:

Noise is very much an invisible pollutant as many layers of sound can build up over time.  Whereas previously we may have been able to ignore these layers of sound, working from home, and in particular when on Zoom or in virtual meetings, has made us extra sensitive to the amount of noise we have going on around us in our homes.

Spending more time at home during lockdown has emphasised the detrimental effect of being constantly surrounded by noise from domestic appliances, technology and poor acoustics. This in turn is impacting on our mental health and energy levels.

Quiet Mark, the international consumer champion award programme associated with the UK Noise Abatement Society charity, is seeing an increased interest in products that ensure that acoustic design is as important as visual design.

You can download the Trend Monitor report, in full, here: https://trend-monitor.co.uk/

Episode 35 - Lobbying for Healthy Homes & Sustainable Building Design - Daniel Slade Policy & Projects Manager, TCPA, and Cat Hoad - Interior Design Declares Steering Committee Member

This year, 2022, Quiet Mark celebrates 10 years. Our origins, however, stem back much further, to 1959, when The Noise Abatement Society (NAS) was founded by the entrepreneurial businessman John Connell OBE. He believed that being exposed to excessive noise profoundly affected health, children's learning, productivity, and general quality of life – he called noise ‘the forgotten pollutant’. John almost single-handedly lobbied the Noise Abatement Act through Parliament, when in 1960, noise became a statutory nuisance for the first time in the UK.

In this episode we enjoy the company of 2 guests who lobby for change that will create healthier homes and more sustainable construction and design practises.

Daniel Slade joined the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) in January 2020 to work as a Policy and Projects Manager. The TCPA's vision is for homes, places and communities in which everyone can thrive. Their mission is to challenge, inspire and support people to create healthy, sustainable and resilient places that are fair for everyone.

Cat Hoad is Director & Founder at Absolute Project Management who are a Founding Signatory of Interior Design Declares, for whom Cat is a Steering Committee member. Interior Design Declares is part of Construction Declares, a global petition movement uniting all strands of construction and the built environment. It is both a public declaration of our planet’s environmental crises and a commitment to take positive action in response to climate breakdown and biodiversity collapse.

At the end of last year, as part of our ongoing mission to increase occupant wellbeing through noise reduction and improved acoustics, Quiet Mark announced a new partnership with NBS, a leading construction data and specification platform, to empower architects to specify ‘acoustics first’, by providing a shortcut for specifiers to source responsible products.

Listen to Cat and Daniel, as they share, with our host Simon Gosling, more about their work and missions.

Episode 34 - MODULAR SPACES FOR THE NEW ERA OF OFFICE DESIGN - Jouko Urpolahti General Manager, Vetrospace Ltd.

Our guest on Episode 34 of The Quiet Mark Podcast is Jouko Urpolahti General Manager, Vetrospace, a company whose modular space products have recently been Quiet Mark certified and listed in our Acoustics Academy directory of verified acoustic solutions for every building type. 

In a recent episode of The Quiet Mark Podcast, Adam Cossey, Partner at Hawkins\Brown Civic, Community and Culture Sector Lead shared how his company research had found that, in the modern era of hybrid working, 3 desks per 10 team members are often sufficient, whereas pre-pandemic, it would have been 6 per 10.

Workers returning to the office, from their homes, no longer want to see rows of desks in open plan spaces. Instead, they prefer a more zonal approach with soft fabrics and finishes, more plantings and biophilic design, and quieter spaces to go to for privacy, quiet and focus. It's no wonder therefore, that there were so many new pods and booths on display at the recent Workspace Design Show.

Founded in 2017, before the pandemic, and based in Finland, Vetrospace manufactures unique meeting pods and phone booths that incorporate critical health technology, including anti-microbial lighting, anti-viral nano-coating and clean-air ventilation. The result, they say, is the most hygienic, private modular spaces on the market.

