Looking back on 2021, here are five of our highlights of the year.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, we have completed multiple projects, as well as taking on a raft of new assignments.
We also celebrated three of our staff completing their diplomas this year. Congratulations to George and Martyn, who become Associate Members of the Institute of Acoustics, and Pete, who becomes a full Member of the Institute.
1. YMCA Community Hub
We particularly enjoy seeing redundant buildings being transformed for community use. YMCA Norfolk completed a major development earlier this year – their new Community Hub at Aylsham Road, Norwich. It was a pleasure working alongside LSI Architects and Daniel Connal Partnership once again. Unsurprisingly the project has already been nominated for an Architects Journal Retrofit Award in 2022.
More details here.
2. Dyson Building
A major project opened at Gresham’s School in Holt, Norfolk this autumn. The Dyson Building is an educational centre for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). Former pupil Sir James Dyson donated funds for its creation and we carried out the acoustic design for this cutting edge project.
More details here.
3. Great Hall, Kent College, Canterbury
The Great Hall at Kent College is a spectacular concert hall that is now fully operational. It benefits from a flexible multi-purpose design and innovative natural ventilation system – all created within a very tight budget. A visit by some of the AJA staff in October with the Institute of Theatre Consultants included an opportunity to try out the excellent acoustics with some live music.
More details here.
4. East Suffolk wind turbines
One of our largest projects this year was to act as expert technical advisors for East Suffolk Council. We were appointed to review the noise and vibration assessments for two proposed wind farms. This Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project required a large amount of data to be analysed and was finally presented to the Planning Inspectorate in October for determination by the Secretary of State.
More details here.
5. Reith Building
Adrian James Acoustics has a long history of providing outstanding acoustic design for SEN schools and individual classroom spaces. This year we picked up an award from the Association of Noise Consultants for our work on redesigning the Reith Building at Gresham’s School. This building now benefits from enhanced facilities for pupils with special educational needs.
We hope to see more projects of this type in 2022 and beyond.