On December 1st, Jouko took time out of his hectic Slush schedule to talk to The Quiet Mark Podcast, from Vetrospace's latest product, their StreamSpace.  Helsinki's Slush has grown into the largest single gathering of venture capital in the world – 1,700 investors ranging from VCs to angels, CVCs, and LPs, all looking for the next big thing. Vetrospace supplied this year's Slush event with almost thirty indoor air purification meeting rooms. Would their StreamSpace booth be enough keep out the noise of the 8,000 Slush attendees and enable our Host, Simon Gosling, to record their conversation in peace and quiet? Listen to discover more!

Episode 33 - SPECIFYING FOR ACOUSTIC COMFORT, with Jeff Fullerton, Acoustics Department Manager - Building Science Solutions at Intertek

(December 2021). In the week that Quiet Mark announces a new partnership with NBS, a leading construction data and specification platform, in this episode we take a closer look at the science of specification. 

 There are few people as knowledgeable or well-versed in the art of specification, choosing the best acoustic products to suit every building type, as our guest, Jeffrey Fullerton, Acoustics Department Manager - Building Science Solutions at Intertek. 

Intertek is an industry leader with more than 43,800 employees in 1,000 locations in over 100 countries. They are a Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. Through their global network of state-of-the-art facilities and industry-leading technical expertise they provide innovative and bespoke Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification services to their customers. In fact, in addition to testing products in its own labs, Quiet Mark often partners with Intertek for additional testing, harnessing their global network to assess many of our international partner brands' products.

Jeff has 20 years of experience providing acoustical consulting guidance to clients on local, regional, national and global projects. His past projects include mixed use facilities, entertainment venues, corporate and commercial buildings, single and multi-family residences, higher education buildings, government buildings, healthcare facilities, transportation terminals, and industrial plants.

Jeff shares his experience as an acoustician working alongside architects and interior designs, to help realise their visual designs, whilst optimising the acoustic comfort of the space. He makes our CMO and Host, Simon Gosling, chuckle when he talks about the challenges this can present, citing a book titled 'Deaf Architects & Blind Acousticians? A Guide to the Principles of Sound Design', by Robert E. Apfel!

 If you're interested to learn more about how skilled aural design and the specification of acoustic products can enhance the wellbeing of a building's occupants, then look no further!

Episode 32: SHOPPING FOR SOUND - Vicki Mantle - Muffle

In Episode 32 of The Quiet Mark Podcast, we discuss Shopping for Sound - The Art of Acoustic Acquisition, with Vicki Mantle, Head of Sales at Muffle.

Our host, Simon Gosling, recorded this conversation in early November ‘21, soon after bumping into Vicki at The Workspace Design Show in London’s Business Design Centre. Both were amazed at just how much emphasis there was on acoustic design in the furniture, lighting, screens, panels, pods and booths being exhibited at the event. 

Clearly, the pandemic, work from home, hybrid-working, and the growing trend for well-being focused design in workspace, has caused designers to think, not just visually, but also acoustically, blending attractive designs with products that improve the soundscape of the workplace; be that in our homes or our offices. 

Vicki mentions a Google Popularity Score search that she did for the term, 'Noisy Neighbours’, which scored 20 pre-pandemic, rising to 100 in April and May last year, when lockdowns began. With people spending more time working, teaching and resting at home, came the realisation of just how loud our homes actually were. 

But, as Vicki explains, before Muffle was formed 3 years ago, if you were a residential or small business customer, wanting to buy a couple of panels, screens or other decorative acoustic products, most manufacturers run B2B rather than B2C operations and there really wasn’t anywhere that you could go to buy them. 

Muffle changed that, making it easy for everyone to buy acoustic products, online via their website, which now offers hundreds of products by over 20 brands, several of whom, such as BuzziSpace, Ecophon and Echo Barrier, are Quiet Mark certified and listed in our Acoustics Academy platform of verified building products for every building application area. 

Episode 31: THE SCHOOL OF NOISE - Dan Mayfield - Head ofThe School of Noise

Dan Mayfield is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, sound artist, author, and Acoustic Ecology graduate. He founded the School of Noise in 2015 and has since run online and offline workshops for children, young people and adults encouraging the exploration of music and the science of sound. Their aim is to provide creative and imaginative activities using sound in accessible, fun and educational ways.

So many previous guests on The Quiet Mark Podcast played instruments in bands before embarking on sound and acoustic related careers; varying from the sound design of household products for global brands, to the acoustic design of some of the world’s most iconic buildings.

In July 2021, Ofsted published its latest research review looking at music education in schools. It can be found on Gov.uk under the headline: Simply ‘doing’ music is not enough. It points out that the number of pupils taking up music at key stages 4 and 5 continues to decline. Key stage 3 music provision has also been reduced and trainee primary teachers are offered shrinking amounts of musical training. And with reduced lesson time, this has been accompanied by lower levels of staffing to support a school’s rich musical life.

Therefore, it is more important than ever for schools to find ways that put high-quality music at the core of the curriculum.

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman said:

Music touches the heart of our humanity and its sense of wonder has influenced human societies throughout history. For many pupils, the music they love will be part of the narrative of their lives.

Music is part of the curriculum but simply ‘doing’ music is not enough. We shouldn’t be satisfied with just having music on the timetable. We need to be ambitious about what we expect for music in the classroom and make sure that time is well used.

Dan and The School of Noise are on hand to help. Discover more... 

Episode 30: Civic, Community & Culture - Well-being focused acoustical design - Adam Cossey - Hawkins\Brown

In this episode we look at the growing trend for well-being, and the interrelated role of acoustics, in the design and build of commercial offices, educational libraries and town halls; with Adam Cossey, Partner at Hawkins\Brown.

Established in 1988 Hawkins\Brown is now the 7th largest UK practice, working in a wide range of sectors including residential, infrastructure, education, workplace and civic, community and culture [CCC]. Adam leads the CCC sector which is involved in a number of projects including community and Higher Education libraries as well as a number of Town Hall projects providing new workplace environments for local authorities.

Hawkins\Brown employs a global team of 300, working in offices of around 20 people in centres including London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Los Angeles. Adam talks of some of the in-house testing and experimentation that has taken place within their own studios, which has shown that, with the growth of hybrid working environments, desk to person ratios can be reduced from 6 desks per 10 people, to as low as 3 to 10. 

Treated correctly, less desks can equal improved acoustic comfort, more biophilic planting, collaborative spaces, and break out zones for one to one Zoom calls; all improving the wellbeing of the occupants. 

Adam shares his experiences working on:

• The new University of Bristol Library - a world class facility for all, to support and enhance the services offered by the University’s broader library and study centres network. It will strengthen the University’s ability to provide high quality study spaces, programmes and events, and services to reach out to an increasing number of new students, researchers and academics.
• The Grade II listed Waltham Forest Town Hall and Assembly Hall, along with the surrounding landscape, which recently, have sensitively been transformed into a place where council staff, local business and residents come together. 

Adam states that only a few years ago, the specification of sustainable materials and solutions and the consideration of accessibility and inclusivity in design were ‘nice to have bolt-ons’, which have now become absolute must-haves. With show host Simon Gosling, he explores the need and hope that the specification of acoustic products, to enable well-being design, will also become par of the course. 

In the meantime, they can easily be sourced in Quiet Mark’s Acoustics Academy - a free to use online platform further equipping and empowering architects, builders and designers with a guide to expertly verified leading acoustic solutions for every building application area. 

Episode 29: LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACOUSTICS! - Film Studio Acoustic Design - Barry Jobling - Hoare Lea

Lockdowns may have shut cinemas and choked off the supply of new films and TV shows, but developers are banking on the streaming boom by pouring hundreds of millions of pounds into building Hollywood-style studios in the UK.

In this episode of The Quiet Mark Podcast - LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACOUSTICS! - we discuss Film Studios with Barry Jobling, Partner with Hoare Lea, who, in addition to working on numerous studios including Dagenham, Elstree and Manchester, recently contributed to a new report from JLL: Reel Estate – Film and TV Studios as an Investment. It reveals that an increased appetite for film and TV content across a growing number of platforms is creating demand for further significant studio capacity in the UK.

The report includes contributions from our in-house experts at Hoare Lea, along with the British Film Commission and Scott Brownrigg. It highlights that the demand for new studio capacity, services and facilities has never been greater, with up to 4.5m sq ft of new development under consideration in order to meet it. This is more than double the current amount of permanent stage space in the UK.

As a recent report in The Guardian pointed out:
Barking and Dagenham council has struck a £300m deal to build a studio in east London that is expected to welcome its first TV and film productions as soon as mid-2022.
Liverpool city council submitted a planning application to create the city’s first “pop-up” TV and film stages, which will sit alongside a much bigger development of the city’s historic Littlewoods Building, a 10-acre (four hectare) site dubbed the “Hollywood of the north” that will open in 2023.

The Quiet Mark Podcast Host, Simon Gosling asks Barry about the challenges of Film Studio acoustic design and the work of Hoare Lea. 

Episode 28: SUSTAINABLE SEPTEMBER with Quiet Mark‘s Acoustics Academy

When Specifiers select products and materials for their projects, they increasing seek solutions which have been manufactured sustainably, with certifications to verify their credentials. 

In this SUSTAINABLE SEPTEMBER episode of The Quiet Mark Podcast, our host, Simon Gosling, speaks with 6 manufactures whose Quiet Mark certified products are listed on our AcousticsAcademy.com directory of expertly verified solutions for every building project to support the new era of responsible design.

Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The concept of sustainability is composed of three pillars: economic, environmental, and social—also known informally as profits, planet, and people. Increasingly, companies are making public commitments to sustainability through actions like reducing waste, investing in renewable energy, and supporting organisations that work toward a more sustainable future.

Working our way up, starting with floors by Karndean Designflooring, through to walls by WoodUpp, insulation by ROCKWOOL, acoustic artworks and furniture by BuzziSpace with Cory Grosser + Associates, murals and furniture by AllSfär, all the way up to ceilings by Armourcoat Acoustic®, Simon asks each manufacturer how they produce their products sustainably, and what it means to their businesses.

Your company might be considering corporate sustainability initiatives but wondering just how hard it is to implement meaningful change in your organisation. It can be helpful to have examples of corporate sustainability initiatives to look to for inspiration, and this is precisely what our first guests on this episode, Products of Change provides.

Tune in to discover more!

 

 

Episode 27: REDUCING NOISE POLLUTION IN CONSTRUCTION - Peter Wilson - Echo Barrier

In this episode we discuss the occupational and environmental effects of noise pollution in construction, with Peter Wilson, Technical Director of Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre and Echo Barrier, whose noise reduction products are Quiet Mark certified: https://www.quietmark.com/brands/echo-barrier

In the UK in 2019, noise breaches on construction sites were reported to be up 25%. With the sector now preparing to ‘build, build, build’, the situation will worsen without action.

Noise is one of the most commonly-found contaminants in the construction sector. Construction sites produce extensive amounts of noise pollution, the effects of which are experienced immediately.

The negative effects are not restricted to the construction site, with noise pollution creating a problem for surrounding areas. Local residents often report varying levels of stress, sleep disturbance and high blood pressure. Noise pollution can also disturb the natural cycles of animals and reduce the size of their habitat.

In addition to a mechanical engineering degree and an MSc in Acoustics and Vibration, Peter Wilson has spent over 35 years honing his practical skills in the field of noise and vibration engineering - initially in the automotive industry (solving problems on both products and for customers). He has acquired a considerable reputation for developing innovative noise control techniques across a very wide range of applications and industries. This includes the design of the award-winning Echo Barriers, innovative, award-winning fan noise control technology and novel structural vibration dampers.

Peter also developed the Institute of Occupational Health (IOSH - UK) competency training courses in both noise and vibration. To share good vibrations, he also does a bit of stand-up comedy! But noise pollution is no joke, so please do tune in to find out more.